Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of thermophilic cellulase from Fervidobacterium nodosum Rt17-B1

FnCel5A, a thermostable endoglucanase, is a member of glycohydrolase family 5 which catalyzes the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose in the thermophilic bacterium Fervidobacterium nodosum Rt17-B1. FnCel5A is particularly interesting because of its high thermostability (T_opt = 353 K, half-life 48 h) and its high specific activity towards carboxymethylcellulose. These properties make FnCel5A an attractive target for protein engineering to improve cellulase activity. In order to resolve the crystal structure of FnCel5A and to gain a better understanding of its biological function, recombinant FnCel5A was expressed, purified and crystallized at 291 K using NaH₂PO₄/KH₂PO₄ as a precipitant. A 2.4 Å resolution native data set was collected from a single flash-cooled crystal (100 K) using 20%(v/v) glycerol as a cryoprotectant. These crystals belonged to space group P2₁2₁2, with unit-cell parameters a = 53.5, b = 81.7, c = 85.2 Å, α = β = γ = 90°. One molecule is assumed to be present per asymmetric unit, which gives a Matthews coefficient of 2.5 ų Da⁻¹. A data set was also collected to 1.7 Å resolution from a selenomethionyl derivative; it belonged to space group P2₁2₁2₁ with the same unit-cell parameters as the native crystals.