X-ray absorption spectroscopy of metalloproteins

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been widely used as a powerful local structural tool for studying the metal binding sites in metalloproteins, owing to its element specificity, chemical sensitivity, and minimum requirement for sample preparation. The principle subject of this chapter is to provide a general introduction of this technique to molecular biologists and biochemists, with the intention to fill the knowledge gaps in interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. An update of the XAS-based technique applied recently to metalloproteins is also briefly introduced at the end of the chapter.