Room-temperature crystal structure of a metal-dependent W-formate dehydrogenase by serial synchrotron crystallography

Metal-dependent formate dehydrogenases (Fdhs) are a promising research target in efforts to mitigate climate change by developing active, efficient, selective and safe industrial catalysts for CO₂ reduction. Here, we report the room-temperature (RT) serial synchrotron X-ray crystallography (SSX) structure of Nitratidesulfovibrio vulgaris formate dehydrogenase AB and compare this structure with previously reported cryogenic structures. The comparison reveals structural differences likely arising from the absence of cryoprotectants, differences in data-collection temperature and the much lower radiation dose accumulated by each crystal during the SSX experiments. The RT-SSX structure provides the first step towards time-resolved serial crystallography experiments targeting possible catalytic intermediates in order to fully understand the catalytic mechanism of metal-dependent Fdhs.