Purification, crystallization and initial X-ray analysis of the C₁ subunit of the astaxanthin protein, V_600, of the chondrophore Velella velella

The subunit C₁ of the carotenoid-binding protein, V₆₀₀, of the chondrophore Velella velella has been purified and crystallized. The crystals, which were grown by the vapour-diffusion method from ammonium sulfate as the major precipitant, diffract beyond 3 Å and show little radiation damage over long periods (greater than 100 h) on a Cu Kα rotating-anode X-ray source. The space group of the crystals is P2₁2₁2₁ with cell dimensions a = 42.0, b = 80.9, c = 110.6 Å.