The crystal structure of a thermostable endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinanase, ABN-TS, from Bacillus thermodenitrificans TS-3 was determined at 1.9 A to an R-factor of 18.3% and an R-free-factor of 22.5%. The enzyme molecule has a five-bladed beta-propeller fold. The substrate-binding cleft formed across one face of the propeller is open on both sides to allow random binding of several sugar units in the polymeric substrate arabinan. The beta-propeller fold is stabilized through a ring closure. ABN-TS exhibits a new closure-mode involving residues in the N-terminal region: Phe7 to Gly21 exhibit hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with the first and last blades, and Phe4 links the second and third blades through a hydrogen bond and an aromatic stacking interaction, respectively. The role of the N-terminal region in the thermostability was confirmed with a mutant lacking 16 amino acid residues from the N-terminus of ABN-TS.
Agarose gel media reduce convection and prevent crystal sedimentation, resulting in the production of high-quality protein crystals. However, crystallographers have only tested agarose gel at concentrations between 0.0 and 0.6% (w/v), where it exhibits low gel strength. The effect of agarose gel on protein structures remains to be elucidated, because only a few structural studies have been performed using gel-grown protein crystals. Here, we crystallize thaumatin and elastase using a variety of crystallization methods in 2.0% (w/v) agarose gels, which are completely gellified and have sufficiently high-strength. This new crystallization approach using semi-solid agarose gels is compatible with several conventional crystallization techniques. A comparison of structures crystallized in non-gelled solution and those crystallized in 2.0% (w/v) agarose gels indicates that the crystal structures were not affected by the high-concentration agarose gels. This technique offers the practical advantages of efficient protection by the semi-solid gel media surrounding the protein crystals, allowing them to be handled and transported without affecting any later crystallographic analysis, and thereby providing an automated system for crystal capturing and mounting.
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