Using barium ions for heavy-atom derivatization and phasing of xylanase II from Trichoderma longibrachiatum

This paper describes the use of barium chloride to produce a heavy-atom derivative of xylanase II crystals from Trichoderma longibrachiatum, which was obtained either by cocrystallization or soaking. SAD phasing led to interpretable electron-density maps that allowed unambiguous chain tracing. In the best case, with a data set collected at 9.5 keV, 88% of the residues were built, with 83% of the side chains assigned. The barium ions are found to mainly interact with main-chain carbonyl groups and water molecules. It is suggested that barium ions could also be used as a potential anomalous scatterer in the quick cryosoaking procedure for phasing.