Crystallization of human complement component C5

Human complement component C5 has been crystallized using a low-salt batch technique. The crystals are large hexagonal bipyramids often larger than 1.5 mm. Although these crystals were grown in low salt (0.1 M NaCl), they are remarkably stable for at least 2 months at 281 K and they are not dissolved in aqueous buffers containing up to 2 M sodium chloride. The space group is P3(1)21 or P3(2)21, and the cell parameters were determined to be a = 144.9, b = 144.9, c = 243.1 Angstrom; alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees. At room temperature and cryo-temperatures the crystals diffract at best to 6 Angstrom using rotating-anode X-ray sources. Using synchrotron radiation with cryoprotection using 40%(nu/nu)(-) PEG 400 the resolution limit can be extended to 3.3 Angstrom. In both cases the crystals show significant anisotropy, with relatively weaker reflections at higher resolution in the a*b* plane.