Low-resolution crystallography is coming of age.
The threshold of what is considered "acceptable" resolution for obtaining mechanistic insights is being pushed by recent structures at 3.8 to 4.7 A resolution. One of these structures, that of a fully glycosylated SIV gp120 envelope glycoprotein in an unliganded conformation at 4.0 A resolution, is described in this issue (Chen et al., 2005).
Brunger
Axel T
AT
D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006031:Glycosylation; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C069623:gp120 protein, Simian immunodeficiency virus