Crystal structure of a mutant of archaeal ribosomal protein L1 from Methanococcus jannaschii

The crystal structure of a mutant of archaeal ribosomal protein L1 from Methanococcus jannaschii with the deletion of a nonconserved positively charged cluster consisting of eight C-terminal amino acid residues is determined by the molecular replacement method at 1.75 A resolution. This mutant is shown to form more stable and ordered crystals belonging to a space group other than that of the wild-type protein crystals. The positively charged C-terminal region has only a slight effect on the interaction between protein L1 and RNA molecules. Hence, this mutant can be used to prepare protein-RNA complexes and obtain their crystals.