Abstract
Fusarium head blight, one of the most destructive crop diseases, is mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum (known in its sexual stage as Gibberella zeae). F. graminearum secretes various extracellular enzymes that have been hypothesized to be involved in host infection. One of the extracellular enzymes secreted by this organism is the G. zeae extracellular lipase (GZEL), which is encoded by the FGL1 gene. In order to solve the crystal structure of GZEL and to gain a better understanding of the biological functions of the protein and of possible inhibitory mechanisms of lipase inhibitors, recombinant GZEL was crystallized at 291 K using PEG 3350 as a precipitant. A data set was collected to 2.8 A resolution from a single flash-cooled crystal (100 K). The crystal belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 78.4, b = 91.0, c = 195.8 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees . The presence of four molecules was assumed per asymmetric unit, which gave a Matthews coefficient of 2.6 A(3) Da(-1).