Download MendeleySpitrobot-2 advances time-resolved cryo-trapping crystallography to under 25 ms.
Spiliopoulou, M., Hatton, C.E., Kollewe, M., Leimkohl, J.P., Schikora, H., Tellkamp, F., Mehrabi, P., Schulz, E.C.(2025) Commun Chem 8: 363-363
- PubMed: 41266557
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01784-9
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9R45, 9R46, 9R47, 9R48, 9R49, 9R4A, 9R4B, 9R4C, 9R4E, 9R4F, 9R4G, 9R4H - PubMed Abstract:
We previously introduced the spitrobot, a protein crystal plunging system that enables reaction quenching via cryo-trapping with a time resolution in the millisecond range. Here we present the next generation, spitrobot-2, as an integrated benchtop device. User-friendliness has been improved by semi-automatic sample exchange. Moreover, a fully automated shutter shields the liquid nitrogen from the humidified environment, improving sample integrity. Most importantly, the cryo-trapping delay time has been reduced to 23 ms, making spitrobot-2 twice as fast as the previous generation. This further expands the number of target systems that can be addressed by cryo-trapping time-resolved crystallography. Using 12 crystal structures of three independent model systems, we demonstrate successful cryo-trapping via observation of conformational changes and ligand binding within 25 ms. These improvements increase the convenient access to cryo-trapping, time-resolved X-ray crystallography empowering the MX community with efficient tools to advance research in structural biology.
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
Organizational Affiliation:
