title: Crystallization of PNMT, the adrenaline-synthesizing enzyme, is critically dependent on a high protein concentration.
abstract: Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, PNMT, utilizes the methylating cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine to catalyse the synthesis of adrenaline. Human PNMT has been crystallized in complex with an inhibitor and the cofactor product S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine using the hanging-drop technique with PEG 6000 and lithium chloride as precipitant. A critical requirement for crystallization was a high enzyme concentration (>90 mg ml(-1)) and cryocrystallography was used for high-quality data measurement. Diffraction data measured from a cryocooled crystal extend to a resolution of 2.3 A. Cryocooled crystals belong to space group P4(3)2(1)2 and have unit-cell parameters a = b = 94.3, c = 187.7 A.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Drug Design and Development and Special Research Centre for Functional and Applied Genomics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Begun
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McLeish
authors.forename: Joanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Caine
authors.forename: Elka
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palant
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Grunewald
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012435:S-Adenosylhomocysteine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012435:S-Adenosylhomocysteine; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase; D018021:Lithium Chloride; D004837:Epinephrine