• (September 2004) Beamline 10 in the SRD Annual Report 2003-2004

The progress of the development of beamline 10 is well documented in the SRD Annual Report 2003-2004, page 10 (of course...).

• (September 2004) First Structure solved By MAD

Dr. Fusinita van den Ent and Dr. Jan Lowe (LMB-MRC) were the first users to solve a structure using the MAD capability of SRS beamline 10.1. They collected data overnight on Friday and by the evening of the following Sunday they were able to state 'The structure is basically solved. The native is 2.8 Å, we couldn't get anything better, but that should be enough. The density is gorgeous!'

• (September 2004) First paper published for work carried out on beamline 10

The protein of interest (structure already solved) binds NTPs and Mg. Mancini et al. aimed to collect protein+ATP+Mg and protein+ATP+Mn to verify the Mg position by collecting data near the Mn K edge. Datasets were collected using X-rays of 1.8A and showed clear (20 sigma) peaks in the anomalous maps. The second dataset showed weak Mg anomalous sites at the same places.

Mancini EJ, Kainov DE, Grimes JM, Tuma R, Bamford DH, Stuart DI. Cell. 2004 Sep 17;118(6):743-55.

• (August 2004) Installation of MAR225 CCD Detector

In August 2004 the glorious MAR165 CCD from MAR-USA that allowed us to sail through the commissioning time, has been replaced by a 3x3 tiled MAR 225 CCD detector. This has an active area of 225x225mm² with pixel size of 73 microns. Readout time is 1 second with 3.5 seconds of dead time.  In the photograph Dr. Lentfer, Dr. Blum and Prof. Hasnain during the installation.

• (April 2004) Installation and commissioning of Fluorescence detector

The optimum wavelength for MAD experiment is provided by the fluorescence data obtained from a monolithic low profile Ge detector, which also provides capability of collecting XAFS data on the same crystals as well as monitor the redox state of a ‘metallic’ functional group during crystallographic data collection. Figure below shows a close in view of the sample area with the monolithic fluorescence detector and automatic sample changer.

• (March 2004) First MAD experiments

Dr. Andrew Sharff from Astex Technology recently collected a couple of MAD data sets (at the Hg LIII edge) on a current drug target as part of benchmarking efforts of the new beamline. These have provided the heavy atom site and Andrew is hopeful “that structure solution would soon emerge." The data went to 2.5Å resolution (cell 60 x 50 x 103 Å – space group P2₁).

• (March 2004) More testings ...

A group from AstraZeneca had similar experience.  Dr. Julie Tucker and Stefan Gerhardt from AstraZeneca collected a couple of data sets on a ligand bound complex of a phosphorylase on NWSGC MAD 10 as part of benchmarking effort of the new beamline. Julie and Stefan were able to extend the resolution (unit cell size 115, 127, 127Å, P2₁2₁2₁) to 1.9Å compared to data collected on 14.2, where very similar crystals diffracted to 2.3Å.

• (February 2004) Pushing resolution limits ...

Further tests on thrombin crystals (provided in a collaboration with GSK) in February 2004 assessed the diffraction resolution limits and showed comparable results to an undulator insertion device based instrument whereby good data up to 1.4Å were measured on line 10.

• (February 2004) First data collection on crystals with large unit cell and high resolution

Table below provides the summary of two data sets obtained for two forms of crystals of the same protein, human superoxide dismutase. These data were collected by Drs. Michele Cianci and Svetlana Antonyuk. One of these is for a reasonable modest cell dimensions (the largest axis being 203Å) and the other representing a relatively smaller cell (the largest axis being 67Å). The atomic resolution achieved in the latter case and high resolution achieved in the former case provided confirmation that beam line is able to provide high quality data.

• (14th of November 2003) First PX Data Collection on SOD
  
  

First test images were obtained on 14 November 2003 on a motor neuron causing mutant of human superoxide dismutase with a cell dimension (a=166.16, b=203.68, c=144.48Å). Data went to 1.8Å Resolution and reasonable images were obtained in 45 Seconds for 0.5° oscillation.

• (31st of October 2003) First crystallographic tests

Tests made by Manchester University Structural Chemistry Laboratory staff (J R and M Helliwell with M Cianci) on 31st October 2003 with a small molecule crystal showed that the precision of the instrument wavelength setting and geometric reproducibility of the line 10 camera allowed correct diffraction pattern prediction.

• (8th/9th of September 2003) SRS User Meeting Poster: Status of NWSGC MAD10

• (11th of August 2003) First XAFS data collected off BL10 Monochromator

   

• (May 2002) Newsaround issue 12