An all-inclusive and straightway laboratory activity to solve the three-dimensional crystal structure of a protein

OTERO, LISANDRO H.

Congreso; LatinXChem 2020; 2020

LatinXChem

X-ray crystallography provides structural information of molecules at the atomic level, being a central technique at the forefront of science and technology. As such, approximately 90% of the biological macromolecule structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank have been determined by X-ray crystallography, exposing its impact within structural biology.Standard classes for upper-division undergraduate and graduate education in Biochemistry generally include visualization of protein structures, but usually lack activities on protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography, mainly due to the complexity to execute this technique by non-expert teachers. Here, we report the basic step-by-step workflow performed by crystallographers in order to solve the three-dimensional structure of a protein in an easier way for educationalpurposes. We would like to share our experience with the educational research community, with the main purpose being to enrich teaching in biochemistry and structural molecular biology by performing a series of interesting laboratory and computer experiments. This work was published in the international journal Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education (WILEY). https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21296.