Crystallization, preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis and Patterson search of oxyhaemoglobin I from the wolf (Chrysocyon brachiurus)

Oxyhaemoglobin I isolated from the Brazilian wolf Chrysocyon brachiurus has been crystallized and X-ray diffraction data has been collected to 2.06 A resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. Crystals were determined t o belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and preliminary structural analys is revealed the presence of one tetramer in the asymmetric unit. The struct ure was determined using standard molecular-replacement techniques and is c urrently being refined using maximum-likelihood protocols. This is the firs t haemoglobin isolated from a member of the Canidae family to be crystalliz ed and it will provide further insights in the comparative biochemistry of vertebrate haemoglobins.