PRELIMINARY CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF THE AMINO TERMINAL HALF OF HUMAN LACTOFERRIN IN ITS IRON-SATURATED AND IRON-FREE FORMS

The amino terminal half of human lactoferrin (LfN) produced from transfected baby hamster kidney cells has been crystallized in its iron-saturated and iron-free forms. The crystals of glycosylated LfN and deglycosylated LfN are monoclinic, space group C2, with cell dimensions a = 133·0 A ̊, b = 58·3 A ̊, c = 58·3 A ̊, α = 90·0 °, β = 114·7 °, γ = 90·0 °, and one molecule per asymmetric unit. Crystals of apo LfN have also been prepared using deglycosylated protein. These crystals are tetragonal, space group P41212 (or P43212), with cell dimensions of a = b = 58·4 A ̊ and c = 217·2 A ̊ and one molecule per asymmetric unit. Both the iron-saturated and the iron-free crystals are suitable for high resolution X-ray analysis. © 1992.