Cryo bio-crystallography
Cryo bio-crystallography is the application of crystallography to biological macromolecules at cryogenic temperatures.
Basic principles
Cryo crystallography enables X-ray data collection at cryogenic temperatures, typically 100K.
- Crystals are transferred from the solution they have grown in (called mother liquor) to a solution with a cryo-protectant to prevent ice formation.
- Crystals are mounted with a glass fiber (as opposed to a capillary)
- Crystals are cooled by dipping directly into liquid nitrogen and then placed in a cryo cold stream.
- Cryo cooled macromolecular crystals show reduced radiation damage by more than 70 times that at room temperature.
Advantages
- Significant improvement of resolution in data collection
- Reduced or eliminated radiation damage in crystals
Usefulness and applications
Crystallography of large biological macromolecules can be achieved while maintaining their solution state. The most known example is the ribosome.[1]
References
- ^ Hope H (1988). "Cryocrystallography of biological macromolecules: a generally applicable method". Acta Crystallogr. B. 44 (1): 22–26. doi:10.1107/s0108768187008632. PMID 3271102.