Grease matrix as a versatile carrier of proteins for serial crystallography

• Published in: Nature methods Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 61 - 63
• Main Authors: Sugahara, Michihiro, Mizohata, Eiichi, Nango, Eriko, Suzuki, Mamoru, Tanaka, Tomoyuki, Masuda, Tetsuya, Tanaka, Rie, Shimamura, Tatsuro, Tanaka, Yoshiki, Suno, Chiyo, Ihara, Kentaro, Pan, Dongqing, Kakinouchi, Keisuke, Sugiyama, Shigeru, Murata, Michio, Inoue, Tsuyoshi, Tono, Kensuke, Song, Changyong, Park, Jaehyun, Kameshima, Takashi, Hatsui, Takaki, Joti, Yasumasa, Yabashi, Makina, Iwata, So
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.01.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/1647/2258/1266/1265; 631/45/612; Aldose-Ketose Isomerases - chemistry; Bioinformatics; Biological Microscopy; Biological Techniques; Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology; brief-communication; Crystallization; Crystallography; Crystallography, X-Ray - methods; Crystals; Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins - chemistry; Fatty acids; Grease; Lasers; Life Sciences; Lubricants; Lubrication and lubricants; Methods; Mineral Oil; Muramidase - chemistry; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Proteins; Proteins - chemistry; Proteomics; Structure; United States
• ISSN: 1548-7091; 1548-7105
• DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.3172

Serial femtosecond crystallography experiments with diverse protein microcrystal suspensions are facilitated using a grease matrix as a carrier medium for sample injection. Serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (SFX) has revolutionized atomic-resolution structural investigation by expanding applicability to micrometer-sized protein crystals, even at room temperature, and by enabling dynamics studies. However, reliable crystal-carrying media for SFX are lacking. Here we introduce a grease-matrix carrier for protein microcrystals and obtain the structures of lysozyme, glucose isomerase, thaumatin and fatty acid–binding protein type 3 under ambient conditions at a resolution of or finer than 2 Å.