SR Life Science Instrumentation Unit

Protein crystallography has dramatically progressed utilizing the high-brilliant and variable-wavelength X-ray source of synchrotron radiation facilities. At the SPring-8, protein crystallography beamlines have been developed and improved to achieve the data collection for smaller crystals and more rapid data acquisition, taking advantage of the bright light source. In addition, a variety of innovative research project utilizing X-ray laser pulses are being progressed with the start of SACLA operation in 2012. Our unit, located in the SPring-8 site, has mission of research and development of new technologies for structural biology and beamlines. This includes the instrumentation of beamline optics, experimental station, sample handling and X-ray detectors, and the methodology of data collection and structure determination, at SPring-8 and SACLA. Also our unit is responsible for the operation of four RIKEN structural biology beamlines (BL32XU, BL26B1&B2, and BL45XU).

Research Subjects

• Research and Development of instrumentations for SPring-8 beamlines
• Research and Development of new technologies for structural biology
• Structural biology research with protein crystallography
• Operation of the RIKEN Structural Biology Beamlines
• Research and Development of new measurement technique using XFEL

Publications

1. Hideaki E. Kato, Feng Zhang, Ofer Yizhar, Charu Ramakrishnan, Tomohiro Nishizawa, Kunio Hirata, Jumpei Ito, Yusuke Aita, Tomoya Tsukazaki, Shigehiko Hayashi, Peter Hegemann, Andrés D. Maturana, Ryuichiro Ishitani, Karl Deisseroth, Osamu Nureki:
   "Crystal structure of the channelrhodopsin light-gated cation channel"
   Nature 482, 369-374 (2012)
2. Murakami, H., Ueno, G., Shimizu, N., Kumasaka, T., and Yamamoto, M.:
   "Upgrade of automated sample exchanger SPACE"
   J. Appl. Cryst. 25, 234-238 (2012)
3. Hirata, K., Ueno, G., Nisawa, N., Kawano, Y, Hikima, T., Shimizu, N., Kumasaka, T., Yumoto, H., Tanaka, T., Takahashi, S., Takeshita, K., Ohashi, H., Goto, S., Kitamura, H., and Yamamoto, M.:
   "New Microbeam Beamline at SPring-8, Targeting at Protein Microcrystallography"
   AIP Conference Proceedings 1234, pp. 893-896 (2010)
4. Hasegawa, K., Hirata, K., Shimizu, T., Shimizu, N., Hikima, T., Baba, S., Kumasaka, T., and Yamamoto, M.:
   "Development of a shutterless continuous rotation method using an X-ray CMOS detector for protein crystallography"
   J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 1165-1175 (2009)
5. Okazaki N., Hasegawa K., Ueno G., Murakami H., Kumasaka T., and Yamamoto M.:
   "Mail-in data collection at SPring-8 protein crystallography beamlines"
   J. Synchrotron Rad.15, 288-291 (2008)
6. Shimizu N., Hirata K., Hasegawa K., Ueno G., and Yamamoto M.:
   "Dose dependence of radiation damage for protein crystals studied at various X-ray energies"
   J. Synchrotron Rad.14, 4-10 (2007)
7. Muramoto, K., Hirata, K., Shinzawa-Itoh, K., Yoko-o, S., Yamashita, E., Aoyama, H., Tsukihara, T., and Yoshikawa, S.:
   "A histidine residue acting as a controlling site for dioxygen reduction and proton pumping by cytochrome c oxidase"
   PNAS, 17;106(7):2165-9 (2007)
8. Ueno, G., Kanda, H., Hirose, R., Ida, K., Kumasaka, T., and Yamamoto, M.:
   "RIKEN structural genomics beamlines at the SPring-8; high throughput protein crystallography with automated beamline operation."
   J. Structural and Functional Genomics 7, 15-22 (2006)
9. Hirata, K., Muraoka, S., Suenaga, K., Kuroda, T., Kato, K., Tanaka, H., Yamamoto, M., Takata, M., Yamada, K., and Kigoshi, H.:
   "Structure basis for antitumor effect of aplyronine A."
   J. Mol. Biol. 356, 945-954 (2006)
10. Kumasaka, T., Yamamoto, M., Yamashita, E., Moriyama, H., and Ueki, T.:
    "Trichromatic concept optimizes MAD experiments in synchrotron X-ray rystallography."
    STRUCTURE, 10, 1205-1210 (2002)