Citation

Nanev CN. Cryst. Res. Tech. 2008; 43(9): 914-920.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/crat.200800214

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The nature of crystal lattice contacts is discussed because they reflect the selection of the most appropriate (for the given set of conditions) contact patches on the surface of protein molecules. The conclusion is that, along with chemical composition, the protein structure at the crystal lattice contacts is the key to crystallization behavior. The reason is that most stable are conformations, which do not only maximize the number of the bonds but simultaneously minimize van der Waals repulsions. A plausible explanation of the crystallization slot that exists for proteins is given on this basis. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)