Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the aspartic protease plasmepsin 4 from the malarial parasite Plasmodium malariae

Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 2005 Feb 1;61(Pt 2):228-31. doi: 10.1107/S1744309105001405. Epub 2005 Feb 1.

Abstract

Plasmepsin 4 from the malarial parasite Plasmodium malariae (PmPM4) is a member of the plasmepsins (Plasmodium pepsins), a subfamily of the pepsin-like aspartic proteases whose ortholog in the malarial parasite P. falciparum is involved in hemoglobin digestion in its digestive vacuole. Crystals of PmPM4 in complex with the small-molecule inhibitor AG1776 have been grown from a precipitant of 15% PEG 4000 and 200 mM ammonium sulfate in 100 mM sodium acetate pH 4.5. X-ray diffraction data were collected on a Rigaku rotating-anode generator from a single crystal under cryoconditions, with a maximal useful diffraction pattern to 3.3 A resolution. The crystals are shown to be orthorhombic and have been assigned to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 95.88, b = 112.58, c = 90.40 A and a scaling Rsym of 0.104 for 14,334 unique reflections. Packing consideration and self-rotation function results indicate that there are two molecules per asymmetric unit. It is expected that in the near future the structure of PmPM4 will be obtained using molecular-replacement methods, obtaining phases from previously determined plasmepsin structures. Elucidation of the structure of PmPM4 in complex with inhibitors may be paramount to producing new antimalarial therapeutic agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / chemistry*
  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / isolation & purification
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasmodium malariae / enzymology*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protozoan Proteins / chemistry
  • Protozoan Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Protozoan Proteins
  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases
  • plasmepsin