Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of oligomers of the haemolytic lectin CEL-III from the sea cucumber Cucumaria echinata

CEL-III is a Ca²⁺-dependent haemolytic lectin isolated from the marine invertebrate Cucumaria echinata. This lectin binds to Gal/GalNAc-containing carbohydrate chains on the cell surface and, after conformational changes, oligomerizes to form ion-permeable pores in cell membranes. CEL-III also forms soluble oligomers similar to those formed in cell membranes upon binding of specific carbohydrates in high-pH and high-salt solutions. These soluble and membrane CEL-III oligomers were crystallized and X-ray diffraction data were collected. Crystals of soluble oligomers and membrane oligomers diffracted X-rays to 3.3 and 4.2 Å resolution, respectively, using synchrotron radiation and the former was found to belong to space group C2. Self-rotation functional analysis of the soluble oligomer crystal suggested that it might be composed of heptameric CEL-III.