The enzymatic degradation of semi-cellulosic substrates has recently received immense attention. The enzyme endo-1,4-β-xylanase is essential for the complete digestion of complex and heterogeneous hemicellulose. Here, the purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) diffraction analysis of endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the fungus Hypocrea virens (HviGH11) are reported. Codon-optimized HviGH11 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and spontaneously crystallized after His-tag purification and concentration. Preliminary XFEL diffraction data were collected at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory XFEL (PAL-XFEL). A total of 1021 images containing Bragg peaks were obtained and indexed. The HviGH11 crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 43.80, b = 51.90, c = 94.90 Å. Using 956 diffraction patterns, the phasing problem was solved and an initial model structure of HviGH11 was obtained.
Keywords: GH11; Hypocrea virens; X-ray free-electron lasers; endo-1,4-β-xylanase; xylanases.