Production, Purification and Crystallization of a Prokaryotic SLC26 Homolog for Structural Studies

Abstract

The SLC26 or SulP proteins constitute a large family of anion transporters that are ubiquitously expressed in pro- and eukaryotes. In human, SLC26 proteins perform important roles in ion homeostasis and malfunctioning of selected members is associated with diseases. This protocol details the production and crystallization of a prokaryotic SLC26 homolog, termed SLC26Dg, from Deinococcus geothermalis. Following these instructions we obtained well-folded and homogenous material of the membrane protein SLC26Dg and the nanobody Nb5776 that enabled us to crystallize the complex and determine its structure (Geertsma et al., 2015). The procedure may be adapted to purify and crystallize other membrane protein complexes.