Title
A New Break of Dawn of "Neutrons in Biology" - New Prospects of Neutron Biophysics with J-PARC-

Organizers
Satoru Fujiwara (Japan Atomic Energy Agency), Mitsuhiro Hirai (Gunma University), Hiroshi Nakagawa (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)

Synopsis
Neutrons provide a unique probe for biological macromolecules such that hydrogen atoms can be located by neutron crystallography, internal structures of the large complex can be extracted by neutron scattering and diffraction using the "contrast variation" techniques, and the protein dynamics can be directly measured with neutron inelastic scattering. Unfortunately, however, such unique and wide applicability of neutrons has not been fully utilized because of accessibility problems for beginners to neutrons. A new neutron facility, J-PARC, has started its operation since the end of 2008, in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, and various spectrometers or diffractometers are under construction and/or in operation, including the instrument for neutron crystallography, that for small-angle scattering, and those for neutron inelastic scattering. It is expected that these instruments will be offered to use for various biophysical studies when J-PARC is operated in full-power. It is thus now the time just before a new dawn of neutron biophysics. With these prospects of J-PARC, we would like to discuss possibilities of "neutrons in biology", particularly in terms of small-angle neutron scattering, neutron crystallography, dynamics analysis by neutron inelastic scattering, and molecular simulation related to the data analysis, and demonstrate how J-PARC could expand the possibilities of neutrons in biology.


Speakers
・ Satoru Fujiwara (Japan Atomic Energy Agency): Overview: What Can Neutrons Do on Biology, or Cannot?
・ Mitsuhiro Hirai (Gunma University): Prospects of Structural Hierarchy Study of Proteins and Bio-membranes Using Pulsed Neutron Scattering
・ Masaaki Sugiyama (Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University): Structural Study of Complex Protein with Small-Angle Neutron Scattering
・ Toshiyuki Chatake (Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University): Neutron Crystallography in Structural Biology
・ Hiroshi Nakagawa (Japan Atomic Energy Agency): Dynamics of Biomolecules by Neutron Inelastic Scattering
・ Yasumasa Joti (XFEL Project Head Office, RIKEN): Molecular Simulation Study of Neutron Scattering from Protein Dynamics




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