Crystallization of the gastric H,K-ATPase

Crystalline arrays of the gastric H,K-ATPase were obtained in membrane preparations from hog and rabbit gastric mucosa. The lattice was formed rapidly in a medium containing K+, vanadate, Mg2+, and dimethyl sulfoxide at pH 6.0-6.9 in imidazole buffer from 4 to 22 degrees C. The crystal lattice exhibited P2 symmetry, and the unit cell dimension (a = 5.6, b = 11, and c = 10 nm) could accommodate 2 polypeptides of mass 116-129 kDa. In addition, the isolated preparation contained previously undescribed long cylindrical structures 16 nm thick. These structures consisted of a central core 6-7 nm wide from which particles spaced 5.5 nm apart protruded symmetrically.