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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Combining X-Ray Crystallography with Small Angle X-Ray Scattering to Model Unstructured Regions of Nsa1 from S. Cerevisiae
Published on: January 10, 2018
SOMO (SOlution MOdeler) differences between X-Ray- and NMR-derived bead models suggest a role for side chain
Nithin Rai1, Marcelo Nöllmann, Bruno Spotorno
1Division of Infection & Immunity, Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Reduced numbers of frictional/scattering centers are essential for tractable hydrodynamic and small-angle scattering data modeling. We present a method for generating medium-resolution models from the atomic coordinates of proteins, basically by using two nonoverlapping spheres of differing radii per residue. The computed rigid-body hydrodynamic parameters of BPTI, RNase A, and lysozyme models were compared with a large database of critically assessed experimental values. Overall, very good results were obtained, but significant discrepancies between X-ray- and NMR-derived models were found. Interestingly, they could be accounted for by properly considering the extent to which highly mobile surface side chains differently affect translational/rotational properties. Models of larger structures, such as fibrinogen fragment D and citrate synthase, also produced consistent results. Foremost among this method's potential applications is the overall conformation and dynamics of modular/multidomain proteins and of supramolecular complexes. The possibility of merging data from high- and low-resolution structures greatly expands its scope.
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