PURIFICATION, CRYSTALLIZATION, AND PRELIMINARY-X-RAY DIFFRACTION ANALYSIS OF EVEN-SKIPPED HOMEODOMAIN COMPLEXED TO DNA

Embryonic development in metazoa, to a significant extent, is directed by genes which contain a conserved sequence motif named the homeobox, This sequence encodes a polypeptide called the homeodomain which has sequence specific DNA-binding activity, We report the purification, cr ystallization, and preliminary diffraction analysis of the Drosophila Even-skipped homeodomain (Eve HD) bound to two different oligonucleoti des. Crystals of Eve HD complexed with an AT-rich sequence belong to s pace group P2(1), a = 34.06, b = 61.61, c = 39.99 Angstrom, beta = 90. 0 degrees. These crystals diffract to at least 2.0 Angstrom and both n ative and derivative data sets have been collected. Crystals of Eve HD complexed with a GC-rich sequence belong to space group P6(3), a = b = 124.52, c = 66.78 Angstrom and diffract to 3.5 Angstrom resolution. A native data set has been collected. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.