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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
Published on: November 5, 2018
Tracking the structural dynamics of proteins in solution using time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering
Marco Cammarata1, Matteo Levantino, Friedrich Schotte
1European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble Cedex 38043, BP 220, France. marco.cammarata@esrf.eu
Abstract:
We demonstrate tracking of protein structural changes with time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS) with nanosecond time resolution. We investigated the tertiary and quaternary conformational changes of human hemoglobin under nearly physiological conditions triggered by laser-induced ligand photolysis. We also report data on optically induced tertiary relaxations of myoglobin and refolding of cytochrome c to illustrate the wide applicability of the technique. By providing insights into the structural dynamics of proteins functioning in their natural environment, TR-WAXS complements and extends results obtained with time-resolved optical spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.
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