Successful sample preparation for serial crystallography experiments

Serial crystallography, at both synchrotron and X‐ray free‐electron laser light sources, is becoming increasingly popular. However, the tools in the majority of crystallization laboratories are focused on producing large single crystals by vapour diffusion that fit the cryo‐cooled paradigm of modern...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied crystallography 2019-12, Vol.52 (6), p.1385-1396
Main Authors: Beale, John H., Bolton, Rachel, Marshall, Stephen A., Beale, Emma V., Carr, Stephen B., Ebrahim, Ali, Moreno-Chicano, Tadeo, Hough, Michael A., Worrall, Jonathan A. R., Tews, Ivo, Owen, Robin L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accessibility
batch crystallization
Case studies
Crystal growth
Crystallization
Crystallography
Crystals
Diffusion
Laboratories
Light sources
micro‐crystallization
Phase diagrams
Research Papers
Sample preparation
serial macromolecular crystallography
Single crystals
Vapors
vapour diffusion
XFELs
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Summary:Serial crystallography, at both synchrotron and X‐ray free‐electron laser light sources, is becoming increasingly popular. However, the tools in the majority of crystallization laboratories are focused on producing large single crystals by vapour diffusion that fit the cryo‐cooled paradigm of modern synchrotron crystallography. This paper presents several case studies and some ideas and strategies on how to perform the conversion from a single crystal grown by vapour diffusion to the many thousands of micro‐crystals required for modern serial crystallography grown by batch crystallization. These case studies aim to show (i) how vapour diffusion conditions can be converted into batch by optimizing the length of time crystals take to appear; (ii) how an understanding of the crystallization phase diagram can act as a guide when designing batch crystallization protocols; and (iii) an accessible methodology when attempting to scale batch conditions to larger volumes. These methods are needed to minimize the sample preparation gap between standard rotation crystallography and dedicated serial laboratories, ultimately making serial crystallography more accessible to all crystallographers. Some ideas and methods on how to produce high‐quality samples for successful serial crystallography experiments are presented. The methods here described are aimed at experimenters trying to convert their vapour diffusion crystallization conditions into large‐scale batch micro‐crystallization.
ISSN:1600-5767
0021-8898
1600-5767
DOI:10.1107/S1600576719013517