title: Multiple crystal forms of endoglucanase CelD: signal peptide residues modulate lattice formation.
abstract: The crystal structure of Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase CelD revealed an extended NH2-terminal segment (involving residues from the putative leader peptide) sticking out from the enzyme core to interact with a symmetry related molecule through an intermolecular salt bridge (Lys38-Asp201). Enzymatic digestion of CelD with various proteases emphasized the flexibility of the NH2-segment in solution. Proteolytic removal of Lys38 or the substitution of bridge-forming residues by site-directed mutagenesis promoted crystal packing arrangements that differ from that of wild type CelD. Crystals of wild-type CelD (a = 99.3 A c = 191.8 A) are trigonal, space group P3(1)21, with one molecule in the asymmetric unit (form A), whereas crystals of papain-treated CelD (a = 100.4 A, c = 248.7 A), of CelDK38M (a = 100.1 A, c = 248.4 A) and of papain-treated CelDD201A (a = 99.9 A, c = 250.0 A) are trigonal, space group P3(1)21, with two crystallographically independent molecules (form B), and crystals of chymotrypsin-treated CelD (a = 100.0 A, c = 254.3 A) and of CelDD201A (a = 99.8 A, c = 254.7 A) are hexagonal, space group P6(1)22, with one molecule in the asymmetric unit (form C). Only chymotrypsin-treated CelD (which preserves both Lys38 and Asp201) can grow in crystal form A upon macroseeding, indicating that formation of the intermolecular salt bridge is critical for stability of this crystal form. Flexible NH2- and COOH-terminal peptide extensions were found to influence crystal nucleation, but not crystal growth. The crystal structures of papain-treated CelD and chymotrypsin-treated CelD, determined at 3.5 A resolution by molecular replacement techniques, demonstrate that a small change in molecular orientation promoted by Lys38 account for the differences between crystal forms B and C.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Immunologie, Structural (URA 359 CNRS), France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chitarra
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Souchon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Béguin
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Alzari
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002480:Cellulase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D003013:Clostridium / Q000201:enzymology*; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; C087879:endoglucanase CelD; D002480:Cellulase; D010450:Endopeptidases