Primary Citation of Related Structures:   1JN9, 1K2X, 2ZAK
PubMed Abstract: 
Plant-type L-asparaginases hydrolyze the side-chain amide bond of L-asparagine or its beta-peptides. They belong to the N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolases and are synthesized as inactive precursor molecules. Activation occurs via the autoproteolytic release of two subunits, alpha and beta, the latter of which carries the nucleophile at its N-terminus ...
Plant-type L-asparaginases hydrolyze the side-chain amide bond of L-asparagine or its beta-peptides. They belong to the N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolases and are synthesized as inactive precursor molecules. Activation occurs via the autoproteolytic release of two subunits, alpha and beta, the latter of which carries the nucleophile at its N-terminus. Crystallographic studies of plant-type asparaginases have focused on an Escherichia coli homologue (EcAIII), which has been crystallized in several crystal forms. Although they all belong to the same P2 1 2 1 2 1 space group with similar unit-cell parameters, they display different crystal-packing arrangements and thus should be classified as separate polymorphs. This variability stems mainly from different positions of the EcAIII molecules within the unit cell, although they also exhibit slight differences in orientation. The intermolecular interactions that trigger different crystal lattice formation are mediated by ions, which represent the most variable component of the crystallization conditions. This behaviour confirms recent observations that small molecules might promote protein crystal lattice formation.
Related Citations: 
Crystallization and Preliminary Crystallographic Studies of a New L-asparaginase Encoded by the Escherichia coli Genome Borek, D., Jaskolski, M. (2000) Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 56: 1505
A Protein Catalytic Framework with an N-terminal Nucleophile is Capable of Self-activation Brannigan, J.A., Dodson, G., Duggleby, H.J., Moody, P.C., Smith, J.L., Tomchick, D.R., Murzin, A.G. (1995) Nature 378: 416
Crystal Structure of Glycosylasparaginase from Flavobacterium Meningosepticum Xuan, J., Tarentino, A.L., Grimwood, B.G., Plummer Jr., T.H., Cui, T., Guan, C., Van Roey, P. (1998) Protein Sci 7: 774
Three-dimensional Structure of Human Lysosomal Aspartylglucosaminidase Oinonen, C., Tikkanen, R., Rouvinen, J., Peltonen, L. (1995) Nat Struct Mol Biol 2: 1102
Crystal Structures of Flavobacterium Glycosylasparaginase. An N-terminal Nucleophile Hydrolase Activated by Intramolecular Proteolysis Guo, H.C., Xu, Q., Buckley, D., Guan, C. (1998) J Biol Chem 273: 20205
Structural Insights into the Mechanism of Intramolecular Proteolysis Xu, Q., Buckley, D., Guan, C., Guo, H.C. (1999) Cell 98: 651
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Crystallography, Faculty of Chemistry, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.