In a recent article in the Journal of Molecular Biology a paper has been published exploring the ability of prokaryotic thermophiles to supply stable human protein homologs for structural biology. The authors have made use of an unusual deep-sea hydrothermal-vent worm called Alvinella pompejana. This worm has been found in temperatures averaging as high as 68 degrees C. The paper explores the structure, stability, and mechanism of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme whose mutation is implicated in causing the neurodegenerative disease familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease. The SAXS endstation of the SIBYLS beamline played a key role in providing confirmation of the dimeric state of the Alvinella pompejana SOD and its structural similarity to the Human SOD.
