title: Enhancement of protein crystal nucleation by critical density fluctuations.
abstract: Numerical simulations of homogeneous crystal nucleation with a model for globular proteins with short-range attractive interactions showed that the presence of a metastable fluid-fluid critical point drastically changes the pathway for the formation of a crystal nucleus. Close to this critical point, the free-energy barrier for crystal nucleation is strongly reduced and hence, the crystal nucleation rate increases by many orders of magnitude. Because the location of the metastable critical point can be controlled by changing the composition of the solvent, the present work suggests a systematic approach to promote protein crystallization.
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: ten Wolde
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frenkel
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003460:Crystallization; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012997:Solvents; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D011506:Proteins; D012997:Solvents