Expression,crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of FtsY,the docking protein of the signal recognition particle of E. coli

FtsY is the docking protein or SRα homologue in E. coli. It is involved in targeting secretory proteins to the cytoplasmic membrane by interacting with the signal recognition particle, controlled by guanosine 5′-triphosphate. Two different constructs have been used in crystallization studies: the full-length protein and a truncated fragment with a his-tag at the C terminus. Only the second construct resulted in crystals suitable for x-ray diffraction. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell dimensions a = 32.20 Å, b = 79.57 Å, c = 59.21 Å, and β = 94.45, and contain one molecule per asymmetric unit. At cryogenic temperatures the crystals diffract to a resolution limit of 2.5 Å by using a rotating anode, and beyond 1.8 Å by using synchrotron radiation. Proteins 28:285–288, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.