A novel BioXAS technique with sub-millisecond time resolution to track oxidation state and structural changes at biological metal centers
J. Synchrotron Rad. (2005). 12, 35–44
X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study metal cofactors in enzymes is an increasingly important tool in structural biology. Frequently, characterization of short-lived reaction intermediates is a decisive step in unraveling the catalytic mechanism. A novel approach for time-resolved BioXAS to trace intermediates is described. For the first time, XANES and EXAFS spectra were obtained, for the tetra-manganese complex of oxygenic photosynthesis, within micro- to milliseconds after population of semi-stable states by laser-flash excitation at room temperature. Now the road is open for “real-time” BioXAS investigations.
M. Haumann, C. Müller, P. Liebisch, T. Neisius and H. Dau