Purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a ribosome-recycling factor from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (TteRRF).

Ribosome-recycling factor (RRF) plays an essential role in the fourth step of protein synthesis in prokaryotes. RRF combined with elongation factor G (EF-G) disassembles the post-termination ribosome complex and recycles the protein synthesis machine for the next round of translation. A reductive-methylation-modified RRF from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (TteRRF) has been crystallized using the vapour-diffusion method. The crystal grew in a condition consisting of 0.1 M citric acid pH 3.5, 3.0 M NaCl and 50 mg ml(-1) methylated protein solution at 289 K. A complete data set was collected from a crystal to 2.80 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation at 100 K. The crystal belonged to space group P6122/P6522 with unit-cell parameters a = b = 103.26, c = 89.17 Å. The asymmetric unit was estimated to contain one molecule of TteRRF.