Austrian Crystallographic Diffraction Consortium

The Austrian Crystallographic Diffraction Consortium (ACDC) BAG aims at supporting several macromolecular structural biology groups across Austria (in total 20 research groups at 9 institutions in 4 cities). We employ mainly the technique of X-ray crystallography to characterize macromolecular biological complexes, but also solution scattering approaches are frequently used to characterize dynamic assemblies. Approval of this BAG will be essential for researchers in all our groups to carry out their structural studies on various health-related and basic research-oriented topics, which are targeted at characterizing large molecular assemblies or proteins currently under-represented in the PDB, including membrane proteins. Corresponding high-resolution diffraction data are only obtainable through the use of synchrotron radiation sources. Thus regular synchrotron access is highly desirable to maintain a competitive advantage in our individual research fields.

奥地利晶体衍射联盟（Austrian Crystallographic Diffraction Consortium，ACDC）BAG旨在为奥地利境内的多家大分子结构生物学研究团队提供支持，该网络覆盖4座城市的9家机构，总计20个研究小组。本工作组主要采用X射线晶体学（X-ray crystallography）技术对大分子生物复合物开展结构表征，同时也常借助溶液散射方法解析动态分子组装体的结构。获批加入该BAG，是所有研究团队开展各类健康相关及基础研究导向课题的结构生物学研究的必要前提。此类课题旨在解析目前在蛋白质数据库（Protein Data Bank, PDB）中收录数据较为匮乏的大型分子组装体或蛋白质，其中涵盖膜蛋白。相关的高分辨率衍射数据仅能通过同步辐射光源（synchrotron radiation sources）获取。因此，稳定获取同步辐射光源使用权限，是各研究团队维持自身研究领域竞争优势的关键所在。