title: Crystallization and preliminary x-ray crystallographic analysis of galectin LEC-1 from Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Galectin LEC-1 isolated from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was the first galectin found in invertebrates and also the first tandem-repeat-type galectin identified, containing two homologous carbohydrate-binding sites. This galectin is localized most abundantly in the adult cuticle and possibly plays a role in the formation of epidermal layers. We succeeded in crystallizing LEC-1 composed of 279 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 31,809 Da under two independent sets of conditions as a result of extensive screening. The crystals grown under one set of conditions belong to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 48.44, b = 52.13, c = 64.24 A, alpha = 108.73, beta= 91.39, and gamma = 98.45 degrees and two protein molecules per unit cell. The crystals grown under the other set of conditions which included lactose belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 52.90, b = 47.01, c = 66.16 A, and beta= 113.30 degrees and one protein molecule per asymmetric unit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itagaki
authors.forename: Sachie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishizaki
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekihashi
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Shun-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kidokoro
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kezuka
authors.forename: Yoichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arata
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hirabayashi
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: Takamasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nonaka
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D037161:Galectins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D037161:Galectins; C525184:Lec-1 protein, C elegans