Recent advances in structural characterization of biomacromolecules in foods via small-angle X-ray scattering

Abstract

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a method for examining the solution structure, oligomeric state, conformational changes, and flexibility of biomacromolecules at a scale ranging from a few Angstroms to hundreds of nanometers. Wide time scales ranging from real time (milliseconds) to minutes can be also covered by SAXS. With many advantages, SAXS has been extensively used, it is widely used in the structural characterization of biomacromolecules in food science and technology. However, the application of SAXS in charactering the structure of food biomacromolecules has not been reviewed so far. In the current review, the principle, theoretical calculations and modeling programs are summarized, technical advances in the experimental setups and corresponding applications of in situ capabilities: combination of chromatography, time-resolved, temperature, pressure, flow-through are elaborated. Recent applications of SAXS for monitoring structural properties of biomacromolecules in food including protein, carbohydrate and lipid are also highlighted, and limitations and prospects for developing SAXS based on facility upgraded and artificial intelligence to study the structural properties of biomacromolecules are finally discussed. Future research should focus on extending machine time, simplifying SAXS data treatment, optimizing modeling methods in order to achieve an integrated structural biology based on SAXS as a practical tool for investigating the structure-function relationship of biomacromolecules in food industry.

Structure of human DPPA3 bound to the UHRF1 PHD finger reveals its functional and structural differences from mouse DPPA3

“…Next, we examined the structure of hDPPA3 81-118 in solution using circular dichroism (CD) and size-exclusion chromatography in line with small angle X-ray scattering (SEC-SAXS) which can analyze the solution structure, oligomeric state, conformational changes and flexibility of biomacromolecules at a scale ranging from a few Å to hundreds of nm (Supplementary Figure 3a–c, Supplementary Table 1) 34 . The CD spectrum exhibited that hDPPA3 81-118 alone showed a typical random-coil spectrum (Figure 3a).…”

Structure of human DPPA3 bound to the UHRF1 PHD finger reveals its functional and structural differences from mouse DPPA3

“…Next, we examined the structure of hDPPA3 81-118 in solution using circular dichroism (CD) and size-exclusion chromatography in line with small angle X-ray scattering (SEC-SAXS) which can analyze the solution structure, oligomeric state, conformational changes and flexibility of biomacromolecules at a scale ranging from a few Å to hundreds of nm (Supplementary Fig. 3a-c and Supplementary Table 1) 33 . The CD spectrum exhibited that hDPPA3 81-118 alone showed a typical random-coil spectrum (Fig.…”

Can BioSAXS detect ultrastructural changes of antifungal compounds in Candida albicans?–an exploratory study

“…Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful tool to study ultrastructures and their changes in macromolecules and nanomaterials in solution or suspension ( Boldon et al, 2015 ; Honecker et al, 2022 ; Sartori and Marmiroli, 2022 ; Sun et al, 2022 ; Byer et al, 2023 ). The combination of a short wavelength and a large penetration depth of the photons used allows the investigation of large volumes that contain millions of objects in less than a second, providing unique analytical possibilities ( Franke and Svergun, 2020 ).…”