s, sarin is also well defined. However, the structures from datasets with 210 minute exposures to HI-6 were not further purchase BS-181 refined as they are not as good as the 1-minute dataset in terms of the quality of the electron density that defines sarin. In the initial electron density map from the 1-minute dataset, there is a highdensity feature corresponding to the phosphorus atom covalently bound to the Ser203 hydroxyl oxygen atom. In the maps from other datasets, the occupancy of the phosphorus atom decreases as the exposure time increases, presumably due to the progress of reactivation. Gratifyingly, the final electron density map from the 1-minute dataset is of good quality and clearly defines the sarin conjugate including its isopropoxy chain. Similar to a previously determined structure of the sarinnonagedconjugated mAChE , in HI-6NsarinnonagedmAChE, the P = O oxygen atom is hydrogen-bonding to main chain nitrogen atoms of Gly121, Gly122 and Ala204 , namely, the phosphonyl oxygen atom is anchored at 
the oxyanion hole; the methyl group of sarin is accommodated in the acyl pocket surrounded by aromatic rings of Trp236, Phe295, and Phe297; the isopropoxyl group is aligned along the axis of the active-site gorge with its oxygen atom hydrogen-bonding to a water molecule and to the Ne atom of His447 that forms a catalytic triad with Ser203 and Glu334. In the HI-6Nsarinnonaged-mAChE structure, the carboxyaminopyridinium ring of HI-6 is sandwiched by cation-pi interactions from side chains of Tyr124 and Trp286. The side chain of Trp286 undergoes a large conformational change relative to the apo mAChE. On the surface of 1975694 the protein, there is an electron density located near the indole ring of Trp286. Modelling this density feature as a carbonate ion resulted in good correlation to the crystallographic data and this ligand was included in the final model. The carboxyamino oxygen atom of HI-6 forms a hydrogen bond to the main-chain nitrogen atom of Ser298, while 10973989 the carboxyamino nitrogen atom interacts with the side-chain of Glu285 via a water-mediated hydrogen bond network. The electron density for the side chain of Asp74 is disordered and thus modelled in two conformations: one is similar to that found in the apo mAChE structure, and the other, which is dominant, point with its carboxyl oxygen toward the central linker of HI-6. This interpretation resulted in a residual positive density in the vicinity of Asp74 that may account for a low-occupancy position for the oxime moiety of HI-6, as shown by the Structure of HI-6NSarin-AChE microsecond molecular dynamics simulations of HI-6NsarinnonagedmAChE described below. The oxime-pyridinium ring of HI-6 enters the catalytic site and forms cation-pi interactions with side chains of Tyr124, Tyr337, Phe338, and Tyr341. The two carbon atoms of HI-6 that are near Tyr337 are not well defined by the electron density map; these atoms clash with the side chain of Tyr337 and have high B factors. These observations suggest that the oxime-pyridinium ring is rather mobile in the active-site gorge. In addition, a minor main-chain displacement for Tyr341 was observed, which is presumably caused by unfavourable interactions between the oxime-substituted pyridinium ring and the side chain of Tyr341. Structure of HI-6NSarin-AChE electron density in subsequent datasets with longer HI-6-exposure times, while we observed that the occupancy of the phosphorus atom decreases as the HI-6 exposure time increases. A satisfactory i
