Art imitating life

Dear Bill

I noticed in the last issue of the IUCr Newsletter a sketch of Sir Thomas, which clearly originated from somebody close to you. I was also given a picture taken a few weeks ago, which looks like the original of the drawing. Thought you might want to have them both side by side.

Alexander Wlodawer

Dear Alex

Thank you for the photo. I commend your powers of pattern recognition. Either you have discovered a polymorph or close homologue. They may actually be the same structure in the relaxed and active states. The active site seems to be filled on the left and empty on the right. There may he some hinge mechanism involved. Could be a ping pong reaction in which the cofactor is also consumed. In any event, it is clearly a case of rapid kinetics, a common trait of the entire family of Cristalogrifers Drinkalotis.

Bill