Preparation of RNA Microcrystals for Serial Femtosecond Crystallography Experiments.

Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) experiments using an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) is a burgeoning method for time-resolved structural studies of biomacromolecules. As with any crystallography experiment, the most important component is quality sample preparation. Whereas dozens of SFX experiments, including batch crystallization methods, have been reported for proteins, very few have been reported for RNA. This chapter outlines standard procedures for preparing RNA microcrystalline samples suitable for SFX studies.