Crystallization and 2.2 A resolution structure of R-phycoerythrin from Gracilaria chilensis: a case of perfect hemihedral twinning.
Contreras-Martel, C., Martinez-Oyanedel, J., Bunster, M., Legrand, P., Piras, C., Vernede, X., Fontecilla-Camps, J.C.(2001) Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 57: 52-60
- PubMed: 11134927 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/s0907444900015274
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1EYX - PubMed Abstract: 
R-phycoerythrin, a light-harvesting component from the red algae Gracilaria chilensis, was crystallized by vapour diffusion using ammonium sulfate as precipitant agent. Red crystals grew after one week at 293 K and diffracted to 2.70 A resolution. Three serial macroseeding assays were necessary to grow a second larger crystal to dimensions of 0.68 x 0.16 x 0.16 mm. This crystal diffracted to 2.24 A resolution using synchrotron radiation at beamline BM14 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) at Grenoble, France and was used for structure determination. Data were collected at 100 K to a completeness of 98.6%. The crystal was trigonal, space group R3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 187.3, c = 59.1 A, alpha = beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees. Data treatment using the CCP4 suite of programs indicated that the crystal was twinned ((I(2))/(I)(2) = 1.41). Molecular replacement was performed with AMoRe using the R-phycoerythrin from Polysiphonia urceolata [Chang et al. (1996), J. Mol. Biol. 249, 424-440] as a search model. In order to overcome the twinning problem, SHELX97 was used for the crystallographic refinement. The twin fraction was 0.48, indicating a nearly perfect hemihedrally twinned crystal. The final R(work) and R(free) factors are 0.16 and 0.25, respectively. All the residues and chromophores of the alpha- and beta-chains are well defined in the electron-density maps. Some residues belonging to the gamma-linker are also recognizable.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Laboratorio de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Chile.