Iyini i - structural biology?
I-Structural biology iwumkhakha osunamakhulu amaningi eminyaka ubudala, njengoba kuchazwe yi-Journal of Structural Biology, ophathelene nokuhlaziywa kwesakhiwo sezinto eziphilayo (ezakhiwe, ezakhiwe, kanye / noma ezigcinwe futhi zilungiswe ngamangqamuzana aphilayo) kuwo wonke amazinga enhlangano. Izazi zokuqala zokwakheka kwezinto eziphilayo phakathi nekhulu le-19 nelesi-20 leminyaka zazikwazi kuphela ukutadisha izakhiwo kuze kube semkhawulweni wokubona kwamehlo futhi ngokusebenzisa izibuko ezikhulisayo nemibono emincane yokukhanya.  Ekhulwini lama-20, kwasungulwa izindlela ezihlukahlukene zokuhlola ukuze kuhlolwe izakhiwo zezinhlayiya zezinto eziphilayo ezingunxantathu. Amasu avelele kakhulu ama-X-ray crystallography, i-nuclear magnetic resonance, ne-electron microscopy. Ngokutholakala kwe-X-ray nokusetshenziswa kwayo kumakristalu amaprotheni, kwaguqulwa isakhiwo sezinto eziphilayo, njengoba manje ososayensi base bekwazi ukuthola izakhiwo ezinobukhulu obuthathu zamangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo ngokuningiliziwe kwe-athomu. Ngokufanayo, i - NMR spectroscopy yavumela ukuba kutholakale ukwaziswa mayelana nesakhiwo samaprotheni nokuthuthuka kwawo. Ekugcineni, ngekhulu lama-21, i-electron microscopy nayo yabona inguquko enkulu ngokuthuthukiswa kwemithombo yama-electron ehambisanayo, ukulungiswa kokuphambuka kwama-electron microscopes, kanye nesoftware yokwakha kabusha eyenza ukuthi kusetshenziswe ngempumelelo i-high resolution cryo-electron microscopy, ngaleyo ndlela kuvumela ukutadisha amaprotheni ngamanye kanye nezakhiwo zamangqamuzana ezinobukhulu obuthathu ekuxazululeni kwe-angstrom.  Ngokuthuthukiswa kwalezi zindlela ezintathu, umkhakha wesayensi yezinto eziphilayo ezakhiwe wakhula futhi waba igatsha lezinto eziphilayo zamangqamuzana, i-biochemistry, kanye ne-biophysics ephathelene nesakhiwo samangqamuzana ama-macromolecule ezinto eziphilayo (ikakhulukazi amaprotheni, akhiwe ngama-amino acid, i-RNA noma i-DNA, akhiwe ngama-nucleotide, kanye ne-membranes, akhiwe ngama-lipids), ukuthi zithola kanjani izakhiwo ezinazo, nokuthi ukuguqulwa kwezakhiwo zazo kuthinta kanjani ukusebenza kwazo. Lesi sihloko sibathakazelisa kakhulu izazi zezinto eziphilayo ngoba ama - macromolecule enza imisebenzi eminingi yamangqamuzana, futhi akwazi ukwenza le misebenzi kuphela uma ehlanganiswa abe yizimo ezithile ezinobukhulu obuthathu. Lesi sakhiwo, "isakhiwo sesibili" sama-molecule, sincike ngendlela eyinkimbinkimbi ekwakhekeni kwe-molecule ngayinye, noma "isakhiwo esiyinhloko". Ngezinqumo eziphansi, amathuluzi afana ne-FIB-SEM tomography avumele ukuqonda okukhulu kwamangqamuzana nezinhlayiya zawo ezinobukhulu obuthathu, nokuthi izinga ngalinye elihlelekile lamamethrikhi ahlukahlukene angaphandle kwamangqamuzana lifaka kanjani isandla ekusebenzeni (ngokwesibonelo emathanjeni). Eminyakeni embalwa edlule kuye kwaba nokwenzeka ukubikezela amamodeli ezinhlayiya ezinembile kakhulu ukuze kugcwaliswe ucwaningo lokuhlola lwezakhiwo zezinto eziphilayo. Amasu okubala afana nokulingisa i-Molecular Dynamics angasetshenziswa ngokuhambisana namasu okuhlola ukwakheka kwezinto ukuze kwandiswe futhi kufundwe ukwakheka kwamaprotheni, ukwakheka kwawo kanye nokusebenza kwawo.