Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

X-ray Imaging

X-ray Imaging

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923) was experimenting with electrical current when he discovered that a mysterious and invisible "ray" would pass through his flesh but leave an outline of his bones on a screen coated with a metal compound. In 1895, Röntgen made the first durable record of the internal parts of a living human: an "X-ray" image (as it came to be called) of his wife’s hand. Scientists worldwide quickly began their own experiments with...

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopes
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...

X-ray Crystallography

X-ray Crystallography

The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

High-throughput in situ single particle X-ray imaging of dehydrating viral capsids.

Light, science & applications·2026

Same author

Single-Particle X-ray Scattering Reveals a High Local Supersaturation of Precursors as the Origin of CoO Assembly Formation.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2026

Same author

Native mass spectrometry meets X-rays for the elucidation of protein structures.

Biochemical Society transactions·2026

Same author

Statistical crystallography reveals an allosteric network in SARS-CoV-2 M<sup>pro</sup>.

Communications biology·2026

Same author

3D atomic structure determination with ultrashort-pulse MeV electron diffraction.

IUCrJ·2026

Same author

The effects of external electric fields on proteins.

Chemical Society reviews·2026

Same journal

Towards light-coupled sample preparation for time-resolved cryoEM studies.

IUCrJ·2026

Same journal

Cryo-EM analysis of cooperative conformational changes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein trimer.

IUCrJ·2026

Same journal

Towards time-resolved MicroED grid preparation using mix-and-inject gas dynamic virtual nozzles.

IUCrJ·2026

Same journal

How cryoEM has advanced our understanding of bacteriophages and bacteriocins targeting Clostridioides difficile.

IUCrJ·2026

Same journal

CryoEM structures reveal allosteric regulation of the catalytic activity of the multi-protein human MAT enzyme complexes.

IUCrJ·2026

Same journal

Cryo-EM-guided subtractive optimization of a novel VCP/p97 inhibitor.

IUCrJ·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Sample Preparation and Transfer Protocol for In-Vacuum Long-Wavelength Crystallography on Beamline I23 at Diamond Light Source

Sample Preparation and Transfer Protocol for In-Vacuum Long-Wavelength Crystallography on Beamline I23 at Diamond Light Source

Published on: April 23, 2021

Towards phasing using high X-ray intensity.

Lorenzo Galli¹, Sang-Kil Son², Thomas R M Barends³

¹Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY , Notkestrasse 85, Hamburg, 22607, Germany ; Department of Physics, University of Hamburg , Luruper Chaussee 149, Hamburg, 22761, Germany.

|November 24, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) enable macromolecular structure determination. This study quantifies electronic damage effects in serial femtosecond crystallography, proposing a novel phasing method using ionization contrast.

Keywords:

X-ray free-electron lasers electronic damage high XFEL doses high-intensity phasing radiation damage serial femtosecond crystallography

More Related Videos

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography

Published on: February 21, 2017

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

Published on: September 30, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Sample Preparation and Transfer Protocol for In-Vacuum Long-Wavelength Crystallography on Beamline I23 at Diamond Light Source

Sample Preparation and Transfer Protocol for In-Vacuum Long-Wavelength Crystallography on Beamline I23 at Diamond Light Source

Published on: April 23, 2021

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography

Published on: February 21, 2017

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

Published on: September 30, 2022

Area of Science:

Structural biology
Biophysics
Crystallography

Background:

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) offer advanced capabilities for macromolecular structure determination using serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX).
High XFEL intensity can cause significant electronic damage, including multiply ionizing atoms and altering scattering factors, particularly affecting heavy atoms through 'bleaching'.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of electronic damage on experimental data from Gd-lysozyme microcrystals at varying X-ray intensities.
To quantify the ionization state of Gd atoms using phased difference Fourier maps.
To explore a new experimental phasing method leveraging local electronic damage and ionization contrast.

Main Methods:

Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) experiments on Gd-lysozyme microcrystals.
Data collection at different X-ray intensities to study electronic damage.
Analysis of phased difference Fourier maps to quantify Gd atom ionization.
Development of a pattern sorting scheme to enhance ionization contrast.

Main Results:

Quantification of Gd atom ionization levels across different X-ray intensities.
Demonstration of altered scattering factors due to XFEL radiation damage.
Successful development of a pattern sorting scheme to maximize ionization contrast.
Evidence that electronic damage can be exploited for experimental phasing.

Conclusions:

Electronic damage in XFEL crystallography significantly impacts scattering factors, especially for heavy atoms.
The degree of Gd ionization can be accurately quantified from SFX data.
A novel experimental phasing strategy can be developed by utilizing XFEL-induced electronic damage and ionization contrast.