Carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) are discrete parts of carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes that bind specific types of carbohydrates. Ultra high-resolution X-ray crystallographic studies of CBMs have helped to decipher the basis for specificity in carbohydrate-protein interactions. However, additional studies are needed to better understand which structural determinants confer which carbohydrate-binding properties. To address these issues, neutron crystallographic studies were initiated on one experimentally engineered CBM derived from a xylanase, X-2 L110F, a protein that is able to bind several different plant carbohydrates such as xylan, β-glucan and xyloglucan. This protein evolved from a CBM present in xylanase Xyn10A of Rhodothermus marinus. The protein was complexed with a branched xyloglucan heptasaccharide. Large single crystals of hydrogenous protein (∼1.6 mm(3)) were grown at room temperature and subjected to H/D exchange. Both neutron and X-ray diffraction data sets were collected to 1.6 Å resolution. Joint neutron and X-ray refinement using phenix.refine showed significant density for residues involved in carbohydrate binding and revealed the details of a hydrogen-bonded water network around the binding site. This is the first report of a neutron structure of a CBM and will add to the understanding of protein-carbohydrate binding interactions.
Keywords: carbohydrate-binding module; hydrogen bond; neutron crystallography.