High-pressure cryocooling for capillary sample cryoprotection and diffraction phasing at long wavelengths

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2007 May;63(Pt 5):653-9. doi: 10.1107/S0907444907011924. Epub 2007 Apr 21.

Abstract

Crystal cryocooling is usually employed to reduce radiation damage during X-ray crystallography. Recently, a high-pressure cryocooling method has been developed which results in excellent diffraction-quality crystals without the use of penetrative cryoprotectants. Three new developments of the method are presented here: (i) Xe-He high-pressure cryocooling for Xe SAD phasing, (ii) native sulfur SAD phasing and (iii) successful cryopreservation of crystals in thick-walled capillaries without additional cryoprotectants other than the native mother liquor. These developments may be useful for structural solution of proteins without the need for selenomethionine incorporation and for high-throughput protein crystallography.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cold Temperature*
  • Cryopreservation
  • Crystallization
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Models, Molecular
  • Pancreas / enzymology
  • Pancreatic Elastase / chemistry*
  • Pressure
  • Swine

Substances

  • Pancreatic Elastase