Overexpression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the F1 antigen Caf1M-Caf1 chaperone-subunit pre-assembly complex from Yersinia pestis

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2003 Feb;59(Pt 2):359-62. doi: 10.1107/s0907444902021054. Epub 2003 Jan 23.

Abstract

The F1 capsular antigen of the plague-causing pathogen Yersinia pestis is assembled from monomeric Caf1 subunits via the Caf1M/Caf1A chaperone/usher system. Y. pestis Caf1M-Caf1 chaperone-subunit complex was purified from the periplasm of Escherichia coli cells overexpressing Caf1M and Caf1 and was crystallized in PEG 4000 solution using hanging-drop vapour diffusion. The crystals diffract to a minimum Bragg spacing of 1.8 A and belong to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 36.0, b = 69.2, c = 69.1 A, beta = 93.0 degrees. SeMet-labelled Caf1M-Caf1 complexes were purified and crystallized under the same conditions. The SeMet crystals were identical to the native crystals and diffracted to 1.9 A. Heavy-atom derivative crystals were prepared by soaking in 10 mM K(2)PtCl(4), giving two Pt sites per complex. The experimental electron-density map was obtained by a combination of MAD and MIR methods using both Se- and Pt-derivative crystals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Bacterial / biosynthesis
  • Antigens, Bacterial / chemistry*
  • Antigens, Bacterial / genetics
  • Antigens, Bacterial / isolation & purification
  • Bacterial Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Crystallization / methods
  • Crystallography, X-Ray / methods
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Molecular Chaperones / chemistry*
  • Molecular Chaperones / genetics
  • Protein Subunits / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Static Electricity
  • Yersinia pestis / chemistry*
  • Yersinia pestis / genetics

Substances

  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Protein Subunits
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • caf1 protein, Yersinia pestis