Crystallography Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Crystallography, including details on x-ray crystals, techniques, analyses, structures.

A method for screening the temperature dependence of three-dimensional crystal formation.

Landsberg MJ, Bond J, Gee CL, Martin JL, Hankamer B

Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.

Temperature is an important parameter controlling protein crystal growth. A new temperature-screening system (Thermo-screen) is described consisting of a gradient thermocycler fitted with a special crystallization-plate adapter onto which a 192-well sitting-drop crystallization plate can be mounted (temperature range 277-372 K; maximum temperature gradient 20 K; interval precision 0.3 K). The system allows 16 different conditions to be monitored simultaneously over a range of 12 temperatures and is well suited to conduct wide (approximately 20 K) and fine (approximately 3 K) temperature-optimization screens. It can potentially aid in the determination of temperature phase diagrams and run more complex temperature-cycling experiments for seeding and crystal growth.

Published 21 April 2006 in Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr, 62: 559-62.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Crystallography Research Today. All Rights Reserved.