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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
Published on: November 5, 2018
Time resolved SAXS and RNA folding
1School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. lp26@cornell.edu
Abstract:
Small angle X-ray scattering provides low resolution structural information about macromolecules in solution. When coupled with rapid mixing methods, SAXS reports time-dependent conformational changes of RNA induced by the addition of Mg(2+) to trigger folding. Thus time-resolved SAXS provides unique information about the global or overall structures of transient intermediates populated during folding. Notably, SAXS provides information about the earliest folding events, which can evade detection by other methods.
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