Investigations of Photosensitive Proteins by Serial Crystallography

Abstract

This review contains recent data on serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (SFX), based on a femtosecond X-ray free electron laser, as well as on the possibilities of its application for studying photosensitive proteins. Development of this method began rather recently, and it has already shown its effectiveness and some unique advantages over conventional X-ray structural analysis. This technology is especially promising for structural studies of membrane proteins and for kinetic studies. The main principle of the method, the possibility of its application in structural biology, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as its prospects for further development are analyzed in this review. Special attention is given to publications in which the SFX method has been used to study photosensitive proteins.