Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of human autotaxin.

Autotaxin (ATX), which is also known as ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 2 (NPP2 or ENPP2) or phosphodiesterase Iα (PD-Iα), is an extracellular lysophospholipase D which generates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). ATX stimulates tumour-cell migration, angiogenesis and metastasis and is an attractive target for cancer therapy. For crystallographic studies, the α isoform of human ATX was overproduced in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method.