Recent Insights into the Crystallization Process; Protein Crystal Nucleation and Growth Peculiarities; Processes in the Presence of Electric Fields
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Christo N. Nanev
- Source
- Crystals, Vol 7, Iss 10, p 310 (2017)
- Subject
- protein crystallization
classical and two-step nucleation mechanisms
impact of electric fields on the protein crystallization
external and internal electric fields
number density
size and quality of protein crystals
Crystallography
QD901-999
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2073-4352
Three-dimensional protein molecule structures are essential for acquiring a deeper insight of the human genome, and for developing novel protein-based pharmaceuticals. X-ray diffraction studies of such structures require well-diffracting protein crystals. A set of external physical factors may promote and direct protein crystallization so that crystals obtained are useful for X-ray studies. Application of electric fields aids control over protein crystal size and diffraction quality. Protein crystal nucleation and growth in the presence of electric fields are reviewed. A notion of mesoscopic level of impact on the protein crystallization exercised by an electric field is also considered.