UCL Unit
of Structural Chemistry (CSTR)
Crystallography laboratory
Prof. Jean-Paul DECLERCQ
1, place Louis Pasteur, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
tel: +32 10 472924; fax: +32 10 472707; e-mail: jean-paul.declercq@uclouvain.be
Determination of molecular
structures : X ray diffraction
Since a
long time, the crystallography laboratory has been distinguished by resolving a
great number of problems in structural chemistry and by the establishment of
methods which allow these problems to be resolved. X ray diffraction by
monocrystals is a powerful tool of analysis which can supply three-dimensional
atomic coordinates. This enables to identify the analysed molecule with
certainty and to resolve the problems dealing with its spatial geometry.
Investigations
carried out in the field of protein crystallography help to understand,
at the atomic scale, the mechanisms of molecular biology or to show structural
characteristics related to the evolution and the stabilisation of proteins.
Here are shown two different conformations of bacteriophage lambda lysozyme
observed in the same crystal structure: the open and closed conformations of
the cleft giving access to the active site: Glu19 with the side-chain shown
(Evrard, Fastrez & Declercq, 1998, J. Mol. Biol. 276, 151-164).Click here
for a simulation of the transition between the two conformations.
Figures
produced using MOLSCRIPT (Kraulis, 1991, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 24, 946-950) and
RASTER3D (Merrit & Bacon, 1997, Methods Enzymol. 277, 505-524)
The crystal used for the structure determination of bacteriophage lambda
lysozyme was grown under micro-gravity conditions during the flight STS-67 of
the space shuttle.
J.
Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry 58, 139-149, 2007
Structural investigations by x-ray diffraction of large complexes or
supramolecular architectures give quantitative information on their
stereochemistry and their geometry. The analysis of the weak interactions
observed in the complexes are at the basis of the understanding of the
properties of those materials.
J. Med. Chem. 49, 3790-3799, 2006
EQUIPMENTS
- MAR-345 image plate
- Oxford cryosystem
- Rotating anode X-ray generator with Cu and
Mo anodes
- Dynamic light scattering
- Linux workstations
MEMBERS OF
THE LABORATORY
Page :
UCL | Crystallography in Belgium |
April 7, 2008
Responsible : Jean-Paul Declercq