Imperfect pseudo-merohedral twinning in crystals of fungal fatty acid synthase
2009
Imperfect Pseudo-Merohedral Twinning in Fungal Fatty Acid Synthase Crystals
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Jenni Simon, Ban Nenad
Primary Institution: ETH Zurich
Hypothesis
How does dehydration affect the crystal structure of fungal fatty acid synthase?
Conclusion
The study reveals that dehydration leads to imperfect pseudo-merohedral twinning in fungal fatty acid synthase crystals, complicating structure determination.
Supporting Evidence
- The study discusses a case of imperfect pseudo-merohedral twinning in monoclinic crystals.
- Dehydration caused a space-group transition that complicated the diffraction patterns.
- High-resolution structures provided insights into fatty acid biosynthesis.
Takeaway
When crystals of a fungus's fatty acid synthase were dried, they formed a confusing pattern that made it hard to understand their structure.
Methodology
Crystallization was performed using vapor-diffusion techniques, and data were collected using X-ray diffraction.
Limitations
The study faced challenges in accurately determining the structure due to the twinning and low-resolution data.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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