Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography
Abstract
Objective: To determine the high-resolution structure of human Copper-Zinc superoxide dismutase (hSOD1), an antioxidant enzyme whose mutations cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), under near-physiological conditions. Because SOD1 is intrinsically dynamic, capturing its structure at ambient temperature is key to understanding how temperature modulates its conformational flexibility, ensemble and functional states relevant to both catalysis and disease.
Materials and Methods: Recombinant hSOD1 was expressed in E. coli, purified by affinity and size-exclusion chromatography, and crystallized at ambient temperature. Serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) data were collected at 293 K at the EMBL P14-2 Time-Resolved Experiments with Crystallography (T-REXX) beamline at PETRA III, and compared with a 100 K cryogenic at the Diamond Light Source beamline (I03). Both datasets were processed and refined using CCP4 suite and PHENIX packages. B-factor distributions, per-residue RMSD values, and conformational differences were analyzed to quantify temperature-dependent effects.
Results: The ambient-temperature SOD1SSX structure was determined at 2.3 Å resolution (PDB ID:9XJ0 this work) and closely matched its 2.37 Å cryogenic counterpart (SOD1CRYO, PDB ID:9XJI this work), both obtained from identical crystallization conditions in the hexagonal P6₃ space group. Cryocooling caused a 3.8% contraction in unit-cell volume, consistent with lattice densification and a 5.2% reduction in molecular surface volume. Despite the overall similarities, the ambient-temperature model revealed localized conformational differences in solvent-exposed loop residues, particularly Ser25-Asn26, Leu67-Glu77, Ile99, and the Asp109-His110-Cys111 triad, and a distinct side-chain orientation of Asn53 was observed at the dimerization interface. While the β-barrel core remained rigid, these regions correspond to redox- and metal-responsive sites implicated in aggregation/fiber formation and putative drug binding.
Conclusions: Temperature perturbs local dynamics in SOD1 structure without altering its native dimeric form. The ambient-temperature model reveals flexible, chemically accessible regions that act as druggable hotspots and coincide with ALS-linked mutation sites driving misfolding and aggregation. Considering temperature effects is crucial for structure-based drug design, ensuring candidate molecules engage physiologically relevant conformations. This structure lays the groundwork for future time-resolved crystallography of SOD1 folding and ligand interactions.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
TÜBİTAK
Project Number
122Z429
Ethical Statement
Ethical committee approval was not required for this study, not applicable.
Thanks
We gratefully acknowledge the Neurodegeneration Research Laboratory (KUTTAM-NDAL) and the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation for their support. Ambient-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography data were collected at a beamline operated by EMBL Hamburg at the PETRA III storage ring (DESY, Hamburg, Germany), with the invaluable assistance of David von Stetten and Arwen Pearson, to whom the authors extend their sincere thanks. The authors also thank the Diamond Light Source for beamtime (proposal MX-37045) and the beamline I03 staff for their expert support during crystal testing and data collection. We are grateful to the organizers and tutors of the DLS–CCP4 Data Collection and Structure Solution Workshop 2023 (Diamond Light Source, Oxfordshire, UK) for their guidance; to Kay Diederichs, Andrey Lebedev, and Michail Isupov for their helpful discussions and advice on molecular replacement; and to Marco Mazzorana and Felicity Bertram for their kind assistance with crystal handling.
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases, Medical Biochemistry - Proteins, Peptides and Proteomics
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
December 30, 2025
Submission Date
November 4, 2025
Acceptance Date
November 12, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 14 Number: 3
APA
Yapici, I., & Demirci, H. (2025). Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography. Abant Medical Journal, 14(3), 208-224. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1817591
AMA
1.Yapici I, Demirci H. Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography. Abant Med J. 2025;14(3):208-224. doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1817591
Chicago
Yapici, Ilkin, and Hasan Demirci. 2025. “Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography”. Abant Medical Journal 14 (3): 208-24. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1817591.
EndNote
Yapici I, Demirci H (December 1, 2025) Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography. Abant Medical Journal 14 3 208–224.
IEEE
[1]I. Yapici and H. Demirci, “Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography”, Abant Med J, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 208–224, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.47493/abantmedj.1817591.
ISNAD
Yapici, Ilkin - Demirci, Hasan. “Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography”. Abant Medical Journal 14/3 (December 1, 2025): 208-224. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1817591.
JAMA
1.Yapici I, Demirci H. Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography. Abant Med J. 2025;14:208–224.
MLA
Yapici, Ilkin, and Hasan Demirci. “Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography”. Abant Medical Journal, vol. 14, no. 3, Dec. 2025, pp. 208-24, doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1817591.
Vancouver
1.Ilkin Yapici, Hasan Demirci. Temperature-Dependent Structural Dynamics of SOD1 Revealed by Serial Synchrotron Crystallography. Abant Med J. 2025 Dec. 1;14(3):208-24. doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1817591