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+420 54949 7576, +420 54949 5740 |
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Main Activity
X-ray Diffraction and Bio-SAXS core facility is equipped with top-class instruments for diffraction experiments with single crystal samples focused on the determination of the 3-D structure of (macro) molecules down to atomic resolution and for small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments with isotropically scattering samples focused on determination of the shape and size of macromolecules or nanoparticles.
The range of applicable molecular mass for diffraction methods: from 100 up to 1000000, where the lower value covers molecules significant for nanotechnology, materials science or pharmacology and the upper limit covers biomacromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins and their complexes.
Range of applicable particle sizes for SAXS: from 2 to 100 nm.
Unique Features
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The diffraction of X-rays in single crystal samples is the most important and – if an appropriate sample is available – also the fastest methodology currently available for the determination of the atomic structures of molecules and/or macromolecules and their complexes.
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On the other hand, SAXS is a technique capable of determining structural characteristics such as mono dispersity or aggregation, oligomeric state, low resolution three-dimensional shape or even quaternary structure not from a crystal but from a solution of (bio) macromolecules.
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The centralized organization of expensive instrumentation for SAXS and single crystal studies and highly trained staff allow the cost-effective use of resources and obtaining of experimental results in rapid responses to the demands of even untrained users.
Key Equipment (Core Facility fully operational from 2014)
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Rigaku HighFlux HomeLab™ robotized macromolecular diffraction system with ACTOR sample changer optimized for work at Cu-Kα wavelength
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Rigaku HighFlux HomeLab™ universal, dual wavelength (Mo-Kα and Cu-Kα) diffractometer
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Rigaku BioSAXS-1000 SAXS camera for small angle X-ray scattering from solutions of biological macromolecules
Rigaku BioSAXS-1000
The Core Facility is part of Czech National Affiliated Centre of INSTRUCT.
All CEITEC core facilities are available to external users (academia and companies). Czech and international researchers from universities and research institutes interested in accessing core facilities can benefit from support of research infrastructure CIISB, funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.
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Quality control of solution of biological macromolecules prior crystallization and/or SAXS
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Basic characterization of solutions of biological macromolecules by SAXS
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Determination of a low resolution 3-D shape of biological macromolecules by SAXS
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SAXS characterization of nanoparticles
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Robotized high throughput initial screening of crystallization conditions for biomacromolecules
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Optimization of selected crystallization conditions
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Screening and optimization of conditions for cryoprotection of protein crystals
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Testing of the diffraction quality of protein crystals, derivatives, etc. prior to data collection
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Collection of diffraction data from crystals of biological macromolecules at home source
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Data collection and solving of crystal structures from non-biological single crystals
More complex services, training courses, access to a wide list of crystallisation instrumentation purchased within the past projects at Masaryk University and/or help with diffraction data analysis are available on request.
