A new approach to the crystallization of proteins

AbstractA new method for the crystallization of proteins was developed. Saturated solutions of a protein for crystallization are prepared by chromatography of adsorbed proteins from an insoluble polysaccharide matrix using gradients with decreasing ionic strength, decreasing concentration of organic solvents or an appropriate shift in pH. Insulin, a-chymotrypsin and lysozyme for which the X-ray crystal structures are known, were crystallized by this method. X-ray diffraction photographs were taken to demonstrate the quality of the crystals. In addition to this analytical application, the method may be useful for the crystallization and the simultaneous purification of larger amounts of proteins