The Open Crystallography Journal

2008, 1 : 6-9
Published online 2008 February 28. DOI: 10.2174/1874846500801010006
Publisher ID: TOCRYJ-1-6

Crystallization and Preliminary X-Ray Crystallographic Studies of a Myotoxic Lys49-phospholipase A2 from Bothrops jararacussu Venom Complexed with α-Tocopherol Inhibitorm

Agnes A.S. Takeda , Juliana I. dos Santos , Daniela P. Marchi-Salvador , Andreimar M. Soares and Marcos R.M. Fontes
Departamento de Física e Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, C. P. 510, CEP 18618-000, Botucatu-SP, Brazil.

ABSTRACT

Bothropstoxin I (BthTX-I), a non-catalytic and myotoxic Lys49-PLA2 from Bothrops jararacussu venom, has been crystallized alone and complexed with α-tocopherol inhibitor. These crystals have been shown to diffract X-rays between 2.17 and 1.83 Å resolution. The BthTX-I/α-tocopherol complex crystals are not isomorphous with those of the native protein. This suggests the inhibitor binding has lead to changes in the quaternary structure and a different conformation may have been obtained.

Keywords:

Crystallization, X-ray crystallography, Lys49-phospholipase A2.