Neutron diffraction is exquisitely sensitive to the positions of H atoms in protein crystal structures. IMAGINE is a high-intensity, quasi-Laue neutron crystallography beamline developed at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This state-of-the-art facility for neutron diffraction has enabled detailed structural analysis of macromolecules. IMAGINE is especially suited to resolve individual H atoms in protein structures, enabling neutron protein structures to be determined at or near atomic resolutions from crystals with volumes of less than 1mm(3) and unit-cell edges of less than 150A. Beamline features include elliptical focusing mirrors that deliver neutrons into a 2.0 x 3.2mm focal spot at the sample position, and variable short- and long-wavelength cutoff optics that provide automated exchange between multiple wavelength configurations. This review gives an overview of the IMAGINE beamline at the HFIR, presents examples of the scientific questions being addressed at this beamline, and highlights important findings in enzyme chemistry that have been made using the neutron diffraction capabilities offered by IMAGINE.
        
Related information
Citations formats
Schroder GC, O'Dell WB, Myles DAA, Kovalevsky A, Meilleur F (2018) IMAGINE: neutrons reveal enzyme chemistry Acta Crystallographica D Struct Biol74: 778-786
Schroder GC, O'Dell WB, Myles DAA, Kovalevsky A, Meilleur F (2018) Acta Crystallographica D Struct Biol74: 778-786