Biomacromolecular neutron crystallography; Practical methods and utilization of neutron crystallography for understanding protein structure and function

Adachi, Motoyasu; Arai, Shigeki; Hiromoto, Takeshi; Kuroki, Ryota

Protein structure analysis using neutron diffraction (neutron protein crystallography; NPC) is gaining greater importance in the understanding of structure and function relationships of biological macromolecules such as proteins and DNA. Current developments of neutron diffractometers installed at the JAEA research reactor and pulsed neutron source permit observation of the locations of hydrogen atoms and hydrating water molecules and help understanding of important mechanisms of chemical reactions catalyzed by biological macromolecules. Here, we introduce practical approaches of NPC including sample preparation, crystal growth, structure determination and utilization of information obtained from NPC.