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To obtain a complete structure of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry4Ba mosquito-larvicidal protein, a 65 kDa functional form of the Cry4Ba-R203Q mutant toxin was generated for crystallization by eliminating the tryptic cleavage site at Arg203. The 65 kDa trypsin-resistant fragment was purified and crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belonged to the rhombohedral space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 184.62, c = 187.36 Å. Diffraction data were collected to at least 2.07 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation and gave a data set with an overall Rmerge of 9.1% and a completeness of 99.9%. Preliminary analysis indicated that the asymmetric unit contained one molecule of the active full-length mutant, with a VM coefficient and solvent content of 4.33 Å3 Da−1 and 71%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylose reductase (XR), which requires NADPH as a co-substrate, catalyzes the reduction of d-xylose to xylitol, which is the first step in the metabolism of d-xylose. The detailed three-dimensional structure of XR will provide a better understanding of the biological significance of XR in the efficient production of xylitol from biomass. XR of molecular mass 36.6 kDa from Candida tropicalis was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. According to X-ray diffraction data from C. tropicalis XR crystals at 2.91 Å resolution, the unit cell belongs to space group P31 or P32. Preliminary analysis indicated the presence of four XR molecules in the asymmetric unit, with 68.0% solvent content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]