Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography.

The use of neutron macromolecular crystallography (NMX) is expanding rapidly with most structures determined in the last decade thanks to new NMX beamlines having been built and increased availability of structure refinement software. However, the neutron sources currently available for NMX are significantly weaker than equivalent sources for X-ray crystallography. Despite advances in this field, significantly larger crystals will always be required for neutron diffraction studies, particularly with the tendency to study ever-larger macromolecules and complexes.

Optimization of crystallization of biological macromolecules using dialysis combined with temperature control.

A rational way to find the appropriate conditions to grow crystal samples for bio-crystallography is to determine the crystallization phase diagram, which allows precise control of the parameters affecting the crystal growth process. First, the nucleation is induced at supersaturated conditions close to the solubility boundary between the nucleation and metastable regions. Then, crystal growth is further achieved in the metastable zone - which is the optimal location for slow and ordered crystal expansion - by modulation of specific physical parameters.