Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the ADP-ribosyltransferase HopU1

Several Gram-negative pathogens of plants and animals and some eukaryotic associated bacteria use type III protein-secretion systems (T3SSs) to deliver bacterial virulence-associated `effector' proteins directly into host cells. HopU1 is a type III effector protein from the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, which causes plant bacterial speck disease. HopU1 quells host immunity through ADP-ribosylation of GRP7 as a substrate. HopU1 has been reported as the first ADP-ribosyltransferase virulence protein to be identified in a plant pathogen. Although several structures of ADP-ribosyltransferases have been determined to date, no structure of an ADP-ribosyltransferase from a plant pathogen has been determined. Here, the protein expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of HopU1 are reported. Diffracting crystals were grown by hanging-drop vapour diffusion using polyethylene glycol 10 000 as a precipitant. Native and SAD data sets were collected using native and selenomethionine-derivative HopU1 crystals. The diffraction pattern of the crystal extended to 2.7 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystals belonged to space group P4₃, with unit-cell parameters a = 92.6, b = 92.6, c = 101.6 Å.