CRYSTALLIZATION OF ARTHROBACTER SP. STRAIN 1C N-(1-D-CARBOXYETHYL)-L-NORVALINE DEHYDROGENASE AND ITS COMPLEX WITH NAD(+)

The novel NAD(+)-linked opine dehydrogenase from a soil isolate Arthro bacter sp. strain 1C belongs to an enzyme superfamily whose members ex hibit quite diverse substrate specificites. Crystals of this opine deh ydrogenase, obtained in the presence or absence of co-factor and subst rates, have been shown to diffract to beyond 1.8 Angstrom resolution. X-ray precession photographs have established that the crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with cell parameters a = 104.9, b = 80.0, c = 45.5 Angstrom and a single subunit in the asymmetric unit. The elu cidation of the three-dimensional structure of this enzyme will provid e a structural framework for this novel class of dehydrogenases to ena ble a comparison to be made with other enzyme families and also as the basis for mutagenesis experiments directed towards the production of natural and synthetic opine-type compounds containing two chiral centr es.