Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the NheA component of the Nhe toxin from Bacillus cereus

The nonhaemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) of Bacillus cereus plays a key role in cases of B. cereus food poisoning. The toxin is comprised of three different proteins: NheA, NheB and NheC. Here, the expression in Escherichia coli, purification and crystallization of the NheA protein are reported. The protein was crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 3350 as a precipitant. The crystals of NheA diffracted to 2.05 Å resolution and belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 308.7, b = 58.2, c = 172.9 Å, β = 110.6°. Calculation of V_M values suggests that there are approximately eight protein molecules per asymmetric unit.