Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of cyanuric acid hydrolase from Azorhizobium caulinodans

Cyanuric acid is synthesized industrially and forms during the microbial metabolism of s-triazine herbicides. Cyanuric acid is metabolized by some microorganisms via cyanuric acid hydrolase (CAH), which opens the s-triazine ring as a prelude to further metabolism. CAH is a member of the rare cyanuric acid hydrolase/barbiturase family. Here, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of CAH from Azorhizobium caulinodans are reported. CAH was cocrystallized with barbituric acid, a close analog of cyanuric acid that is a tight-binding competitive inhibitor. Crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction experiments were grown in conditions containing PEG 8K or magnesium sulfate as precipitants. An X-ray diffraction data set was collected from CAH-barbituric acid crystals to 2.7 angstrom resolution. The crystals were found to belong to space group I4(1)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 237.9, c = 105.3 angstrom, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees.