Using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) to Characterize the Solution Conformation and Flexibility of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs).

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides information about the conformation and flexibility of proteins in solution, and hence provides complementary structural information to that obtained from X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In this chapter, we describe the methods for the preparation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) samples for SAXS analyses, and for the acquisition, processing and interpretation of the SAXS data.