Fortuitous structure determination of 'as-isolated' Escherichia coli bacterioferritin in a novel crystal form

Escherichia coli bacterioferritin was serendipitously crystallized in a novel cubic crystal form and its structure could be determined to 2.5 A resolution despite a high degree of merohedral twinning. This is the first report of crystallographic data on 'as-isolated' E. coli bacterioferritin. The ferroxidase active site contains positive difference density consistent with two metal ions that had co-purified with the protein. X-ray fluorescence studies suggest that the metal composition is different from that of previous structures and is a mix of zinc and native iron ions. The ferroxidase-centre configuration displays a similar flexibility as previously noted for other bacterioferritins.