Microsecond time-resolved X-ray scattering by utilizing MHz repetition rate at second-generation XFELs.
Patrick E KonoldLeonardo MonrroyAlfredo BellisarioDiogo FilipePatrick AdamsRoberto AlvarezRichard J BeanJohan BieleckiSzabolcs BódizsGabriel DucrocqHelmut GrubmuellerRichard A KirianMarco KloosJayanath C P KoliyaduFaisal H M KouaTaru LarkialaRomain LetrunFredrik LindstenMichael MaihöferAndrew V MartinPetra MészárosJennifer MutisyaAmke NimmrichKenta OkamotoAdam R RoundTokushi SatoJoana ValerioDaniel WestphalAugust WollterTej Varma YenupuriTong YouFilipe R N C MaiaSebastian WestenhoffPublished in: Nature methods (2024)
Detecting microsecond structural perturbations in biomolecules has wide relevance in biology, chemistry and medicine. Here we show how MHz repetition rates at X-ray free-electron lasers can be used to produce microsecond time-series of protein scattering with exceptionally low noise levels of 0.001%. We demonstrate the approach by examining Jɑ helix unfolding of a light-oxygen-voltage photosensory domain. This time-resolved acquisition strategy is easy to implement and widely applicable for direct observation of structural dynamics of many biochemical processes.