Expression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of peptide deformylase from Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the major foodborne pathogens causing human infection. Peptide deformylase, a metallohydrolase, catalyzes the deformylation of N-formylated methionine in newly synthesized polypeptides in prokaryotes and some eukaryotic organelles. The deformylation process is an essential step in protein synthesis and has attracted much attention as a potential target for the development of novel antibacterial agents. Here, the cloned codon-optimized def gene from C. jejuni was synthesized and the protein was expressed, purified and crystallized. C. jejuni peptide deformylase crystals obtained at pH 7.0 and pH 6.5 diffracted to 2.9 angstrom resolution and belonged to the trigonal space group R3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 105.7, c = 58.0 angstrom. One monomer existed in the asymmetric unit, with a corresponding V-M of 3.1 angstrom(3) Da(-1) and a solvent content of 60.4%.