Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
Production, Crystallization and Structure Determination of C. difficile PPEP-1 via Microseeding and Zinc-SAD
Published on: December 30, 2016
Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the pectin methylesterase
Danilo Elton Evangelista1, Andre Schutzer de Godoy1, Fernando Fonseca Pereira de Paula2
1Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Trabalhador Sãocarlense 400, 13566-590 São Carlos-SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
Pectin methylesterase removes the methyl groups from the main chain of pectin, the major component of the middle lamella of the plant cell wall. The enzyme is involved in plant cell-wall development, is part of the enzymatic arsenal used by microorganisms to attack plants and also has a wide range of applications in the industrial sector. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in studies of the structure and function of this enzyme. In this work, the pectin methylesterase from Sphenophorus levis was produced in Pichia pastoris and purified. Crystals belonging to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 122.181, b = 82.213, c = 41.176 Å, β = 97.48°, were obtained by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method and an X-ray diffraction data set was collected to 2.1 Å resolution. Structure refinement and model building are in progress.
