Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of apolipoprotein E-containing lipoprotein particles

High-resolution structural information is available for several soluble plasma apolipoproteins (apos) in a lipid-free state. However, this information provides limited insight into structure-function relationships, as this class of proteins primarily performs its functions of lipid transport and modulation of lipid metabolism in a lipid-bound state on lipoprotein particles. Here, the possibility of generating homogeneous lipoprotein particles that could be crystallized was explored, opening the possibility of obtaining high-resolution structural information by X-ray crystallography. To test this possibility, apoE4 complexed with the phospholipid dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine was chosen. Uniform particles containing 50% lipid and 50% apoE4 were obtained and crystallized using the hanging-drop method. Two crystal forms diffract to beyond 8 A resolution.