Real-Time Measurement of Protein Crystal Growth Rates within the Microfluidic Device to Understand the Microspace Effect.

ABSTRACT: Preparation of high-quality protein crystals is a major challenge in protein crystallography. Natural convection is considered to be an uncontrollable factor of the crystallization process at the ground level as it disturbs the concentration gradient around the growing crystal, resulting in lower-quality crystals. A microfluidic environment expects an imitated microgravity environment because of the small Gr number. However, the mechanism of protein crystal growth in the microfluidic device was not elucidated due to limitations in measuring the crystal growth process within the device. Here, we demonstrate the real-time measurement of protein crystal growth rates within the microfluidic devices by laser confocal microscopy with differential interference contrast microscopy (LCM-DIM)

SUBMITTER: Maeki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7376889 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature