Salvaging and Storing Protein Crystals Using Microfluidics
Author Information
Author(s): Jeff Christensen, Cory J. Gerdts, Mathew C. Clifton, Lance Stewart
Primary Institution: Emerald BioStructures
Hypothesis
Can the MPCS Plug Maker effectively salvage and store protein crystals that initially failed to crystallize?
Conclusion
The MPCS Plug Maker is an effective method for salvaging and storing protein crystals without loss of quality.
Supporting Evidence
- The Plug Maker can set up to 800 crystallization experiments using only 5 µl of protein sample.
- Crystals stored in CrystalCards showed no significant loss of diffraction quality over eight months.
- Two high-resolution data sets were collected from crystals salvaged using the Plug Maker.
Takeaway
Scientists found a way to save and keep protein crystals that didn't form properly at first, using a special tool that helps them grow better.
Methodology
The study used the MPCS Plug Maker to re-screen and store protein crystals in CrystalCards, monitoring their diffraction quality over time.
Limitations
The study primarily focused on a limited number of crystallization conditions and may not represent all possible scenarios.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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