A pivotal role for reductive methylation in thede novocrystallization of a ternary complex composed ofYersinia pestisvirulence factors YopN, SycN and YscB

Structural studies of a ternary complex composed of the Yersina pestis virulence factors YopN, SycN and YscB were initially hampered by poor solubility of the individual proteins. Co-expression of all three proteins in Escherichia coli yielded a well behaved complex, but this sample proved to be recalcitrant to crystallization. As crystallization efforts remained fruitless, even after the proteolysis-guided engineering of a truncated YopN...