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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Commun. 2014;5:3309. doi: 10.1038/ncomms4309

Fig. 2. Snapshot diffraction patterns and LCP extrusion.

Fig. 2

Panels (a) and (b): Single femtosecond snapshot diffraction patterns. (a) Diffraction spots from A2A adenosine receptor microcrystals in 9.9 MAG/cholesterol LCP to 2.5 Å and strong powder diffraction rings from crystalline lipid. (X-ray intensity attenuated to 7%, 1.5 μm X-ray beam diameter, 50 fs pulse length, 9.5 keV, 15 μm LCP jet diameter, 300 pL/min flow rate, 1 Hz pulse rate, crystal size: 1×1×5 μm3). (b) Diffraction from serotonin receptor 5-HT2B in cholesterol-doped 9.9 MAG + 7.9 MAG LCP. No sharp rings are visible suggesting that formation of Lc phase has been avoided (X-ray intensity attenuated to 3.1% due to strong Bragg diffraction from 5×5×5 μm3 sized crystals, 1.5 μm X-ray beam diameter, 50 fs pulse length, 9.5 keV, 50 μm LCP jet diameter, 190 nL/min flow rate, 120 Hz pulse rate). The resolution at the detector edge in both panels is 2.5 Å. Panels (c) and (d): 9.9 MAG LCP extrusion in vacuum viewed between crossed polarizers. The tapered end of the capillary nozzle is seen protruding out of the gas aperture. Capillary inner diameter: 30 μm. (c) with He as co-flowing gas. Birefringence (bright flecks) is an indication of a transition of the cubic phase to a lamellar crystalline phase due to evaporative cooling. (d) with N2 as co-flowing gas and no visible birefringence. Scale bars: 100 μm.