Linking B-factor and temperature-induced conformational transition

The crystallographic B-factor, also called temperature factor or Debye-Waller factor, has long been used as a surrogate for local protein flexibility. However, the use of the absolute B-factor as a probe for protein motion requires reproducible validation against conformational changes against chemical and physical variables. Here we report the investigation of the thermal dependence of the crystallographic B-factor and its correlation with conformational changes of the protein. We obtained the crystal protein structure coordinates and B-factors at high resolution (1.5 angstrom) over a broad temperature range (100 K to 325 K). The exponential thermal dependence of B-factor as a function of temperature was equal for both the diffraction intensity data (Wilson B-factor) and for all modeled atoms of the system (protein and non-protein atoms), with a thermal diffusion constant of about 0.0045 K-1, similar for all atoms. The extrapolated B-factor at zero Kelvin (or zero-point fluctuation) varies among the atoms, although with no apparent correlation with temperature-dependent protein conformational changes. These data suggest that the thermal vibration of the atom does not necessarily correlate with the conformational dynamics of the protein.