Elimination of twinning in crystals of Sulfolobus sofataricus alcohol dehydrogenase holo-enzyme by growth in agarose gels.

Crystals of the binary complex of alcohol dehydrogenase from Sulfolobus solfataricus with NADH were shown to be twinned and not suitable for automated data collection. Several crystallization trials, performed with the aim of eliminating twinning, are described. Interestingly, crystals grown from agarose gel have been demonstrated to have a unique reciprocal lattice. These crystals are monoclinic, space group C2, with cell dimensions a = 134.47 (9), b = 85.26 (5), c = 71.76 (8) A, beta = 97.53 (4) degrees, and showed significant diffraction beyond 3.0 A resolution.