Collecting data in the home laboratory: evolution of X-ray sources, detectors and working practices

Abstract

While the majority of macromolecular X-ray data are currently collected using highly efficient beamlines at an ever-increasing number of synchrotrons, there is still a need for high-performance reliable systems for in-house experiments. In addition to crystal screening and optimization of data-collection parameters before a synchrotron trip, the home system allows the collection of data as soon as the crystals are produced to obtain the solution of novel structures, especially by the molecular-replacement method, and is invaluable in achieving the quick turnover that is often required for ligand-binding studies in the pharmaceutical industry. There has been a continuous evolution of X-ray sources, detectors and software developed for in-house use in recent years and a diverse range of tools for structural biology laboratories are available. An overview of the main directions of these developments and examples of specific solutions available to the macromolecular crystallography community are presented in this paper, showing that data collection `at home' is still an attractive proposition complementing the use of synchrotron beamlines.

Keywords: X-ray hardware; data collection; macromolecular crystallography.

Figure 1

A compact X-ray system consisting of a microfocus sealed-tube source (s), focusing multi-layer optics (o), a four-circle goniometer (g) and a CCD detector (d). Picture courtesy of Agilent Technologies.

Figure 2

(a) Novel X-ray source utilizing a molten gallium anode. (b) Schematic principle of the metal-jet technology. Pictures courtesy of Excillum AB.