Dr. Anat Shahar
Head of the Macromolecular Crystallography Research Center (MCRC)
Ph.D.: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Position: Research Associate
E-mail: anshahar@bgu.ac.il
Web: http://www.bgu.ac.il/crystallography
Macromolecular Crystallography uses X-ray radiation to determine the three dimensional structure of proteins and nucleic acids. X-ray crystallography remains the gold standard technique achieving results in the high-resolution range, up to atomic details. The knowledge of molecular structures at atomic level resolution facilitates research into protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions, is a pre-requisite for structure-based functional studies and rational drug design as well as for understanding various biochemical processes and biological systems. The Macromolecular Crystallography Research Center (MCRC) was established in order to address a variety of such biological questions.
Structure determination of biological macromolecules by X-ray crystallography is a linear process, which involves several steps including cloning, expression, purification and crystallization of the target molecules as well as data collection and model building. However, producing high-quality and well diffracting crystals remains the major bottleneck in this process. In order to overcome this challenge, the MCRC is fully equipped with the appropriate reagents and robotics for providing the services below:
- Crystallization setup experiments using various commercial kits to screen for appropriate
crystallization conditions
- Optimization of crystal growth conditions
- Diffraction analysis using either a home source diffractometer or the European Synchrotron Radiation
Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France
- 3D structure determination
1. Rigaku RU-H3RHB X-Ray diffractometer composed of:
– Rotating-anode X-ray generator (Rigaku)
– Confocal Max-FluxTM (CMF) beam conditioning optics (Osmic Inc.)
– MAR345 image plate detector (Marresearch)
2. Marresearch MarμX X-ray system composed of:
– GeniX-3D Cu Microbeam X-ray generator (Xenocs)
– MAR345 image plate detector (Marresearch)
– Low temperature system (Oxford cryosystems)
- Rock maker (Formulatrix) software for designing, automatic set-up and tracking of crystallization
experiments
- Formultor (Formulatrix) liquid handler
- NT8 Drop Setter (Formulatrix) automated dispenser
- Rock Imager (Formulatrix) automated imaging system
- Rock Maker Web (Formulatrix) for following after images of the crystallization plates. The website
can be reached from both inside and outside Ben-Gurion University.
