To view an animated gif of diffraction data collected from an insulin crystal, click here!

This week we were introduced the most basic physics of crystallography by learning what is happening as x-rays are diffracted by a crystal. Dr. Huxford lead an enlightening discussion that introduced concepts like the continuous scattering of x-rays by an object, how interference of x-rays through three dimensional arrays gives rise to diffraction at discreet points in space, and how a convolution of these two principles creates a diffraction image. We were introduced to real versus reciprocal space and the Ewald sphere construction for explaining when conditions are appropriate for generating a specific reflection intensity. This week's presentation slides and homework assignment can be viewed here.

Thanks to all of you who skipped a painfully boring last presidential debate to attend our latest SBP meeting! If you were unable to attend, you missed Dr. Huxford's presentation on macromolecular crystals and how to grow them. You also missed out on some nice door prizes (thanks James Caldwell for the door prizes!). Check out a copy of the presentation slides here. Next week's topic: Collecting x-ray diffraction data. See you there!

It was such a good meeting this week that we nearly ran out of Kudos bars! Dr. Huxford lead the discussion on the first challenge to a successful molecular structure determination by x-ray crystallography: deriving a source of material for study. That's right. In order to solve the structure of a biological macromolecule you are going to need a lot of it! We talked about how recombinant DNA technology and cell culture make possible the large scale expression of extremely rare or even artificially engineered proteins and how modern purification methods allow for their isolation and concentration. If you missed this meeting you can see a copy of the presentation slides here.

Thanks for another great SBP meeting! This week Dr. Huxford lead the group in a discussion of the seven "hurdles" that must be cleared on the way to a successful macromolecular structure determination by x-ray crystallography. The point of the talk was to impress upon researchers the practical nature of the x-ray experiment. We really do want to grow crystals of some biomolecule, blast them with x-rays, and accurately measure the diffracted rays. With few exceptions (the phase problem being a noteworthy one) the process is about as simple (or complicated, depending on your point of view) as it sounds. Download his presentation and a new homework assignment here.

Another good meeting on September 24! Thanks to all who attended. We discussed our experiences with downloading macromolecular models from the Protein Data Bank and viewing them on different software platforms. Dr. Huxford lead a discussion on why structural biology is such a valuable tool by sharing some case studies and encouraged students to get into the research literature with a new assignment. You can download his presentation slides here.

You can now directly download Jenning's paper here.

Thanks to all who attended our inaugural meeting this past Wednesday! We had a good time eating pizza and thinking about the structural approach to experimental biology. Please join us next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in GMCS 305.

If you missed the meeting this week or you would like a review then you can read Dr. Huxford's presentation and get this week's assignment here.

For those who attended, find help with your assignment right here.