Construction of Low-Resolution X-Ray Crystallographic Electron Density Maps of the Ribosome

Advances in X-ray crystallography now allow biological macromolecules of almost any size to be imaged at atomic resolution. Here, I outline the strategy that allowed for the solution of the 70S ribosome structure to 7.8-Å resolution. The most important factors involve the effective use of synchrotron radiation and the application of existing crystallographic software to very large structures.