闡述蛋白質(zhì)、DNA或其它生物分子的原子水平的三維結(jié)構(gòu)的技術(shù)。這種方法的運(yùn)用是基于首先使純化的生物分子結(jié)晶為有序排列然后用X射線分析結(jié)晶體。之所以使用X射線是因?yàn)槠洳ㄩL和原子裂解時(shí)的波長一樣，所以晶體作為分子衍射光柵衍射X射線，產(chǎn)生一種可以獲取并分析的衍射圖形。然后用計(jì)算機(jī)重建初始結(jié)構(gòu)。在實(shí)際操作中這一衍射圖形被反復(fù)地不斷升高的分辨率處理，結(jié)晶學(xué)家不斷在建立一個(gè)模型結(jié)構(gòu)并按該模型計(jì)算出的衍射圖形與實(shí)際觀察到的比較。每一次重復(fù)都使模型結(jié)構(gòu)與實(shí)驗(yàn)結(jié)果更加吻合。當(dāng)這兩者之間的差異可以忽略時(shí)，這一衍射圖形便得到求解。最終的模型提供了被研究分子平均時(shí)間上的三維原子水平結(jié)構(gòu)。蛋白靶子的X射線結(jié)晶體結(jié)構(gòu)可以識別蛋白質(zhì)的功能袋。當(dāng)與自然或人工配體混合時(shí)，可以作為藥物設(shè)計(jì)的有用起始點(diǎn)。蛋白質(zhì)X射線結(jié)構(gòu)的目錄也為蛋白質(zhì)結(jié)構(gòu)類型、自然狀態(tài)下的折疊和域提供了有用信息。有時(shí)這被稱為結(jié)構(gòu)基因組學(xué)。

A technique that allows the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of proteins, DNA, or other biomolecules at atomic-level resolution. This is achieved by first crystallizing the purified biomolecule into ordered arrays and then using X-ray diffraction to analyze the crystals. X-rays are used because they have the same wavelength as the atomic separations so the crystal acts as a molecular diffraction grating to diffract a beam of X-rays, producing a diffraction pattern that can be captured and analyzed. A computer is then used to reconstruct the original structure. In practice the diffraction pattern is iteratively solved at ever-increasing “shells” of resolution; the crystallographer alternates between building a model structure (working in “real” space) and comparing the model’s calculated diffraction pattern with the observed diffraction pattern (working in “reciprocal” space). Each round of iteration brings the model structure into better agreement with the experimental data; when the difference between the two is negligible the diffraction pattern is said to be “solved.” The final model provides a time-averaged three-dimensional atomic-resolution structure of the molecule under study. The X-ray crystal structure of a protein target can identify the functional pockets of the protein and, when complexed with a natural or synthetic ligand, can serve as a useful starting point for rational drug design. X-ray structures of catalogs of proteins have also provided useful information on the types of protein structures, folds and domains found in nature; this is sometimes termed structural genomics.