Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase from Escherichia coli in complex with the acceptor-TΨC domain of tRNA

Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase (Pth) cleaves the ester bond between the peptide and the tRNA of peptidyl-tRNA molecules, which are the product of aborted translation. In the present work, Pth from Escherichia coli was crystallized with the acceptor-TΨC domain of tRNA using 1,4-butanediol as a precipitant. The crystals belonged to the hexagonal space group P6₁, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 55.1, c = 413.1 Å, and diffracted X-rays beyond 2.4 Å resolution. The asymmetric unit is expected to contain two complexes of Pth and the acceptor-TΨC domain of tRNA (V_M = 2.8 ų Da⁻¹), with a solvent content of 60.8%. The structure is being solved by molecular replacement.