Incommensurate grain-boundary atomic structure.

Grain-boundary atomic structures of crystalline materials have long been believed to be commensurate with the crystal periodicity of the adjacent crystals. In the present study, we experimentally observed a Σ9 grain-boundary atomic structure of a bcc crystal (Fe-3%Si). It is found that the Σ9 grain-boundary structure is largely reconstructed and forms a dense packing of icosahedral clusters in its core.

Crystal structure of L-arabinose 1-dehydrogenase as a short-chain reductase/dehydrogenase protein.

l-Arabinose 1-dehydrogenase (AraDH) catalyzes the NAD(P)-dependent oxidation of l-arabinose to L-arabinono-1,4-lactone in the non-phosphorylative l-arabinose pathway, and is classified into glucose-fructose oxidoreductase and short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR). We herein report the crystal structure of a SDR-type AraDH (from Herbaspirillum huttiense) for the first time. The interactions between Asp49 and the 2'- and 3'-hydroxyl groups of NAD were consistent with strict specificity for NAD.