Preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a novel maltogenic amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus ET1

A novel maltogenic amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus ET1, which has a dual activity of alpha-1,4- and alpha-1,6-glycosidic bond cleavages and alpha-1,6-glycosidic bond formation, was crystallized by using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method. The best crystals were obtained by employing a high concentration of protein (56 mg ml(-1)) and a precipitant containing 22% glycerol, 1.6 M ammonium sulfate in 0.1 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.5). Native diffraction data to 2.66 Angstrom resolution have been obtained from crystals flash-frozen at 110 K. The crystals belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) pith unit-cell dimensions of a = 77.62, b = 121.23, c = 244.29 Angstrom, and contain three or four protomers per asymmetric unit. Structure determination by multiple isomorphous replacement is in progress.