This is a pionneering method for ab initio model analysis of solution scattering. It allows reconstruction the solution structure of a macromolecule from its SAXS profile. The method consists of fitting the scattering profile computed from sphere packet models of the molecule, using the Debye formula. The bead models are optimized by means of a genetic algorithm that searches the huge space of possible mass distributions and evolves convergent models. The currently available program DALAI_GA version 3 (2006) is a slightly improved genetic algorithm from original implementation. We still encourage further applications of this vintage method because it works!

References


Pablo Chacón, J. Fernando Díaz, Federico Morán and José M. Andreu (2000) Reconstruction of Protein Form with X-ray Solution Scattering and a Genetic Algorithm, J.Mol.Biol. 299: 1289-1302.

P. Chacón, F. Morán, J. F. Díaz, E. Pantos, and J. M. Andreu (1998) Low- Resolution Structures of Proteins in Solution Retrieved from X-Ray Scattering with a Genetic Algorithm, Biophys. J. 74: 2760-2775.

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