High-resolution structure of viruses from random diffraction snapshots

TL;DR

This paper introduces a high-resolution reconstruction method for virus structures from XFEL diffraction snapshots, leveraging object symmetries to achieve atomic-level detail, surpassing previous resolution limits.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel algorithm that exploits symmetries to improve 3D structure reconstruction resolution from XFEL data, reaching atomic detail.

Findings

Reconstructed satellite tobacco necrosis virus to atomic resolution.

Achieved highest resolution for XFEL snapshot reconstructions to date.

Demonstrated potential for analyzing crystalline and nanocrystalline samples.

Abstract

The advent of the X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) has made it possible to record diffraction snapshots of biological entities injected into the X-ray beam before the onset of radiation damage. Algorithmic means must then be used to determine the snapshot orientations and thence the three-dimensional structure of the object. Existing Bayesian approaches are limited in reconstruction resolution typically to 1/10 of the object diameter, with the computational expense increasing as the eighth power of the ratio of diameter to resolution. We present an approach capable of exploiting object symmetries to recover three-dimensional structure to high resolution, and thus reconstruct the structure of the satellite tobacco necrosis virus to atomic level. Our approach offers the highest reconstruction resolution for XFEL snapshots to date, and provides a potentially powerful alternative route for analysis of data from crystalline and nanocrystalline objects.