A structural study of the interaction between the Dr haemagglutinin DraE and derivatives of chloramphenicol

The structures of two Dr adhesin (DraE) complexes with chloramphenicol derivatives, namely chloramphenicol succinate and bromamphenicol, have been solved. The structures reveal important functional groups for small-molecule binding and imply possible modifications to the molecule that would permit a more wide-ranging interaction without the toxic side effects associated with chloramphenicol.

Pseudosymmetry, high copy number and twinning complicate the structure determination of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 29577) flavodoxin

Complications to molecular replacement resulting from a poor starting search model, pseudosymmetry, twinning and a high copy number in the asymmetric unit made the determination of the structure of D. desulfuricans (ATCC 29577) flavodoxin in two crystal forms challenging.

Simulation of X-ray frames from macromolecular crystals using a ray-tracing approach

An algorithm and program for simulation of X-ray data frames is described.

Structures of the G81A mutant form of the active chimera of (S)-mandelate de­hydrogenase and its complex with two of its substrates

The crystal structure of the G81A mutant form of the chimera of (S)-mandelate dehydrogenase and of its complexes with two of its substrates reveal productive and non-productive modes of binding for the catalytic reaction. The structure also indicates the role of G81A in lowering the redox potential of the flavin co-factor leading to an ∼200-fold slower catalytic rate of substrate oxidation.

Autoindexing the diffraction patterns from crystals with a pseudotranslation

Lattice patterns containing alternating strong and weak reflections can be identified by a targeted search for the weak signals, permitting a wider range of diffraction patterns to be indexed automatically.

A charged residue at the subunit interface of PCNA promotes trimer formation by destabilizing alternate subunit interactions

Eukaryotic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), an essential accessory factor in DNA replication and repair, is a ring-shaped homotrimer. A novel nontrimeric structure of E113G-mutant PCNA protein is reported, which shows that this protein forms alternate subunit interactions. It is concluded that the charged side chain of Glu113 promotes normal trimer formation by destabilizing these alternate subunit interactions.

Generalized X-ray and neutron crystallographic analysis: more accurate and complete structures for biological macromolecules

X-ray and neutron crystallographic data have been combined in a joint structure-refinement procedure that has been developed using recent advances in modern computational methodologies, including cross-validated maximum-likelihood target functions with gradient-based optimization and simulated annealing.

Structure of the sporulation histidine kinase inhibitor Sda from Bacillus subtilis and insights into its solution state

The crystal structure of Sda, a DNA-replication/damage checkpoint inhibitor of sporulation in B. subtilis, has been solved via the MAD method. The subunit arrangement in the crystal has enabled a reappraisal of previous biophysical data, resulting in a new model for the behaviour of the protein in solution.

Decision-making in structure solution using Bayesian estimates of map quality: the PHENIX AutoSol wizard

Ten measures of experimental electron-density-map quality are examined and the skewness of electron density is found to be the best indicator of actual map quality. A Bayesian approach to estimating map quality is developed and used in the PHENIX AutoSol wizard to make decisions during automated structure solution.

Conservation of a conformational switch in RadA recombinase from Methanococcus maripaludis

Structural conservation in the ATPase centers of RadA, Rad51 and RecA recombinases suggests conformational switching between high and low-affinity states for DNA in concert with cycles ATP hydrolysis. Such iteration would be advantageous for DNA strand exchange by optimizing the pairing between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA substrates.

Structure of native laccase from Trametes hirsuta at 1.8 Å resolution

The structure of the highly redox-capable laccase from Trametes hirsuta is presented and compared with related laccase structures.

Iodide-SAD, SIR and SIRAS phasing for structure solution of a nucleosome assembly protein

The P. falciparum nucleosome assembly protein structure was determined by SAD/SIR/SIRAS phasing methods using low-resolution iodide anomalous scattering data.