Projects per year
Abstract
Higher throughput methods to mount and collect data from multiple small and radiation-sensitive crystals are important to support challenging structural investigations using microfocus synchrotron beamlines. Furthermore, efficient sample-delivery methods are essential to carry out productive femtosecond crystallography experiments at X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). To address these needs, a highdensity sample grid useful as a scaffold for both crystal growth and diffraction data collection has been developed and utilized for efficient goniometer-based sample delivery at synchrotron and XFEL sources. A single grid contains 75 mounting ports and fits inside an SSRL cassette or uni-puck storage container. The use of grids with an SSRL cassette expands the cassette capacity up to 7200 samples. Grids may also be covered with a polymer film or sleeve for efficient room-temperature data collection from multiple samples. New automated routines have been incorporated into the Blu-Ice/DCSS experimental control system to support grids, including semi-automated grid alignment, fully automated positioning of grid ports, rastering and automated data collection. Specialized tools have been developed to support crystallization experiments on grids, including a universal adaptor, which allows grids to be filled by commercial liquid-handling robots, as well as incubation chambers, which support vapordiffusion and lipidic cubic phase crystallization experiments. Experiments in which crystals were loaded into grids or grown on grids using liquid-handling robots and incubation chambers are described. Crystals were screened at LCLSXPP and SSRL BL12-2 at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2-11 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Acta Crystallographica Section D: Structural Biology |
Volume | D72 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- Automation for sample-exchange robots
- High-throughput crystallography
- Sample delivery
- Serial crystallography
- XFELs
Projects
- 1 Finished
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ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging
Whisstock, J., Abbey, B., Nugent, K., Quiney, H. M., Godfrey, D. I., Heath, W., Fairlie, D., Chapman, H., Peele, A., Davey, J. & Wittmann, A.
30/06/14 → 31/03/21
Project: Research
Equipment
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Australian Synchrotron
Office of the Vice-Provost (Research and Research Infrastructure)Facility/equipment: Facility