Design, 3D printing and validation of a novel low-cost high-capacity sitting-drop bridge for protein crystallization

DOI: 10.1107/S1600576718017545

Authors: Sandeep K. Talapatra (University College London) , Matthew R. Penny (University College London) , Stephen T. Hilton (University College London) , Frank Kozielski (University College London)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of Applied Crystallography , VOL 52 , PAGES 171 - 174

State: Published (Approved)
Published: February 2019
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 17201

Abstract: Sitting-drop protein crystallization is not used as commonly as the hanging-drop method for crystal optimization owing to the limitations of commercially available sitting-drop bridges, particularly when they are used in conjunction with 24-well crystallization plates. The commercially available sitting-drop bridge, containing space for only a single drop, restricts their wider use. Proteins that preferentially crystallize under sitting-drop conditions therefore require more work, time and resources for their optimization. In response to these limitations, and using 3D printing, a new sitting-drop bridge has been designed and developed, where five crystallization drops can be placed simultaneously in each well of a 24-well crystallization plate. This significantly simplifies the process and increases the potential of sitting drops in crystal optimization, reducing costs and hence overcoming the limitations of current approaches.

Journal Keywords: protein crystallization; sitting-drop crystallization; hanging-drop crystallization; vapour-diffusion crystallization; microbridges; 3D printing

Subject Areas: Technique Development, Biology and Bio-materials


Instruments: I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography