Wet-Stamped Precipitant Gradients Control the Growth of Protein Microcrystals in an Array of Nanoliter Wells

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130 (7), 2146 -2147, 2008. 10.1021/ja078051k S0002-7863(07)08051-1
Web Release Date: January 29, 2008

Wet-Stamped Precipitant Gradients Control the Growth of Protein Microcrystals in an Array of Nanoliter Wells

Goher Mahmud, Kyle J. M. Bishop, Yuriy Chegel, Stoyan K. Smoukov, and Bartosz A. Grzybowski*

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208

grzybor@northwestern.edu

Received October 20, 2007

Abstract:

Wet stamping initiated from a hydrogel reservoir soaked in a salt precipitant sets-up multiple conditions for the growth of protein crystals over an array of nanoliter wells. Diffusive delivery of the precipitant translates into time- and space-varying fluxes of the precipitant in the wells. These fluxes, in turn, control the numbers of seeded crystals as well as their dimensions. Reaction-diffusion equations with a nucleation term are developed to model the process of crystal growth and to relate the "schedules" of precipitant delivery to the dimensions and habits of the protein microcrystals in the array.

Download the full text: PDF | HTML