The Singe-crystal X-ray Diffraction Laboratory is one of the core facilities of the Structural Biology research programme focused on key technology using X-ray radiation for the study of molecular structures in crystals. Now, the state-of-the-art workplace has complex equipment at its disposal ranging from a crystallization robot used to search out suitable crystallization conditions to an X-ray diffractometer used to measure the samples – this facilitates the evaluation of data from which we get the exact atomic structure of the molecule being studied. This complementary NMR spectroscopy method deals with detailed study of the structures of biomolecules in solution and time changes undergone at an atomic level. The new biological small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) camera will allow us to understand the interconnection of structural data and, consequently, it will provide vital information about the quaternary structure of molecular complexes not only in the crystal but also in solution.The use of these methods will contribute to a detailed description and explanation of a wide range of biologically interesting processes – from the regulation of the transcription of genetic information right up to processes at a cellular level. Detailed knowledge of the structures of proteins and nucleic acids also assists in the pharmaceutical industry with the development of new medicines.
The new workplace on the university campus of Masaryk University will significantly strengthen the position of the Structural Biology research programme within the European context. Nowadays, the Single-crystal X-ray Diffraction Laboratory is already involved in important European projects in the field of structural biology such as INSTRUCT. There will be other unique devices installed under the programme of Structural Biology in the coming years, e.g. devices for cryo-electron microscopy and tomography enabling a complex study of biomolecular structures and interactions.
