Ambient temperature crystal structure of Escherichia coli CyaY protein displays alternate conformation

Abstract

Frataxin is a 23 KDa mitochondrial iron-binding protein that is involved in biogenesis of iron sulfur clusters. A deficiency in frataxin leads to Friedreich's ataxia, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The bacterial ortholog of eukaryotic mitochondrial frataxin, CyaY, is thought to play a role in iron sulfur cluster assembly as an iron supplier, making it an important target for study. Here, we present the first ambient temperature crystal structure of CyaY protein from Escherichia coli, obtained using the Turkish Light Source “Turkish DeLight”. This study reveals the dynamic structural characteristics of CyaY at near-physiological temperature and displays an alternate conformation, highlighting the importance of temperature considerations in protein structure characterization and providing new insights into the protein's flexibility.