Carbonic anhydrase II microcrystals suitable for XFEL studies

Abstract

Recent advances in X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources have permitted the study of protein dynamics. Femtosecond X-ray pulses have allowed the visualization of intermediate states in enzyme catalysis. In this study, the growth of carbonic anhydrase II microcrystals (40-80 mu m in length) suitable for the collection of XFEL diffraction data at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory is demonstrated. The crystals diffracted to 1.7 angstrom resolution and were indexed in space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 42.2, b = 41.2, c = 72.0 angstrom, beta = 104.2 degrees. These preliminary results provide the necessary framework for timeresolved experiments to study carbonic anhydrase catalysis at XFEL beamlines.