Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a membrane-bound nitrite reductase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774

Nitrite reductase from the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 is a multihaem (type c) membrane-bound enzyme that catalyzes the dissimilatory conversion of nitrite to ammonia. Crystals of the oxidized form of this enzyme were obtained using PEG and CaCl₂ as precipitants in the presence of 3-(decylmethylammonium)propane-1-sulfonate and belong to the space group P2₁2₁2₁, with unit-cell parameters a = 78.94, b = 104.59, c = 143.18 Å. A complete data set to 2.30 Å resolution was collected using synchrotron radiation at the ESRF. However, the crystals may diffract to beyond 1.7 Å and high-resolution data will be collected in the near future.