A preliminary X-ray study of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid 8-phosphate phosphatase (YrbI) from Burkholderia pseudomallei

3-Deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid 8-phosphate phosphatase (YrbI), the third enzyme in the pathway for the biosynthesis of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (KDO), hydrolyzes KDO 8-phosphate to KDO and inorganic phosphate. YrbI belongs to the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily, which is a large family of magnesium-dependent phosphatase/phospho­transferase enzymes. In this study, YrbI from Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, has been cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized. Synchrotron X-ray data were also collected to 2.25 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to the primitive orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 63.7, b = 97.5, c = 98.0 Å. A full structural determination is in progress to elucidate the structure–function relationship of this protein.