Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a novel type of lipolytic hydrolase from Bacillus licheniformis

With increasing demand in biotechnological applications, the identification and characterization of novel lipolytic enzymes are of great importance. The crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of a novel type of hydrolase from Bacillus licheniformis (BL28) are described here. Recombinant BL28 protein containing a C-terminal His tag was overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. BL28 was crystallized using 0.2 M ammonium acetate, 0.1 M sodium citrate tribasic dihydrate pH 5.6, 30%(w/v) PEG 4000 as a crystallizing solution. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 1.67 Å with an R_merge of 5.8%. The BL28 crystals belonged to the tetragonal space group P4₁2₁2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 57.89, c = 167.25 Å. A molecular-replacement solution was obtained and structure refinement of BL28 is in progress.