Creation and structure determination of an artificial protein with three complete sequence repeats

Adachi, Motoyasu; Shimizu, Rumi; Kuroki, Ryota; Blaber, M.

Symfoil-4P is a protein exhibiting the threefold symmetrical beta-trefoil fold designed based on the human acidic fibroblast growth factor. First three asparagine-glycine sequences of Symfoil-4P are replaced with glutamine-glycine (Symfoil-QG) or serine-glycine (Symfoil-SG) sequences protecting from deamidation, and His-Symfoil-II was prepared by introducing a protease digestion site into Symfoil-QG so that Symfoil-II has three complete repeats after removal of the N-terminal histidine tag. The Symfoil-QG and SG and His-Symfoil-II proteins were expressed in as soluble protein, and purified by nickel affinity chromatography. Symfoil-II was further purified by anion-exchange chromatography after removing the HisTag by proteolysis. Symfoil-QG and II crystals gave 1.5 and 1.1, resolution, respectively. The refined crystal structure of Symfoil-II showed pseudo-threefold symmetry as expected from other Symfoils.