Endothelin receptors（ETA and ETB）are G-protein-coupled receptors activated by endothelin-1 and are involved in blood pressure regulation. Using the microfocus beamline BL32XU at SPring-8, we determined 8 crystal structures of human ETB receptor, revealing the drug binding modes and receptor activation mechanism.

A complete set of 12 different dissociated states of basal-plane dislocation loops in 4H-SiC has been derived from experimental observations and crystallographic space group discussion. We have observed dissociated states of dislocations in 4H-SiC power devices using synchrotron X-ray Berg-Barrett topography, and analysis results are summarized. The arrangement of the results is used to discuss the shapes of Shockley-type stacking faults which were generated by recombination enhanced dislocation glide. The list of the dissociated states of basal-plane dislocation loops is useful also for the analysis of dislocation structures in hexagonal lattice.

Development of crystallographic analysis in these several decades are introduced from the viewpoints of author’s research on structure transition of hydrates of nucleotides. Instruments and computational circumstances including program progress have qualitatively and quantitatively changed our research. Especially, a two-dimensional detector helps in situ monitor of structural transitions including detection of twinning, super-lattice diffractions and diffuse scattering.

Recent advancement of the chemical crystallography during these 20 years has been surveyed. Opening of SPring-8 facility and also development of the new devices such as 2D detectors and X-ray focusing mirrors, etc. have led the speed up, wide utilization, and improvement of the accuracy of X-ray crystal structure analyses. The crystal structure analysis has changed from the structure determination tool to the research tool of molecular dynamics and chemical reactions in crystals. Crystallographic studies of solid phase reactions have been advanced together with the development of the structure determination technique from powder diffraction data for organic molecular crystals.

On the 70th memorial year of the Crystallographic Society of Japan, I will give the history of the sector of structural physics based on 50-years personal history. Special attention is paid for the recent trend of the methodology and equipment of this field.

This report reviews recent progress of HRTEM since the previous review in the present journal in 2014 and discusses the future prospects. Particular topics are development of electron energy loss spectroscopy, time-resolved measurement and a new phase imaging method and single particle analysis of proteins.

Protein crystallography is a field of science that has significantly developed in the last half-century. However, its amazing development has not been straightforward and has gone through many trials and errors. In this paper, we recall historical fragments of protein crystallography in the last half-century that are thought to be important for the author and are likely to be buried in its spectacular history.

Protein crystallography has made remarkable progress in the past 20 years. This manuscript overviews the advances in protein X-ray crystallography in this two decades.

For recent two decades, a much greater understanding of crystal structures of ice polymorphs has developed owing to neutron diffraction under high-pressure. Here I review a brief history for the discoveries of ice polymorphs, technical developments of high-pressure neutron diffraction, and recent achievements for ice polymorphs. Remained open questions are also discussed.