Increasing X-ray energy improves data quality in serial crystallography

Serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) enables structure determination from microcrystals under near-physiological, room-temperature conditions but is limited in part due to the inevitable onset of radiation damage. The ability to reduce the absorbed dose while retaining, or even improving, data quality is an attractive means of mitigating this limitation. Advances in detector technology have made the use of high-energy X-rays a routine approach in MX, improving diffraction efficiency and enhancing overall data quality. Here, we systematically evaluate low-dose SSX data collected at five different X-ray energies from 12.4 to 25 keV using a CdTe Eiger2 detector while maintaining a constant dose. Higher photon energies increased the mean diffracted intensity and signal-to-noise ratio per unit dose, and facilitated higher-resolution structure determination, even with limited crystal numbers. These findings highlight the advantages of high-energy X-rays and provide practical guidance for optimizing SSX experiments in probing protein dynamics.