An amino-terminal fragment of human apolipoprotein
E3 (residues 1–165) has been expressed and crystallized
in three different crystal forms under similar crystallization
conditions. One crystal form has nearly identical cell
dimensions to the previously reported orthorhombic (P212121)
crystal form of the amino-terminal 22 kDa fragment of apolipoprotein
E (residues 1–191). A second orthorhombic crystal
form (P212121 with cell
dimensions differing from the first form) and a trigonal
(P3121) crystal form were also characterized.
The structures of the first orthorhombic and the trigonal
form were determined by seleno-methionine multiwavelength
anomalous dispersion, and the structure of the second orthorhombic
form was determined by molecular replacement using the
structure from the trigonal form as a search model. A combination
of modern experimental and computational techniques provided
high-quality electron-density maps, which revealed new
features of the apolipoprotein E structure, including an
unambiguously traced loop connecting helices 2 and 3 in
the four-helix bundle and a number of multiconformation
side chains. The three crystal forms contain a common intermolecular,
antiparallel packing arrangement. The electrostatic complimentarity
observed in this antiparallel packing resembles the interaction
of apolipoprotein E with the monoclonal antibody 2E8 and
the low density lipoprotein receptor. Superposition of
the model structures from all three crystal forms reveals
flexibility and pronounced kinks in helices near one end
of the four-helix bundle. This mobility at one end of the
molecule provides new insights into the structural changes
in apolipoprotein E that occur with lipid association.