Protein crystal nucleation in pores

• DOI: 10.1038/srep35821
• Publication Date: 2017-01-16T10:35:31Z
• Authors: Christo N. Nanev; Emmanuel Saridakis; Naomi E. Chayen
• Keywords: Protein crystallization; Crystal (programming language)

The most powerful method for protein structure determination is X-ray crystallography which relies on the availability of high quality crystals. Obtaining crystals a major bottleneck, and inducing their nucleation crucial importance in this field. An effective to form introduce nucleation-inducing heterologous materials into crystallization solution. Porous are exceptionally at nucleation. It shown here that combined diffusion-adsorption effect can increase concentration inside pores, enables crystal even under conditions where heterogeneous flat surfaces absent. Provided pore sufficiently narrow, molecules approach its walls adsorb more frequently than they escape. decrease energy barrier calculated, exhibiting quantitative dependence confinement space interaction with walls. These results provide detailed explanation effectiveness porous crystals, will be useful optimal design such materials.