In-plate protein crystallization, in situ ligand soaking and X-ray diffraction

New 96-well plates for crystallization have been developed that allow the collection of X-ray diffraction data directly in-plate or in situ. Automatic and rapid analyses of the data allow the detection of ligand bound to the crystallized macromolecule.

Sixty years from discovery to solution: crystal structure of bovine liver catalase form III

The crystal structure of a third form of bovine liver catalase, previously characterized by electron microscopy, has been determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In light of this higher resolution data set, an assessment has been made of results from earlier electron-microscopy studies.

Inhibitor-bound structures of human pyruvate de­hydrogenase kinase 4

The crystal structures of human pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) bound to the inhibitor M77976, as well as bound to AMPPNP or ADP, are presented. The structures provide a basis for the development of novel inhibitors targeting the nucleotide-binding pocket of PDK4.

Location and conformation of pantothenate and its derivatives in Mycobacterium tuberculosis pantothenate kinase: insights into enzyme action

The natural locations and conformations of pantothenate, pantothenol and N-nonylpantothenamide in M. tuberculosis pantothenate kinase derived from crystal structures provide further insight into the mode of action of this interesting enzyme.

Structure of trifunctional THI20 from yeast

This study presents the crystal structure of the trifunctional THI20 from S. cerevisiae, an enzyme with an N-terminal HMP kinase (ThiD-like) domain and a C-terminal thiaminase II (TenA-like) domain. In addition, two distinct structural classes of TenA have been identified by comparison to other known structures.

Dark progression reveals slow timescales for radiation damage between T = 180 and 240 K

Between T = 180 and 240 K, radiation damage progresses on minute timescales when the X-rays are off, suggesting that a fraction of damage at higher temperatures may be outrun using currently available sources and detectors.

Accelerating ab initio phasing with de novo models

An approach for ab initio phasing with de novo models has been developed by initiating molecular replacement during the course of the prediction of each model. This has reduced the computing time by about two orders of magnitude compared with performing molecular replacement after the generation of all models.

Streptavidin and its biotin complex at atomic resolution

Analysis of atomic resolution crystal structures of wild-type streptavidin (1.03 Å) and its biotin complex (0.95 Å) indicate the range of conformational states taken on by this protein in the solid state. Most of the structural variation is found in the polypeptide loops between the strands in this β-sandwich protein.

Structure of a tropomyosin N-terminal fragment at 0.98 Å resolution

The crystal structure of the N-terminal fragment of the short nonmuscle α-tropomyosin has been determined at a resolution of 0.98 Å.

Structure of RiVax: a recombinant ricin vaccine

The X-ray crystal structure (at 2.1 Å resolution) of an immunogen under development as part of a ricin vaccine for humans is presented and structure-based analysis of the results was conducted with respect to related proteins and the known determinants for inducing or suppressing the protective immune response.