Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of human Ca 2+-loaded calbindin-D28k

Calbindin-D28k is a calcium-binding protein that belongs to the troponin C superfamily. It is expressed in many tissues, including brain, intestine, kidney and pancreas, and performs roles as both a calcium buffer and a calcium sensor and carries out diverse physiological functions of importance. In order to resolve the crystal structure of human calbindin-D28k and to gain a better understanding of its biological functions, recombinant human calbindin-D28k was crystallized at 291 K using PEG 3350 as precipitant and a 2.4 A resolution X-ray data set was collected from a single flash-cooled crystal (100 K). The crystal belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 108.1, b = 28.2, c = 70.6 A, beta = 107.8 degrees . The presence of one molecule per asymmetric unit is presumed, corresponding to a Matthews coefficient of 1.75 A(3) Da(-1).