Automated systems for protein crystallization.
Growth of high quality crystals is often the most difficult step in the determination of protein structures by X-ray diffraction. Automation can improve the success of this process both by reducing the amount of protein required for each screen and by relieving the tedium of setting up crystallization experiments by hand. We have been using an automated system for the design and execution of hanging drop crystallization experiments for the last two years. The system includes robots for the preparation of solutions, setup of hanging drops, and automated imaging, as well as a new software package (RoCKS) for managing all phases of the crystallization process. Here, we review the fundamentals of automated protein crystallization and present results from our comparisons of various approaches to screening.
Bard
Joel
J
Structural Biology and Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemical and Screening Sciences, Wyeth Research, 85 Bolton Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA. jbard@wyeth.com
Ercolani
Kimberly
K
Svenson
Kristine
K
Olland
Andrea
A
Somers
Will
W
D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D003460:Crystallization; D030562:Databases, Protein; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012107:Research Design; D012371:Robotics; D012984:Software; D012997:Solvents
D011506:Proteins; D012997:Solvents