Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a family 45 endoglucanase from the thermophilic fungus Melanocarpus albomyces.
20K-cellulase, an endoglucanase produced by the thermophilic fungus Melanocarpus albomyces, has been crystallized. It belongs to the family 45 of glycoside hydrolases and has sequence homology with Humicola insolens endoglucanase V (EGV). However, in contrast to EGV, it does not harbour a cellulose-binding module. Optimization of the crystallization conditions using a PEG/ion combination and microseeding techniques was employed to improve the quality and the size of the crystals. A complete data set to 2.2 A resolution was collected using synchrotron radiation. Preliminary crystallographic analysis showed that the crystals belong to the tetragonal space group P4(1)2(1)2/P4(3)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 47.3, b = 47.3, c = 177.3 A and one molecule per asymmetric unit.