Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of TssL from Vibrio cholerae

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a macromolecular complex that is conserved in Gram-negative bacteria. The T6SS secretes effector proteins into recipient cells in a contact-dependent manner in order to accomplish cooperative and competitive interactions with the cells. Although the composition and mechanism of the T6SS have been intensively investigated across many Gram-negative bacteria, to date structural information on T6SS components from the important pathogen Vibrio cholerae has been rare. Here, the cloning, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the cytoplasmic domain of TssL, an inner membrane protein of the T6SS, from V. cholerae are reported. Diffraction data were collected to 1.5 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystal belonged to the hexagonal space group P6₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 78.4, b = 78.4, c = 49.5 Å. The successful structural characterization of TssL from V. cholerae will contribute to understanding the role of the membrane-associated subunits of the T6SS in more detail.