Crystallization and X-ray structure of cold-shock protein E from Salmonella typhimurium

In prokaryotic organisms, cold shock triggers the production of a small highly conserved family of cold-shock proteins (CSPs). CSPs have been well studied structurally and functionally in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, but Salmonella typhimurium CSPs remain relatively uncharacterized. In S. typhi­­murium, six homologous CSPs have been identified: StCspA–E and StCspH. The crystal structure of cold-shock protein E from S. typhimurium (StCspE) has been determined at 1.1 Å resolution and has an R factor of 0.203 after refinement. The three-dimensional structure is similar to those of previously determined CSPs and is composed of five antiparallel β-strands forming a classic OB fold/five-stranded β-barrel. This first structure of a CSP from S. typhimurium provides new insight into the cold-shock response of this bacterium.