Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of human chondroadherin

Chondroadherin is a cartilage matrix protein that is known to mediate the adhesion of isolated chondrocytes. Its protein core is composed of 11 leucine-rich repeats flanked by cysteine-rich domains at the N- and C-terminal ends. Recombinant human chondroadherin was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 56.4, b = 111.3, c = 128.5 Å, β = 92.2, and are most likely to contain four molecules in the asymmetric unit. The crystals diffracted to at least 2.3 Å using synchrotron radiation, but structure determination using molecular replacement has so far been unsuccessful.