A history of neutrons in biology: the development of neutron protein crystallography at BNL and LANL.
The first neutron diffraction data were collected from crystals of myoglobin almost 42 years ago using a step-scan diffractometer with a single detector. Since then, major advances have been made in neutron sources, instrumentation and data collection and analysis, and in biochemistry. Fundamental discoveries about enzyme mechanisms, biological complex structures, protein hydration and H-atom positions have been and continue to be made using neutron diffraction. The promise of neutrons has not changed since the first crystal diffraction data were collected. Today, with the developments of beamlines at spallation neutron sources and the use of the Laue method for data collection, the field of neutrons in structural biology has renewed vitality.
Life Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. bschoenborn@sisna.com
Benno P
BP
Schoenborn
D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D033363:Neutron Diffraction / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009502:Neutrons; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
D011506:Proteins