{"title":"Nucleation of protein crystals","authors":"Peter G. Vekilov","doi":"10.1016/j.pcrysgrow.2016.04.007","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Protein crystal nucleation is a central problem in biological crystallography and other areas of science, technology, and medicine. Recent studies have demonstrated that protein crystal nuclei form within crucial precursors. Data for several proteins provided by these methods have demonstrated that the nucleation precursors are clusters consisting of protein dense liquid, which are metastable with respect to the host protein solution. The clusters are several hundred nanometers in size, they occupy from 10</span><sup>−7</sup> to 10<sup>−3</sup><span> of the solution volume, and their properties in solutions supersaturated with respect to crystals are similar to those in homogeneous, i.e., undersaturated, solutions. The clusters exist due to the conformation flexibility of the protein molecules, leading to the exposure of hydrophobic surfaces and enhanced intermolecular binding. These results indicate that protein conformational flexibility might be the mechanism behind the metastable mesoscopic clusters and crystal nucleation. The investigations of the cluster properties are still in their infancy. Results on direct imaging of cluster behaviors and characterization of cluster mechanisms with a variety of proteins will soon lead to major breakthroughs in protein biophysics.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":409,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterization of Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.5000,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.pcrysgrow.2016.04.007","citationCount":"31","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterization of Materials","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960897416300109","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CRYSTALLOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 31
Abstract
Protein crystal nucleation is a central problem in biological crystallography and other areas of science, technology, and medicine. Recent studies have demonstrated that protein crystal nuclei form within crucial precursors. Data for several proteins provided by these methods have demonstrated that the nucleation precursors are clusters consisting of protein dense liquid, which are metastable with respect to the host protein solution. The clusters are several hundred nanometers in size, they occupy from 10−7 to 10−3 of the solution volume, and their properties in solutions supersaturated with respect to crystals are similar to those in homogeneous, i.e., undersaturated, solutions. The clusters exist due to the conformation flexibility of the protein molecules, leading to the exposure of hydrophobic surfaces and enhanced intermolecular binding. These results indicate that protein conformational flexibility might be the mechanism behind the metastable mesoscopic clusters and crystal nucleation. The investigations of the cluster properties are still in their infancy. Results on direct imaging of cluster behaviors and characterization of cluster mechanisms with a variety of proteins will soon lead to major breakthroughs in protein biophysics.
期刊介绍:
Materials especially crystalline materials provide the foundation of our modern technologically driven world. The domination of materials is achieved through detailed scientific research.
Advances in the techniques of growing and assessing ever more perfect crystals of a wide range of materials lie at the roots of much of today''s advanced technology. The evolution and development of crystalline materials involves research by dedicated scientists in academia as well as industry involving a broad field of disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, material sciences and engineering. Crucially important applications in information technology, photonics, energy storage and harvesting, environmental protection, medicine and food production require a deep understanding of and control of crystal growth. This can involve suitable growth methods and material characterization from the bulk down to the nano-scale.