Ab initio self-consistent x-ray absorption fine structure analysis for metalloproteins

X-ray absorption fine structure is a powerful tool for probing the structures of metals in proteins in both crystalline and noncrystalline environments. Until recently, a fundamental problem in biological XAFS has been that ad hoc assumptions must be made concerning the vibrational properties of the amino acid residues that are coordinated to the metal to fit the data. Here, an automatic procedure for accurate structural determination of active sites of metalloproteins is presented. It is based on direct multiple-scattering simulation of experimental X-ray absorption fine structure spectra combining electron multiple scattering calculations with density functional theory calculations of vibrational modes of amino acid residues and the genetic algorithm differential evolution to determine a global minimum in the space of fitting parameters. Structure determination of the metalloprotein active site is obtained through a self-consistent iterative procedure with only minimal initial information.