生物专业英语chapter 7 Biochemistry.pptVIP

Professional Words and Phrases precipitation [prisipitei??n] n. 沉淀 aqueous solution 水溶液 crystalline [krist?lain] adj. 晶体的 crystalline lattice 晶格 noncovalent interaction 非供价作用 X-ray diffraction X射线衍射 protein crystal 蛋白晶体 noncovalent bond 非共价键 7.4 Protein crystallization – Additional Reading In addition to overcoming the inherent fragility of protein crystals, a number of environmental factors must also be overcome. Due to the molecular variations between individual proteins, conditions unique to each protein must be obtained for a successful crystallization. Therefore, attempting to crystallize a protein without a proven protocol can be very challenging and time consuming. Several conditions come into factors if a protein sample will crystallize or not. Some of these factors include protein purity, pH, protein concentration, temperature, and precipitants. The more homogenous a protein in solution, the better the chances are for it to form a crystal. Typical standards have the protein solution being at least 97% pure. pH conditions are very important due to the fact that different pHs can result in different packing orientations. Buffers, such as Tris-HCl, are often necessary for the maintenance of a particular pH. Precipitants, such as ammonium sulfate or polyethylene glycol, are compounds that cause the protein to precipitate out of solution. 7.4 Protein crystallization – Additional Reading Two of the most commonly used methods for protein crystallization fall under the category of vapor diffusion. These are known as the hanging drop and sitting drop methods. Both entail a droplet containing purified protein, buffer, and precipitant being allowed to equilibrate with a larger reservoir containing similar buffers and precipitants in higher concentrations. Initially, the droplet of protein solution contains an insufficient concentration of precipitant for crystallization, but as water vaporizes from the drop and transfers to the reservoir, the precipitant concentrati