Thermal contraction of aqueous glycerol and ethylene glycol solutions for optimized protein-crystal cryoprotection.

ABSTRACT: The thermal contraction of aqueous cryoprotectant solutions on cooling to cryogenic temperatures is of practical importance in protein cryocrystallography and in biological cryopreservation. In the former case, differential contraction on cooling of protein molecules and their lattice relative to that of the internal and surrounding solvent may lead to crystal damage and the degradation of crystal diffraction properties. Here, the amorphous phase densities of aqueous solutions of glycerol and ethylene glycol at T = 77 K have been determined. Densities with accuracies of <0.5% to concentrations as low as 30%(w/v) were determined by rapidly cooling drops with volumes as small as 70 pl, assessing their optical clarity and measuring their buoyancy in liquid nitrogen-argon solutions. The use of

SUBMITTER: Shen C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8493611 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature