Crystallization and preliminary diffraction data of neurotoxin Ts-γ from the venom of the scorpion Tityus serrulatus

Scorpion neurotoxin Ts-γ was isolated from Tityus serrulatus venom and purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange HPLC. Crystals of the toxin were grown using polyethylene glycol 6000 as precipitant and were found to belong to the monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell parameters a = 22.20, b = 36.90, c = 31.57 Å, β = 100.85°. The crystals diffract beyond 1.73 Å resolution at a synchrotron beamline, being notably stable during X-ray exposure. The structure has been solved by molecular replacement using the very high resolution structure of Sahara scorpion Androctonus australis Hector (PDB code 1AHO) as a search model.