Molecular Replacement

Molecular replacement is a method used in structural biology to determine the 3D shape of a molecule, such as a protein, using X-ray crystallography. When scientists have a similar molecule whose structure is already known, they can use that information as a template to interpret X-ray data from a new but related molecule. This approach helps solve the complex problem of figuring out how atoms are arranged in the molecule, without needing to start from scratch. Essentially, it’s like using a known puzzle piece to help assemble a new, similar puzzle more efficiently.