Experimental evidence for the benefits of higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography

X-ray-induced radiation damage is a limiting factor for the macromolecular crystallographer and data must often be merged from many crystals to yield complete data sets for the structure solution of challenging samples. Increasing the X-ray energy beyond the typical 10-15 keV range promises to provide an extension of crystal lifetime via an increase in diffraction efficiency. To date, however, hardware limitations have negated any possible gains. Through the first use of a cadmium telluride EIGER2 detector and a beamline optimized for high-energy data collection, it is shown that at higher energies fewer crystals will be required to obtain complete data, as the diffracted intensity per unit dose increases by a factor of more than two between 12.4 and 25 keV. Additionally, these higher energy data can provide more information, as shown by a systematic increase in the high-resolution cutoff of the data collected. Taken together, these gains point to a high-energy future for synchrotron-based macromolecular crystallography.

Automated summary

A new study shows that using a high-energy X-ray data collection system can reduce the number of crystals needed, increase diffraction efficiency per unit dose, and provide more information. These findings suggest a brighter future for synchrotron-based macromolecular crystallography with high-energy X-rays.