Crystallization and Preliminary Crystallographic Analysis of Human Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 5A (eIF-5A)

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) is universally found in all eukaryotic cells. It is the only protein in nature known to contain the unusual amino acid hypusine, a post-translationally modified lysine. Recombinant human eIF-5A was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapor diffusion method. Crystals were grown at 291K using (NH4)2SO4 as precipitant. Diffraction data were obtained to a resolution of 2.7Å from a single frozen crystal belonging to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a=147.1Å, b=60.4Å, c=76.4Å, β=92.4 . There are more than three molecules per asymmetric unit.