Crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of native and mutant intimin from enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a primarily food-borne bacterial pathogen that is capable of causing life-threatening human infections and poses a serious challenge to public health worldwide. The bacterial outer-membrane protein intimin plays a key role in the initiation process of EHEC infection. In this study, intimin from EHEC O157:H7 (Int188) and its N916Y mutant (IntN916Y) were purified and crystals of both were obtained using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 291 K. Data were collected from Int188 and IntN916Y crystals to 2.8 and 2.6 Å resolution, respectively. The crystal of Int188 belonged to the orthorhombic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 235.16, b = 44.81, c = 129.12 Å, α = γ = 90, β = 97.53°. The crystal of IntN916Y belonged to space group P2₁2₁2₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 43.78, b = 92.49, c = 100.05 Å, α = β = γ = 90°.