Overproduction, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a novel human DNA-repair enzyme that recognizes oxidative DNA damage

DNA glycosylases repair oxidative DNA damage caused by free radicals. Recently, NEIL1, a human homolog of Escherichia coli DNA glycosylase endonuclease VIII, has been identified and shown to exhibit broad substrate specificity for a variety of types of pyrimidine-base damage. An active C-terminal deletion construct of NEIL1 was overexpressed in E. coli and crystallized. The unliganded NEIL1 crystallizes in space group R3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 132.2, c = 51.1 A. Complete data sets were collected from native, selenomethionyl and iodinated NEIL1 to 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4 angstroms, respectively.