Crystallization and Preliminary Diffraction Studies of Porcine Pancreatic Elastase in Complex with a Novel Inhibitor

Porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) was crystallized in complex with a novel inhibitor at pH 5 and X-ray diffraction data were collected at a synchrotron source to 1.66 Å. Crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121, with unit cell parameters a = 50.25 Å, b = 57.94 Å and c = 74.69 Å. PPE is often used as model for drug target, due to its structural homology with the important therapeutic target human leukocyte elastase (HLE). Elastase is a serine protease that belongs to the chymotrypsin family, which has the ability to degrade elastin, an important component in connective tissues. Excessive elastin proteolysis leads to a number of pathological diseases.