BMC Structural Biology gets some SAXS appeal

Despite their name, biological macromolecules are
actually pretty small, and it can be tough determining their structure. Many
techniques have been developed over the last century to bypass the limits of
conventional light microscopy, to peer deeper  into the shapes and functions of key molecules
like proteins and nucleic acids.

Determining with accuracy the exact shapes of these
molecules is crucial if we are to gain an understanding of just how
interactions in this giant molecular jigsaw maintain the essential biological
processes of life.

One promising approach is Small-Angle Scattering (SAS).
This technique of low-resolution analysis utilises high-powered X-ray or
neutron beams fired at samples from a synchrotron source (similar to the Large
Hadron Collider
) or nuclear reactor to reconstruct the shape of molecules from the shadow left
behind after the beam passes through.

Unlike long-established high-resolution techniques like
crystallography, SAS is able to probe the shapes of macromolecules in solution, rather than
requiring fixation within a solid crystal. This means that molecules can be
studied in more biologically realistic conditions, and without having to wait
for samples to crystallize.

However, until now SAS has yet to establish a publication framework emphasising quality assurance to help guide researchers—something that was crucial to the scientific
development of these other fields.

In a Commentary article published today in BMC
Structural Biology
, Professor Jill Trewhella and colleagues outline the guidelines
recently drawn up by The International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) for the
reporting of data derived from SAS studies, and discuss why such a
framework is necessary for the development and establishment of this emerging technique.
This compliments nicely a recent exposition of
these guidelines from the same group, and an accompanying piece by Edward Baker and Zbigniew Dauter on the future
of the field.

This is the first of a number of articles to be
published in BMC Structural Biology focusing on developments in the analysis of
biological macromolecules using SAS techniques,
co-ordinated by Section Editor Paul Ramsland and deputy Section Editor Cy Jeffries. A forthcoming Review from the lab
of Andrej Sali highlights recent advances in the development of computational
methods using SAXS profiles (from an X-ray source), and how these can be
integrated into theoretical models for
enhanced accuracy in structure prediction.

BMC Structural Biology would like to issue an open invitation to
all researchers working in the
field of structure determination using SAS
techniques to get in touch and get involved– we would be delighted to consider
your contribution to this exciting field.

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