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On Thu, 18 May 2006, Dr. Robert Sean Connell wrote:

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> 
> Hi All,
> we have got some nice crystals from these conditions (final
> concentrations at the moment of hte setup of the expriment):
> 
> drop: 3.5 % MPD, 10 mM imidazol pH 6
> 
> reservoir: 17.5 % MPD, 50 mM Imidazol pH 6
> 
> We tried to harvest the crytals in:
> 20 % MPD, 10 mM Imidazol pH 6
> 
> The crystals completely dissolved after 1.5 hours.
> 
> In which solution you would harvest those crystals? And  which solution
> you would use for cryoprotection?
> 
> Many many thanks in advance

I note that the harvesting solution only has 10 mM imidazole, whereas the
reservoir solution contains 50 mM of the compound. During equilibration,
there are 2 components that will equilibrate (MPD and imidazole). With the
protein drop containing 10 mM imidazole.

It might just be that the imidazole ring is involved in mediating
crystal-forming interactions. Reducing the imidazole concentration might
therefore have a deleterious effect (to be tested!) since it may go out of
the crystals slowly.

The first test I would do would be to try harvesting in ca. 20 % MPD
(could be 18%...) but with 50 mM imidazole. If the same behaviour is
observed, then you will have ruled that possibility out (trying to solve
problems one at a time!)

Fred.

-- 

s-mail: F.M.D. Vellieux (B.Sc., Ph.D.)
        Institut de Biologie Structurale J.-P. Ebel CEA CNRS UJF
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        France
Tel:    (+33) (0) 438789605
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