Biology subjects

Prester, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Prester, A..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Multi-state Ensemble Refinement for Occupancy Statistics (MEROS) in Time-Resolved X-ray Crystallography

Accurate determination of state occupancies is essential for interpreting the structural heterogeneity inherent in time-resolved crystallography. However, in cases of high spatial overlap between states, as commonly observed in time-resolved crystallography data, the strong correlation between occupancy and atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) can render single point estimates from standard refinement protocols unreliable. We introduce MEROS (Multi-state Ensemble Refinement for Occupancy Statistics), a pipeline that implements an ensemble refinement approach to assess the post-refinement occupancy-ADP statistics of multiple overlapping states. MEROS utilizes a Monte Carlo sampling of the parameter space, performing independent refinements from randomized starting occupancies and ADP values to empirically characterize the convergence and uncertainty of the solution. The method is implemented as a modular Python pipeline that wraps established refinement programs, ensuring compatibility with existing workflows. We demonstrate its applicability in two case studies: a two-state ligand binding model in T4 lysozyme L99A and a four-state covalent catalysis mechanism in {beta}-lactamase CTX-M-14. MEROS provides occupancy and ADP mean values with standard deviations that directly quantify the informational content of the experimental diffraction data.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2026

Best practices for cryo-trapping time-resolvedcrystallography with the Spitrobot crystal plunger

Capturing meta-stable conformations of enzymes and ligand complexes demands structural snapshots beyond static crystal structures. While time-resolved serial crystallography at room temperature, offers a time-resolution down to the femto-second domain it requires large amounts of micro crystals, specialized beamlines and considerable experience. Moreover, as the majority of enzymes displays turnover-times in the millisecond domain or slower, simpler methods can provide meaningful structural insight into enzyme catalysis. Vitrification of protein crystals can trap reaction intermediates by rapid cooling to {inverted exclamation} 100 K, and has traditionally been used to gain insight into long lived reaction intermediates such as product complexes. However, manual vitrification procedures are limited to long delay times of at least several seconds and heavily suffer from operator variability. A solution to this problem is provided by automatic crystal plunging devices, such as the Spitrobot, that plunge loop-mounted protein crystals into liquid nitrogen within millisecond time-scales. Versatile means of reaction initiation can be achieved either by micro dispensing a ligand droplet, or via optical excitation of light-sensitive proteins, or via the photoactivation of caged compounds. In addition to the conceptual simplicity, another benefit of cryo-trapping is that data can be collected at conventional synchrotron beamlines, exploiting their robust high-throughput capabilities. Thus, compared to room-temperature time-resolved crystallography, users not only benefit from uncoupling sample-preparation and data-collection, but also from a reduction in the required technical expertise and ready access to radiation sources. However, as cryo-trapping crystallography explores dynamic structural changes that become only visible by the comparison of several samples, experiments have to be carefully planned to carry out the necessary controls and to avoid mis- or over-interpretation of the results. Here we describe a detailed protocol for cryo-trapping time-resolved crystallography using automated crystal-plungers that enables researchers to map enzymatic reaction coordinate pathways within the millisecond domain.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2026

Tracking ligand-binding-induced structural populations in T4 lysozyme by time-resolved serial crystallography

Ligand binding has been shown to induce significant alterations in the conformational landscape of proteins. Traditional crystallography approaches have provided valuable input about the end states in ligand-binding reactions. However, dynamical relationships between ligand binding and backbone rearrangement often remain obscured by crystallographic structures. In the present study, we use time-resolved serial synchrotron crystallography (TR-SSX) to directly visualize indole binding in the cavity of T4 lysozyme L99A in microcrystals under controlled environmental conditions. By integrating fixed target crystallography with LAMA-based ligand delivery, we have been able to track the progression of ligand binding and backbone rearrangement. By utilizing an occupancy refinement protocol, we have been able to quantify structural populations. Our studies reveal that ligand binding for this protein cavity follows a diffusion-limited process that progressively rearranges the F -helix of the protein towards a dominant conformational state. These findings establish an observable link between ligand diffusion, occupancy evolution and conformational adaptation within a crystalline environment. More broadly, our work shows how TR-SSX can quantify ligand and conformational populations during binding, providing a framework to interpret structural adaptation in real time.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2025

Cefdinir binding to a class-A β-lactamase revealed by serial cryo-crystallography

One of the most common resistance mechanisms against antibiotics employed by Gram-negative bacteria involves the production of {beta}-lactamases, resulting in rapid hydrolysis of the antibiotic. Extensive use of the early generation cephalosporins led to the rise of extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamases (ESBLs) like CTX-Ms. Cefdinir is an extended-spectrum third-generation cephalosporin administered since the late 90s; despite this, there is no reported 3D-structure of the antibiotic bound to any {beta}-lactamase or Penicillin-Binding-Protein (PBP) in the PDB. Here we report the X-ray crystallographic structure of Cefdinir-bound CTX-M-14 E166A mutant obtained via serial cryo-crystallography (cryo-SSX). SynopsisSerial cryo-crystallography reveals the structure of the extended spectrum {beta}-lactamase CTX-M-14, in complex with the third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic Cefdinir.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2025

Binding mode of isoxazolyl penicillins to a Class-A beta-lactamase at ambient conditions

The predominant resistance mechanism observed in Gram-negative bacteria involves the production of {beta}-lactamases, which catalyse the hydrolysis of {beta}-lactam antibiotics, thereby rendering them ineffective. Although isoxazolyl penicillins are available since the 1970s, there are currently no structures in complex with class-A {beta}-lactamases available. In order to support the rational development of new {beta}-lactamase inhibitors, we have analysed the structure of the clinically relevant {beta}-lactamase CTX-M-14 from Klebsiella pneumoniae near physiolog- ical temperatures. By utilizing serial synchrotron crystallography, we demonstrate the acyl-enzyme intermediates of the catalytically impaired CTX-M-14 mutant E166A in complex with three isoxazolyl penicillins: oxacillin, cloxacillin and dichloxacillin. While the three derivatives differ only by one and two Cl atoms, respectively, they show marked differences in their binding mode.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2022

Millisecond cryo-trapping by the spitrobot crystal plunger simplifies time-resolved crystallography

We introduce the spitrobot, a protein crystal plunger, enabling reaction quenching via cryo-trapping with millisecond time-resolution. Canonical micromesh loops are mounted on an electropneumatic piston, reactions are initiated via the liquid application method (LAMA), and finally intermediate states are cryo-trapped in liquid nitrogen. We demonstrate binding of several ligands in microcrystals of three enzymes, and trapping of reaction intermediates and conformational changes in macroscopic crystals of tryptophan synthase.

biophysics↗