On-the-fly resolution enhancement in X-ray protein crystallography using electric field

• DOI: 10.1007/s00249-025-01731-5
• Publication Date: 2025-01-22T12:07:33Z
• Authors: Krishna Prasad Kh...; Michal Nemergut; Purbaj Pant; Martin Savko; Jakob Andreasson; Gabriel Žoldák
• Keywords: Protein crystallization; Crystal (programming language)

Abstract X-ray crystallography has tremendously served structural biology by routinely providing high-resolution 3D structures of macromolecules. The extent information encoded in the is proportional to which resolution crystals diffract and structure can be refined to. Therefore, there a continuous effort obtain high-quality crystals, especially for those proteins, are considered difficult crystallize into protein suitable sizes crystallography. Efforts enhancing have also been made optimizing crystallization protocols using external stimuli such as an electric field magnetic during crystallization. Here, we present feasibility on-the-fly post-crystallization enhancement crystal diffraction applying high-voltage field. between 2 11 kV/cm, was applied after mounting beamline, resulted resolution. quality improved progressively with exposure time. Moreover, find that upto defined threshold, remains largely unperturbed, conclusion further supported molecular dynamics simulations.