Overproduction, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense glycerol kinase

In the bloodstream forms of human trypanosomes, glycerol kinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.30) is one of the nine glycosomally compartmentalized enzymes that are essential for energy metabolism. In this study, a recombinant Trypanosoma brucei gambiense GK (rTbgGK) with an N-terminal cleavable His₆ tag was overexpressed, purified to homogeneity and crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 400 as a precipitant. A complete X-ray diffraction data set to 2.75 Å resolution indicated that the crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 63.84, b = 121.50, c = 154.59 Å. The presence of two rTbgGK molecules in the asymmetric unit gives a Matthews coefficient (V_M) of 2.5 Å³ Da^-1, corresponding to 50% solvent content.