ALBERT

Beschreibung: A cloud web platform for analysis and interpretation of atomic pair distribution function (PDF) data (PDFitc) is described. The platform is able to host applications for PDF analysis to help researchers study the local and nanoscale structure of nanostructured materials. The applications are designed to be powerful and easy to use and can, and will, be extended over time through community adoption and development. The currently available PDF analysis applications, structureMining, spacegroupMining and similarityMapping, are described. In the first and second the user uploads a single PDF and the application returns a list of best-fit candidate structures, and the most likely space group of the underlying structure, respectively. In the third, the user can upload a set of measured or calculated PDFs and the application returns a matrix of Pearson correlations, allowing assessment of the similarity between different data sets. structureMining is presented here as an example to show the easy-to-use workflow on PDFitc. In the future, as well as using the PDFitc applications for data analysis, it is hoped that the community will contribute their own codes and software to the platform.

Beschreibung: Experimental values of atomic positions in the β-Mn crystal permit one to distinguish among them a fragment of the helix containing 15 interpenetrating distorted icosahedra, 90 vertices and 225 tetrahedra. This fragment corresponds to the closed helix of 15 icosahedra in the 4D {3, 3, 5} polytope. The primitive cubic lattice of these icosahedral helices envelopes not only all atoms of β-Mn, but also all tetrahedra belonging to the tiling of the β-Mn structure. The 2D projection of all atomic positions in the β-Mn unit cells shows that they are situated (by neglecting small differences) on three circumferences containing 2D projections of 90 vertices of the {3, 3, 5} polytope on the same plane. Non-crystallographic symmetry of the β-Mn crystal is defined by mapping the closed icosahedral helix of the {3, 3, 5} polytope into 3D Euclidean space E 3. This interpretation must be correlated also with the known previous determination of non-crystallographic symmetry of the β-Mn crystal by mapping into the 3D E 3 space system of icosahedra from the 6D cubic B 6 lattice. The recently proposed determination of non-crystallographic symmetry of the β-Mn crystal actually uses the symmetries of the 8D E 8 lattice, in which both the 4D {3, 3, 5} polytope and cubic 6D B 6 lattice can be inserted.

Beschreibung: In the molecular structure of the title compound, C20H21N3O7, the quinoline ring system is slightly bent, with a dihedral angle between the phenyl and the pyridine rings of 3.47 (7)°. In the crystal, corrugated layers of molecules extending along the ab plane are generated by C—H...O hydrogen bonds. The intermolecular interactions were quantified by Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots. The most significant contributions to the crystal packing are from H...H (42.3%), H...O/O...H (34.5%) and H...C/ C...H (17.6%) contacts. Molecular orbital calculations providing electron-density plots of the HOMO and LUMO as well as molecular electrostatic potentials (MEP) were computed, both with the DFT/B3LYP/6–311 G++(d,p) basis set. A molecular docking study between the title molecule and the COVID-19 main protease (PDB ID: 6LU7) was performed, showing that it is a good agent because of its affinity and ability to adhere to the active sites of the protein.

Beschreibung: In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu4Cl6O(C13H9N)4]·CH2Cl2, the core molecular structure consists of a Cu4 tetrahedron with a central interstitial O atom. Each edge of the Cu4 tetrahedron is bridged by a chlorido ligand. Each copper(II) cation is coordinated to the central O atom, two chlorido ligands and one N atom of the 4-phenylethynylpyridine ligand. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by intermolecular C—H...Cl interactions. Furthermore, C—H...π and π–π interactions also connect the molecules, forming a three-dimensional network. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions for the packing arrangement are from H...H and C...H/H...C interactions.

Beschreibung: At 100 K, the title compound, C13H12N2O2, crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna21 with two very similar molecules in the asymmetric unit. An intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond leads to an S(6) graph-set motif in each of the molecules. Intermolecular π–π stacking and C=O...π interactions involving the aldehyde O atoms link molecules into stacks parallel to [100]. A Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing stem from H...H (49.4%) and H...O/O...H (21.5%) interactions. Energy framework calculations reveal a significant contribution of dispersion energy. The crystal studied was refined as a two-component inversion twin.

Beschreibung: Co-crystallization from methanol of 3-amino-1H-pyrazole with 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid produces 3-amino-1H-pyrazol-2-ium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate monohydrate, C3H6N3 +·C7H3N2O6 −·H2O, (I), while similar co-crystallization of this pyrazole with an equimolar quantity of fumaric acid produces bis(3-amino-1H-pyrazol-2-ium) fumarate–fumaric acid (1/1), 2C3H6N3 +·C4H2O4 2−·C4H4O4, (II). The reaction of 3-amino-1H-pyrazole with a dilute solution of nitric acid in methanol yields a second, orthorhombic polymorph of 3-amino-1H-pyrazol-2-ium nitrate, C3H6N3 +·NO3 −, (III). In each of (I)–(III), the bond distances in the cation provide evidence for extensive delocalization of the positive charge. In each of (I) and (II), an extensive series of O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds links the components into complex sheets, while in the structure of (III), the ions are linked by multiple N—H...O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional arrangement. Comparisons are made with the structures of some related compounds.

Beschreibung: Synchrotron serial crystallography (SSX) is an emerging data-collection method for micro-crystallography on synchrotron macromolecular (MX) crystallography beamlines. At SPring-8, the feasibility of the fixed-target approach was examined by collecting data using a 2D raster scan combined with goniometer rotation. Results at cryogenic temperatures demonstrated that rotation is effective for efficient data collection in SSX and the method was named serial synchrotron rotation crystallography (SS-ROX). To use this method for room-temperature (RT) data collection, a humid air and glue-coating (HAG) method was developed in which data were collected from polyvinyl alcohol-coated microcrystals fixed on a loop under humidity-controlled air. The performance and the RT data-collection strategy for micro-crystallography were evaluated using microcrystals of lysozyme. Although a change in unit-cell dimensions of up to 1% was observed during data collection, the impact on data quality was marginal. A comparison of data obtained at various absorbed doses revealed that absorbed doses of up to 210 kGy were tolerable in both global and local damage. Although this limits the number of photons deposited on each crystal, increasing the number of merged images improved the resolution. On the basis of these results, an equation was proposed that relates the achievable resolution to the total photon flux used to obtain a data set.

Beschreibung: AGAP1 is often considered to regulate membrane trafficking, protein transport and actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Recent studies have shown that aberrant expression of AGAP1 is associated with many diseases, including neurodevelopmental disorders and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It has been proposed that the GTP-binding protein-like domain (GLD) is involved in the binding of cofactors and thus regulates the catalytic activity of AGAP1. To obtain a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism underpinning AGAP1-related diseases, it is essential to obtain structural information. Here, the GLD (residues 70–235) of AGAP1 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. Affinity and gel-filtration chromatography were used to obtain AGAP1GLD with high purity for crystallization. Using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method with the protein at a final concentration of 20 mg ml−1, AGAP1GLD protein crystals of suitable size were obtained. The crystals were found to diffract to 3.0 Å resolution and belonged to space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = 100.39, b = 100.39, c = 48.08 Å. The structure of AGAP1GLD exhibits the highly conserved functional G1–G5 loops and is generally similar to other characterized ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), implying an analogous function to Arf GAPs. Additionally, this study indicates that AGAP1 could be classified as a type of NTPase, the activity of which might be regulated by protein partners or by its other domains. Taken together, these results provide insight into the regulatory mechanisms of AGAP1 in cell signaling.

Beschreibung: A novel member of the family 3 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM3s) is encoded by a gene (Cthe_0271) in Clostridium thermocellum which is the most highly expressed gene in the bacterium during its growth on several types of biomass substrates. Surprisingly, CtCBM3-0271 binds to at least two different types of xylan, instead of the common binding of CBM3s to cellulosic substrates. CtCBM3-0271 was crystallized and its three-dimensional structure was solved and refined to a resolution of 1.8 Å. In order to learn more about the role of this type of CBM3, a comparative study with its orthologue from Clostridium clariflavum (encoded by the Clocl_1192 gene) was performed, and the three-dimensional structure of CcCBM3-1192 was determined to 1.6 Å resolution. Carbohydrate binding by CcCBM3-1192 was found to be similar to that by CtCBM3-0271; both exhibited binding to xylan rather than to cellulose. Comparative structural analysis of the two CBM3s provided a clear functional correlation of structure and binding, in which the two CBM3s lack the required number of binding residues in their cellulose-binding strips and thus lack cellulose-binding capabilities. This is an enigma, as CtCBM3-0271 was reported to be a highly expressed protein when the bacterium was grown on cellulose. An additional unexpected finding was that CcCBM3-1192 does not contain the calcium ion that was considered to play a structural stabilizing role in the CBM3 family. Despite the lack of calcium, the five residues that form the calcium-binding site are conserved. The absence of calcium results in conformational changes in two loops of the CcCBM3-1192 structure. In this context, superposition of the non-calcium-binding CcCBM3-1192 with CtCBM3-0271 and other calcium-binding CBM3s reveals a much broader two-loop region in the former compared with CtCBM3-0271.

Beschreibung: The crystal structures of two single-enantiomer amidophosphoesters with an (O)2P(O)(N) skeleton and one single-enantiomer phosphoric triamide with an (N)2P(O)(N) skeleton were studied. The compounds are diphenyl [(R)-(+)-α-4-dimethylbenzylamido]phosphate, (I), and diphenyl [(S)-(−)-α-4-dimethylbenzylamido]phosphate, (II), both C21H22NO3P, and N-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)-N′,N′′-bis[(R)-(+)-α-ethylbenzyl]phosphoric triamide, C25H28F2N3O2P, (III). The asymmetric units contain two amidophosphoester molecules for (I) and (II), and one phosphoric triamide molecule for (III). In the crystal structures of (I) and (II), molecules are assembled in a similar one-dimensional chiral ribbon architecture, but with almost a mirror-image relationship with respect to each other through N—H...O(P) and C—H...O(P) hydrogen bonds along [010]. In the crystal structure of (III), the chiral tape architecture along [100] is mediated by N—H...O(P) and N—H...O(C) hydrogen bonds, and the tapes are connected into slabs by C—H...O interactions (along the ab plane). The differences/similarities of the two diastereotopic phenoxy groups in (I)/(II) and the two chiral amine fragments in (III) were studied on the grounds of geometry, conformation and contribution to the crystal packing, as well as 1H and 13C signals in a solution NMR study.

Beschreibung: Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-center enzymes that are involved in the oxidative cleavage of the glycosidic bond in crystalline cellulose and other polysaccharides. The LPMO reaction is initiated by the addition of a reductant and oxygen to ultimately form an unknown activated copper–oxygen species that is responsible for polysaccharide-substrate H-atom abstraction. Given the sensitivity of metalloproteins to radiation damage, neutron protein crystallography provides a nondestructive technique for structural characterization while also informing on the positions of H atoms. Neutron cryo-crystallography permits the trapping of catalytic intermediates, thereby providing insight into the protonation states and chemical nature of otherwise short-lived species in the reaction mechanism. To characterize the reaction-mechanism intermediates of LPMO9D from Neurospora crassa, a cryo-neutron diffraction data set was collected from an ascorbate-reduced crystal. A second neutron diffraction data set was collected at room temperature from an LPMO9D crystal exposed to low-pH conditions to probe the protonation states of ionizable groups involved in catalysis under acidic conditions.

Beschreibung: In the article by Li et al. [Acta Cryst. (2007), E63, m2536], four imidazole H atoms are missing in the refinement.

Beschreibung: The structure of tris(ethane-1,2-diamine-κ2 N,N')cobalt(III) bis(iodide) triiodide, [Co(C2H8N2)3]I3(I)2, at 120 K has orthorhombic (P212121) symmetry. The diamine nitrogen atoms form N—H...I hydrogen bonds throughout the lattice, resulting in a three-dimensional network, which involves the iodide and all atoms in the triiodide anions.

Beschreibung: Binary III–V nitrides such as AlN, GaN and InN in the wurtzite-type structure have long been considered as potent semiconducting materials because of their optoelectronic properties, amongst others. With rising concerns over the utilization of scarce elements, a replacement of the trivalent cations by others in ternary and multinary nitrides has led to the development of different variants of nitrides and oxide nitrides crystallizing in lower-symmetry variants of wurtzite. This work presents the symmetry relationships between these structural types specific to nitrides and oxide nitrides and updates some prior work on this matter. The non-existence of compounds crystallizing in Pmc21, formally the highest subgroup of the wurtzite type fulfilling Pauling's rules for 1:1:2 stoichiometries, has been puzzling scientists for a while; a rationalization is given, from a crystallographic basis, of why this space group is unlikely to be adopted.

Beschreibung: Heterovalent ternary nitrides are considered one of the promising classes of materials for photovoltaics, combining attractive physical properties with low toxicity and element abundance. One of the front-runner systems under consideration is ZnSnN2. Although it is nominally a ternary compound, no clear crystallographic evidence for cation ordering has been observed so far. An attempt to elucidate this discrepancy [Quayle (2020). Acta Cryst. A76, 410–420] was the trigger for an intensive discussion between the authors, and an agreement was reached to elaborate on some points in order to set things in perspective. Rather than using a conventional comment–answer scheme, this is published in the form of a joint discussion to celebrate constructive criticism and collegiality.

Beschreibung: The crystal structure of the title complex, cis-[Cr(NCS)2(cyclam)]Br (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, C10H24N4), has been determined from synchrotron X-ray data. The asymmetric unit contains one [Cr(NCS)2(cyclam)]+ cation and one bromide anion. The CrIII ion of the complex cation is coordinated by the four N atoms of the cyclam ligand and by two N-coordinating NCS groups in a cis arrangement, displaying a distorted octahedral coordination sphere. The Cr—N(cyclam) bond lengths are in the range 2.075 (3) to 2.081 (3) Å while the average Cr—N(NCS) bond length is 1.996 (16) Å. The macrocyclic cyclam moiety adopts the most stable cis-V conformation. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds involving the cyclam N—H groups as donor groups, and the bromide anion and the S atom of one of the NCS ligands as acceptor groups.

Beschreibung: The title IrIII complex, [Ir(C11H8N)2Cl(C25H22P2)], was synthesized from the substitution reaction between the (ppy)2Ir(μ-Cl)2Ir(ppy)2 (ppy = deprotonated 2-phenylpyridine, C11H8N−) dimer and 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)methane (dppm, C25H22P2) under an argon gas atmosphere for 20 h. The IrIII atom is coordinated by two C,N-bidentate ppy anions, a unidentate dppm ligand and a chloride anion in a distorted octahedral IrC2N2PCl arrangement. The N donor atoms of the ppy ligands are mutually trans while the C atoms are cis. Intramolecular aromatic π–π stacking between the phenyl rings of ppy and dppm, and C—H...Cl interactions are observed. In the crystal, C—H...Cl and C—H...π contacts link the molecules into a three-dimensional network. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out to further quantify the intermolecular interactions, and indicated that H...H contacts (63.9%) dominate the packing.

Beschreibung: In the title molecular salt, C26H24N3S+·Br−, the dihedral angles between the thiazole ring and its attached phenyl and benzoyl rings are 54.81 (7) and 85.51 (7)°, respectively. In the crystal, ion pairs are linked by C—H...Br and N—H...Br hydrogen bonds and are connected into helical chains extending along the c-axis direction by weak, electrostatic S...Br− interactions. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed, which showed the dominant role of H...H contacts (51.3%).

Beschreibung: Noncoding intron sequences present in precursor mRNAs need to be removed prior to translation, and they are excised via the spliceosome, a multimegadalton molecular machine composed of numerous protein and RNA components. The DEAH-box ATPase Prp2 plays a crucial role during pre-mRNA splicing as it ensures the catalytic activation of the spliceosome. Despite high structural similarity to other spliceosomal DEAH-box helicases, Prp2 does not seem to function as an RNA helicase, but rather as an RNA-dependent ribonucleoprotein particle-modifying ATPase. Recent crystal structures of the spliceosomal DEAH-box ATPases Prp43 and Prp22, as well as of the related RNA helicase MLE, in complex with RNA have contributed to a better understanding of how RNA binding and processivity might be achieved in this helicase family. In order to shed light onto the divergent manner of function of Prp2, an N-terminally truncated construct of Chaetomium thermophilum Prp2 was crystallized in the presence of ADP-BeF3 − and a poly-U12 RNA. The refined structure revealed a virtually identical conformation of the helicase core compared with the ADP-BeF3 −- and RNA-bound structure of Prp43, and only a minor shift of the C-terminal domains. However, Prp2 and Prp43 differ in the hook-loop and a loop of the helix-bundle domain, which interacts with the hook-loop and evokes a different RNA conformation immediately after the 3′ stack. On replacing these loop residues in Prp43 by the Prp2 sequence, the unwinding activity of Prp43 was abolished. Furthermore, a putative exit tunnel for the γ-phosphate after ATP hydrolysis could be identified in one of the Prp2 structures.

Beschreibung: Kinesin-binding protein (KBP) is an important selective inhibitor of specific kinesin family members and its genetic disruption causes Goldberg–Shprintzen syndrome. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has recently been used to reveal the structure of KBP alone (72 kDa) and in complex with the motor domain of the mitotic kinesin-12 KIF15 (110 kDa). KBP is an α-solenoid, tetratricopeptide-repeat protein that interacts with the microtubule-binding region of the kinesin motor domain and blocks microtubule attachment. Numerous challenges arose relating to the behavior of KBP and KBP–kinesin complexes during cryo-EM sample preparation. These included the partial denaturation of KBP by air–water interfaces, protein aggregation resulting from carbon interaction and preferential orientation. Sample preparation with a graphene oxide substrate enabled the eventual structure determination. Here, experiences with preparing these samples are detailed, bringing attention to some of the challenges and opportunities that are likely to arise from protein-surface interactions.

Beschreibung: Cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can produce maps of macromolecules that have resolutions that are sufficiently high that structural details such as chemical modifications, water molecules and bound metal ions can be discerned. However, those accustomed to interpreting the electron-density maps of macromolecules produced by X-ray crystallography need to be careful when assigning features such as these in cryo-EM maps because cations, for example, interact far more strongly with electrons than they do with X-rays. Using simulated electrostatic potential (ESP) maps as a tool led us to re-examine a recent cryo-EM map of the human ribosome, and we realized that some of the ESP peaks originally identified as novel groups covalently bonded to the N7, O6 or O4 atoms of several guanines, adenines or uridines, respectively, in this structure are likely to instead represent Mg2+ ions coordinated to these atoms, which provide only partial charge compensation compared with Mg2+ ions located next to phosphate groups. In addition, direct evidence is provided for a variation in the level of 2′-O ribose methylation of nucleotides in the human ribosome. ESP maps can thus help in identifying ions next to nucleotide bases, i.e. at positions that can be difficult to address in cryo-EM maps due to charge effects, which are specifically encountered in cryo-EM. This work is particularly relevant to nucleoprotein complexes and shows that it is important to consider charge effects when interpreting cryo-EM maps, thus opening possibilities for localizing charges in structures that may be relevant for enzymatic mechanisms and drug interactions.

Beschreibung: The canonical O-mannosylation pathway in humans is essential for the functional glycosylation of α-dystroglycan. Disruption of this post-translational modification pathway leads to congenital muscular dystrophies. The first committed step in the construction of a functional matriglycan structure involves the post-translational modification of α-dystroglycan. This is essential for binding extracellular matrix proteins and arenaviruses, and is catalyzed by β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 2 (POMGNT2). While another glycosyl transferase, β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGNT1), has been shown to be promiscuous in extending O-mannosylated sites, POMGNT2 has been shown to display significant primary amino-acid selectivity near the site of O-mannosylation. Moreover, several single point mutations in POMGNT2 have been identified in patients with assorted dystroglycanopathies such as Walker–Warburg syndrome and limb girdle muscular dystrophy. To gain insight into POMGNT2 function in humans, the enzyme was expressed as a soluble, secreted fusion protein by transient infection of HEK293 suspension cultures. Here, crystal structures of POMGNT2 (amino-acid residues 25–580) with and without UDP bound are reported. Consistent with a novel fold and a unique domain organization, no molecular-replacement model was available and phases were obtained through crystallization of a selenomethionine variant of the enzyme in the same space group. Tetragonal (space group P4212; unit-cell parameters a = b = 129.8, c = 81.6 Å, α = γ = β = 90°) crystals with UDP bound diffracted to 1.98 Å resolution and contained a single monomer in the asymmetric unit. Orthorhombic (space group P212121; unit-cell parameters a = 142.3, b = 153.9, c = 187.4 Å, α = γ = β = 90°) crystals were also obtained; they diffracted to 2.57 Å resolution and contained four monomers with differential glycosylation patterns and conformations. These structures provide the first rational basis for an explanation of the loss-of-function mutations and offer significant insights into the mechanics of this important human enzyme.

Beschreibung: Using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM), it is possible to obtain multiple reconstructions showing the 3D structures of proteins imaged as a mixture. Here, it is shown that automatic map interpretation based on such reconstructions can be used to create atomic models of proteins as well as to match the proteins to the correct sequences and thereby to identify them. This procedure was tested using two proteins previously identified from a mixture at resolutions of 3.2 Å, as well as using 91 deposited maps with resolutions between 2 and 4.5 Å. The approach is found to be highly effective for maps obtained at resolutions of 3.5 Å and better, and to have some utility at resolutions as low as 4 Å.