issue contents
November 2015 issue
research communications
The structure of aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) from the fungal pathogen C. neoformans has been determined. The enzyme has a similar overall fold and active-site architecture to other ASADHs, but differences in subunit assembly can be used to guide the development of species-specific antifungal agents.
PDB reference: aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, 5cef
The nuclear proteinaceous RNase P PRORP2 from A. thaliana was expressed in E. coli, purified to homogeneity and yielded plate-like crystals that diffracted to 3 Å resolution.
Endogenous tryptophanase was purified from an E. coli culture under alkaline stress. The structure of the apo form of tryptophanase was solved.
PDB reference: tryptophanase, 4up2
Open access
The structure of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase Q151M mutant was determined at a resolution of 2.6 Å in space group P321.
PDB reference: HIV-1 reverse transcriptase Q151M mutant, 4zhr
Previous high-resolution X-ray crystallographic studies on the human myelin peripheral membrane protein P2 have been extended. Fully deuterated human P2 was produced and crystallized, and neutron diffraction data extending to 2.4 Å resolution have been collected.
Open access
Recombinant Der f 21 dust-mite allergen from D. farinae was overexpressed, purified to homogeneity and crystallized in a form suitable for X-ray analysis.
Open access
Bacterial and fungal type I fatty-acid synthases (FAS I) are evolutionarily connected, as bacterial FAS I is considered to be the ancestor of fungal FAS I. In this work, the production, crystallization and X-ray diffraction data analysis of a bacterial FAS I are reported.
The structure of a mutant of tomato multifunctional nuclease TBN1 with phosphate ion bound in the active centre explains the stabilization of the conserved crystal-packing motif of molecular superhelices.
PDB reference: tomato multifunctional nuclease, N211D mutant, 4jdg
R. palustris CouR was crystallized alone and in complex with p-coumaroyl-CoA. CouR plays important roles in the catabolism of p-coumarate, the precursor of lignin. CouR suppresses the expression of the enzymes involved in the catabolism of p-coumarate, and binding of CouR by p-coumaroyl-CoA abolishes the suppression and activates the expression of the enzymes.
Human Aar2 (C20ORF4) is expressed in HeLa cells and recombinant Aar2 binds to the Prp8 RNaseH domain in vitro. Crystallographic studies of human Aar2 in complex with the Prp8 RNaseH domain were initiated.
A recombinant version of the lectin CGL from the sea mussel C. grayanus was expressed, purified and crystallized. The structure determined at 2.12 Å resolution indicated that this lectin is a member of the β-trefoil family.
PDB reference: CGL, 5duy
A crystallographic study of the HMG domain of mouse Sox9, an important master regulator of chondrogenesis, in complex with ChIP-Seq-identified FOXP2 promoter DNA is reported. In addition, electrophoretic mobility-shift assay studies supporting the DNA-binding function of Sox9 are provided.
The ligand-binding region of human uPARAP, an endocytic collagen receptor, was overexpressed in Drosophila S2 cells and crystallized at pH 5.3 and pH 7.4. Structural characterization of this receptor at two pH values will reveal the structural basis of a pH-induced conformational change in the mannose receptor family.
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase from J. denitrificans was purified and crystallized. Room-temperature X-ray and neutron diffraction data were collected to 1.1 and 2.1 Å resolution, respectively.