I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I23-Long wavelength MX
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Open Access
Abstract: α-L-Arabinofuranosidases from glycoside hydrolase family 51 use a stereochemically retaining hydrolytic mechanism to liberate nonreducing terminal α-L-arabinofuranose residues from plant polysaccharides such as arabinoxylan and arabinan. To date, more than ten fungal GH51 α-L-arabinofuranosidases have been functionally characterized, yet no structure of a fungal GH51 enzyme has been solved. In contrast, seven bacterial GH51 enzyme structures, with low sequence similarity to the fungal GH51 enzymes, have been determined. Here, the crystallization and structural characterization of MgGH51, an industrially relevant GH51 α-L-arabinofuranosidase cloned from Meripilus giganteus, are reported. Three crystal forms were grown in different crystallization conditions. The unliganded structure was solved using sulfur SAD data collected from a single crystal using the I23 in vacuo diffraction beamline at Diamond Light Source. Crystal soaks with arabinose, 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-L-arabinitol and two cyclophellitol-derived arabinose mimics reveal a conserved catalytic site and conformational itinerary between fungal and bacterial GH51 α-L-arabinofuranosidases.
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Nov 2020
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I23-Long wavelength MX
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Kamel
El Omari
,
Nada
Mohamad
,
Kiran
Bountra
,
Ramona
Duman
,
Maria
Romano
,
Katja
Schlegel
,
Hok-sau
Kwong
,
Vitaliy
Mykhaylyk
,
Claus
Olesen
,
Jesper Vuust
Moller
,
Maike
Bublitz
,
Konstantinos
Beis
,
Armin
Wagner
Open Access
Abstract: The structure determination of soluble and membrane proteins can be hindered by the crystallographic phase problem, especially in the absence of a suitable homologous structure. Experimental phasing is the method of choice for novel structures; however, it often requires heavy-atom derivatization, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Here, a novel and rapid method to obtain experimental phases for protein structure determination by vanadium phasing is reported. Vanadate is a transition-state mimic of phosphoryl-transfer reactions and it has the advantage of binding specifically to the active site of numerous enzymes catalyzing this reaction. The applicability of vanadium phasing has been validated by determining the structures of three different protein–vanadium complexes, two of which are integral membrane proteins: the rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, the antibacterial peptide ATP-binding cassette transporter McjD from Escherichia coli and the soluble enzyme RNAse A from Bos taurus. Vanadium phasing was successful even at low resolution and despite severe anisotropy in the data. This method is principally applicable to a large number of proteins, representing six of the seven Enzyme Commission classes. It relies exclusively on the specific chemistry of the protein and it does not require any modifications, making it a very powerful addition to the phasing toolkit. In addition to the phasing power of this technique, the protein–vanadium complexes also provide detailed insights into the reaction mechanisms of the studied proteins.
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Nov 2020
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B18-Core EXAFS
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Miren
Agote-aran
,
Anna B.
Kroner
,
David S.
Wragg
,
Wojciech A.
Sławiński
,
Martha
Briceno
,
Husn U.
Islam
,
Igor V.
Sazanovich
,
María E.
Rivas
,
Andrew W. J.
Smith
,
Paul
Collier
,
Ines
Lezcano-gonzalez
,
Andrew M.
Beale
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[11623]
Open Access
Abstract: Small pore zeolites have shown great potential in a number of catalytic reactions. While Mo-containing medium pore zeolites have been widely studied for methane dehydroaromatisation (MDA), the use of small pore supports has drawn limited attention due to the fast deactivation of the catalyst. This work investigates the structure of the small pore Mo/H-SSZ-13 during catalyst preparation and reaction by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), in situ synchrotron powder diffraction (SPD), and electron microscopy; then, the results are compared with the medium pore Mo/H-ZSM-5. While SPD suggests that during catalyst preparation, part of the MoOx anchors inside the pores, Mo dispersion and subsequent ion exchange was less effective in the small pore catalyst, resulting in the formation of mesopores and Al2(MOO4)3 particles. Unlike Mo/H-ZSM-5, part of the Mo species in Mo/H-SSZ-13 undergoes full reduction to Mo0 during MDA, whereas characterisation of the spent catalyst indicates that differences also exist in the nature of the formed carbon deposits. Hence, the different Mo speciation and the low performance on small pore zeolites can be attributed to mesopores formation during calcination and the ineffective ion exchange into well dispersed Mo-oxo sites. The results open the scope for the optimisation of synthetic routes to explore the potential of small pore topologies.
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Nov 2020
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19560]
Open Access
Abstract: Through the case study of nuclear graphite, we show how x-ray computed tomography and Digital Volume Correlation enable quantitative monitoring of plasticity development in-situ in volume during material failure. Using a specific sample test geometry particularly suited for x-ray tomography, we applied Digital Volume Correlation to extract the strain field. Application of an experimentally derived threshold is used to distinguish between elastic’s and plastic strains around the crack tip, which allow the monitoring of the extension of the fracture process zone during crack propagation. Moreover, dynamic experiments with a time resolution up to the millisecond are now feasible using a recently suggested combination of X-ray computed tomography and Digital Volume Correlation.
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Nov 2020
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I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Rosaria
Bruno
,
Marta
Mon
,
Paula
Escamilla
,
Jesus
Ferrando‐soria
,
Elisa
Esposito
,
Alessio
Fuoco
,
Marcello
Monteleone
,
Johannes C.
Jansen
,
Rosangela
Elliani
,
Antonio
Tagarelli
,
Donatella
Armentano
,
Emilio
Pardo
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[22411]
Abstract: The mercury removal efficiency of a novel metal-organic framework (MOF)
derived from the amino acid S-methyl-L-cysteine is presented and the process
is characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A feasibility study is
further presented on the performance of this MOF—and also that of another
MOF derived from the amino acid L-methionine—when used as the sorbent
in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). These MOF-based MMMs exhibit
high efficiency and selectivity—in both static and dynamic regimes—in the
removal of Hg2+ from aqueous environments, due to the high density of thioalkyl
groups decorating MOF channels. Both MMMs are capable to reduce
different concentration of the pollutant to acceptable limits for drinking water
(<2 parts per billion). In addition, a novel device, consisting of the recirculation
and adsorption of contaminated solutions through the MOF–MMMs,
is designed and successfully explored in the selective capture of Hg2+. Thus,
filtration of Hg2+ solutions with multiple passes through the permeation
cell shows a gradual decrease of the pollutant concentration. These results
suggest that MOF-based MMMs can be implemented in water remediation,
helping to reduce either contaminants from accidental unauthorized or deliberate
metal industrial dumping and to ensure access for clean and potable
freshwater.
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Nov 2020
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Open Access
Abstract: Rac1 is a major regulator of actin dynamics, with GTP-bound Rac1 promoting actin assembly via the Scar/WAVE complex. CYRI competes with Scar/WAVE for interaction with Rac1 in a feedback loop regulating actin dynamics. Here, we reveal the nature of the CYRI-Rac1 interaction, through crystal structures of CYRI-B lacking the N-terminal helix (CYRI-BΔN) and the CYRI-BΔN:Rac1Q61L complex, providing the molecular basis for CYRI-B regulation of the Scar/WAVE complex. We reveal CYRI-B as having two subdomains - an N-terminal Rac1 binding subdomain with a unique Rac1-effector interface and a C-terminal Ratchet subdomain that undergoes conformational changes induced by Rac1 binding. Finally, we show that the CYRI protein family, CYRI-A and CYRI-B can produce an autoinhibited hetero- or homodimers, adding an additional layer of regulation to Rac1 signaling.
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Nov 2020
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I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Angeliki
Ditsiou
,
Chiara
Cilibrasi
,
Nikiana
Simigdala
,
Athanasios
Papakyriakou
,
Leanne
Milton-harris
,
Viviana
Vella
,
Joanne E.
Nettleship
,
Jae Ho
Lo
,
Shivani
Soni
,
Goar
Smbatyan
,
Panagiota
Ntavelou
,
Teresa
Gagliano
,
Maria Chiara
Iachini
,
Sahir
Khurshid
,
Thomas
Simon
,
Lihong
Zhou
,
Storm
Hassell-hart
,
Philip
Carter
,
Laurence H.
Pearl
,
Robin L.
Owen
,
Raymond J.
Owens
,
S. Mark
Roe
,
Naomi E.
Chayen
,
Heinz-josef
Lenz
,
John
Spencer
,
Chrisostomos
Prodromou
,
Apostolos
Klinakis
,
Justin
Stebbing
,
Georgios
Giamas
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[14493]
Open Access
Abstract: Elucidating signaling driven by lemur tyrosine kinase 3 (LMTK3) could help drug development. Here, we solve the crystal structure of LMTK3 kinase domain to 2.1Å resolution, determine its consensus motif and phosphoproteome, unveiling in vitro and in vivo LMTK3 substrates. Via high-throughput homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence screen coupled with biochemical, cellular, and biophysical assays, we identify a potent LMTK3 small-molecule inhibitor (C28). Functional and mechanistic studies reveal LMTK3 is a heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) client protein, requiring HSP90 for folding and stability, while C28 promotes proteasome-mediated degradation of LMTK3. Pharmacologic inhibition of LMTK3 decreases proliferation of cancer cell lines in the NCI-60 panel, with a concomitant increase in apoptosis in breast cancer cells, recapitulating effects of LMTK3 gene silencing. Furthermore, LMTK3 inhibition reduces growth of xenograft and transgenic breast cancer mouse models without displaying systemic toxicity at effective doses. Our data reinforce LMTK3 as a druggable target for cancer therapy.
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Nov 2020
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B18-Core EXAFS
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[14239]
Abstract: Additional capacity delivered by oxygen redox activity may in principle represent a means of enhancing the electrochemical performance of layered sodium transition metal oxides. However, irreversible structural changes occurring during cycling typically cause significant capacity fade with limited reversibility of oxygen redox processes. Here, P3-structure Na0.67Co0.2Mn0.8O2 was synthesised under two different reaction conditions. Both materials exhibit very stable cycling performance in the voltage range 1.8–3.8 V where the redox couples of transition metals entirely dominate the electrochemical reaction. For the compound prepared under more oxidising conditions, anion redox activity is triggered in the wider voltage window 1.8–4.4 V in a reversible manner with exceptionally small voltage hysteresis (20 mV). The presence of vacancies in the transition metal layers is shown to play a critical role not only in generating unpaired O 2p states but also in stabilising the crystal structure in the high voltage region.
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Nov 2020
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Optics
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Open Access
Abstract: Although optical element error analysis is always an important part of beamline design for highly coherent synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser sources, the usual wave optics simulation can be very time-consuming, which limits its application at the early stage of the beamline design. In this work, a new theoretical approach has been proposed for quick evaluations of the optical performance degradation due to optical element error. In this way, time-consuming detailed simulations can be applied only when truly necessary. This approach treats the imperfections as perturbations that convolve with the ideal performance. For simplicity, but not by necessity, the Gaussian Schell-model has been used to show the application of this theoretical approach. The influences of the finite aperture size and height error of a focusing mirror are analysed using the proposed theory. The physical explanation of the performance degradation acquired from the presented approach helps to give a better definition of the critical range of error spatial frequencies that most affect the performance of a mirror. An example comparing two mirror surface errors with identical power spectral density functions is given. These two types of mirror surface errors result in very different intensity profiles. The approach presented in this work could help beamline designers specify the error tolerances on general optical elements more accurately.
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Nov 2020
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I14-Hard X-ray Nanoprobe
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Thomas M. M.
Heenan
,
Aaron
Wade
,
Chun
Tan
,
Julia E.
Parker
,
Dorota
Matras
,
Andrew S.
Leach
,
James B.
Robinson
,
Alice
Llewellyn
,
Alexander
Dimitrijevic
,
Rhodri
Jervis
,
Paul D.
Quinn
,
Dan J. L.
Brett
,
Paul R.
Shearing
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[20841, 23858]
Open Access
Abstract: The next generation of automotive lithium‐ion batteries may employ NMC811 materials; however, defective particles are of significant interest due to their links to performance loss. Here, it is demonstrated that even before operation, on average, one‐third of NMC811 particles experience some form of defect, increasing in severity near the separator interface. It is determined that defective particles can be detected and quantified using low resolution imaging, presenting a significant improvement for material statistics. Fluorescence and diffraction data reveal that the variation of Mn content within the NMC particles may correlate to crystallographic disordering, indicating that the mobility and dissolution of Mn may be a key aspect of degradation during initial cycling. This, however, does not appear to correlate with the severity of particle cracking, which when analyzed at high spatial resolutions, reveals cracking structures similar to lower Ni content NMC, suggesting that the disconnection and separation of neighboring primary particles may be due to electrochemical expansion/contraction, exacerbated by other factors such as grain orientation that are inherent in such polycrystalline materials. These findings can guide research directions toward mitigating degradation at each respective length‐scale: electrode sheets, secondary and primary particles, and individual crystals, ultimately leading to improved automotive ranges and lifetimes.
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Nov 2020
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