Structure of buffalo lactoferrin at 2.5 A resolution using crystals grown at 303 K shows different orientations of the N and C lobes

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 1999 Nov;55(Pt 11):1805-13. doi: 10.1107/s0907444999010951.

Abstract

The structure of buffalo lactoferrin has been determined at 303 K. The crystals belong to orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 77.5, b = 91.0, c = 131.5 A and Z = 4. The structure has been refined to an R factor of 0.187. The overall structure of the protein is similar to its structure determined at 277 K in a different crystal form. However, the lobe orientations in the two structures differ by 9.0 degrees, suggesting significant inter-lobe flexibility in this family of proteins. The inter-lobe interactions are predominantly hydrophobic and could act as a cushion for a change in orientation under the influence of external conditions. On the other hand, the domain arrangements are found to be similar in 277 and 303 K crystal structures, with orientations differing by 1.5 and 1.0 degrees in the N and C lobes, respectively. The results of these investigations suggest that the increase in temperature helps in the production of better quality crystals.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Buffaloes
  • Crystallization
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Female
  • Glycosylation
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Iron / chemistry
  • Lactoferrin / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Folding
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Iron
  • Lactoferrin

Associated data

  • PDB/1CE2