title: Identifying, studying and making good use of macromolecular crystals.
abstract: Structural biology has contributed tremendous knowledge to the understanding of life on the molecular scale. The Protein Data Bank, a depository of this structural knowledge, currently contains over 100,000 protein structures, with the majority stemming from X-ray crystallography. As the name might suggest, crystallography requires crystals. As detectors become more sensitive and X-ray sources more intense, the notion of a crystal is gradually changing from one large enough to embellish expensive jewellery to objects that have external dimensions of the order of the wavelength of visible light. Identifying these crystals is a prerequisite to their study. This paper discusses developments in identifying these crystals during crystallization screening and distinguishing them from other potential outcomes. The practical aspects of ensuring that once a crystal is identified it can then be positioned in the X-ray beam for data collection are also addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calero
authors.affiliation: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
authors.forename: Aina E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Luft
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Collaborative Crystallisation Centre, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
authors.forename: Edward H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Snell
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D046911:Macromolecular Substances
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances
keywords: crystal detection; crystal growth; crystal positioning
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