Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phosphorylcholine phosphatase

Pseudomonas aeruginosa phosphorylcholine phosphatase (PchP) catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphorylcholine to produce choline and inorganic phosphate. Phosphorylcholine is released by the action of haemolytic phospholipase C (PlcH) on phosphatidylcholine or sphingomyelin. PchP belongs to the HAD superfamily and its activity is dependent on Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺ or Cu²⁺. The possible importance of PchP in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa, the lack of information about its structure and its low identity to other members of this family led us to attempt its crystallization in order to solve its three-dimensional structure. Crystals of the protein have been grown and diffraction data have been obtained to 2.7 Å resolution. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 137.16, b = 159.15, c = 73.31 Å, β = 117.89°. Statistical analysis of the unit-cell contents and the self-rotation function suggest a tetrameric state of the molecule with 222 point-group symmetry.