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Preliminary time-of-flight neutron diffraction study on diisopropyl fluorophosphatase (DFPase) from Loligo vulgaris.

Blum MM, Koglin A, Rüterjans H, Schoenborn B, Langan P, Chen JC

Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, J. W. Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany.

The enzyme diisopropyl fluorophosphatase (DFPase) from Loligo vulgaris is capable of decontaminating a wide variety of toxic organophosphorus nerve agents. DFPase is structurally related to a number of enzymes, such as the medically important paraoxonase (PON). In order to investigate the reaction mechanism of this phosphotriesterase and to elucidate the protonation state of the active-site residues, large-sized crystals of DFPase have been prepared for neutron diffraction studies. Available H atoms have been exchanged through vapour diffusion against D2O-containing mother liquor in the capillary. A neutron data set has been collected to 2.2 A resolution on a relatively small (0.43 mm3) crystal at the spallation source in Los Alamos. The sample size and asymmetric unit requirements for the feasibility of neutron diffraction studies are summarized.

Published 21 December 2006 in Acta Crystallograph Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun, 63: 42-5.
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