1. |
- Edlund, Petra, et al.
(author)
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The room temperature crystal structure of a bacterial phytochrome determined by serial femtosecond crystallography
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phytochromes are a family of photoreceptors that control light responses of plants, fungi and bacteria. A sequence of structural changes, which is not yet fully understood, leads to activation of an output domain. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) can potentially shine light on these conformational changes. Here we report the room temperature crystal structure of the chromophore-binding domains of the Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome at 2.1 angstrom resolution. The structure was obtained by serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography from microcrystals at an X-ray free electron laser. We find overall good agreement compared to a crystal structure at 1.35 angstrom resolution derived from conventional crystallography at cryogenic temperatures, which we also report here. The thioether linkage between chromophore and protein is subject to positional ambiguity at the synchrotron, but is fully resolved with SFX. The study paves the way for time-resolved structural investigations of the phytochrome photocycle with time-resolved SFX.
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2. |
- Kjellsson, Ludvig, et al.
(author)
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Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering Reveals Hidden Local Transitions of the Aqueous OH Radical
- 2020
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In: Physical Review Letters. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 124:23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) provides remarkable opportunities to interrogate ultra-fast dynamics in liquids. Here we use RIXS to study the fundamentally and practically important hydroxyl radical in liquid water, OH(aq). Impulsive ionization of pure liquid water produced a short-lived population of OH(aq), which was probed using femtosecond x-rays from an x-ray free-electron laser. We find that RIXS reveals localized electronic transitions that are masked in the ultraviolet absorption spectrum by strong charge-transfer transitions-thus providing a means to investigate the evolving electronic structure and reactivity of the hydroxyl radical in aqueous and heterogeneous environments. First-principles calculations provide interpretation of the main spectral features.
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3. |
- Loh, Z-H, et al.
(author)
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Observation of the fastest chemical processes in the radiolysis of water
- 2020
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In: Science. - : AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 367:6474, s. 179-182
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Elementary processes associated with ionization of liquid water provide a framework for understanding radiation-matter interactions in chemistry and biology. Although numerous studies have been conducted on the dynamics of the hydrated electron, its partner arising from ionization of liquid water, H2O+, remains elusive. We used tunable femtosecond soft x-ray pulses from an x-ray free electron laser to reveal the dynamics of the valence hole created by strong-field ionization and to track the primary proton transfer reaction giving rise to the formation of OH. The isolated resonance associated with the valence hole (H2O+/OH) enabled straightforward detection. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the x-ray spectra are sensitive to structural dynamics at the ionization site. We found signatures of hydrated-electron dynamics in the x-ray spectrum.
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4. |
- Sopena Moros, Arturo, et al.
(author)
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Tracking Cavity Formation in Electron Solvation : Insights from X-ray Spectroscopy and Theory
- 2024
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 146:5, s. 3262-3269
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present time-resolved X-ray absorption spectra of ionized liquid water and demonstrate that OH radicals, H3O+ ions, and solvated electrons all leave distinct X-ray-spectroscopic signatures. Particularly, this allows us to characterize the electron solvation process through a tool that focuses on the electronic response of oxygen atoms in the immediate vicinity of a solvated electron. Our experimental results, supported by ab initio calculations, confirm the formation of a cavity in which the solvated electron is trapped. We show that the solvation dynamics are governed by the magnitude of the random structural fluctuations present in water. As a consequence, the solvation time is highly sensitive to temperature and to the specific way the electron is injected into water.
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