Comprehensive macromolecular conformations mapped by quantitative SAXS analyses
SIBYLS scientists have recently published and made available tools for generating [SAXS structural comparison maps](/saxs_similarity “SAXS structural comparison maps”). Details of the methods have been published in Nature Methods.
>Biological macromolecular functions require distinct conformational states that are challenging to examine comprehensively. Current methods to quantify conformational similarities and distinguish different assembly states are underdeveloped. Recent developments in small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) have shown that SAXS can provide the resolution to resolve conformational states, characterize flexible macromolecules and screen in high throughput under most solution conditions. However, robust tools for comprehensively characterizing and visualizing the different conformational states identified by SAXS have been lacking. Here we present the SAXS structural comparison map (SCM) and volatility of ratio (VR) difference metric, which together provide quantitative and superposition-independent evaluation of solution-state conformations.
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