Anaerobic crystallization and initial X-ray diffraction data of biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase from Burkholderia xenovorans LB400: addition of agarose improved the quality of the crystals

Biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase (BPDO; EC 1.14.12.18) catalyzes the initial step in the degradation of biphenyl and some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). BPDO_LB400, the terminal dioxygenase component from Burkholderia xenovorans LB400, a proteobacterial species that degrades a broad range of PCBs, has been crystallized under anaerobic conditions by sitting-drop vapour diffusion. Initial crystals obtained using various polyethylene glycols as precipitating agents diffracted to very low resolution (∼8 Å) and the recorded reflections were diffuse and poorly shaped. The quality of the crystals was significantly improved by the addition of 0.2% agarose to the crystallization cocktail. In the presence of agarose, wild-type BPDO_LB400 crystals that diffracted to 2.4 Å resolution grew in space group P1. Crystals of the BPDO_P4 and BPDO_RR41 variants of BPDO_LB400 grew in space group P2₁.