Magnetically
controlled gravity for protein crystal growth
M. C. R. Heijna, P. W. G. Poodt, K. Tsukamoto, W. J. de Grip, P. C.
M. Christianen, J. C. Maan, J. L. A. Hendrix, W. J. P. van
Enckevort and E. Vlieg
Abstract:
The occurrence of convective flows during crystal growth is believed to
adversely affect crystal quality. Space-based crystal growth is
therefore actively pursued, particularly for protein crystals, because
buoyancy-driven convection is suppressed in microgravity. Here the
authors demonstrate that magnetic fields can be used to tune the
effective gravity from 1 to −0.15 g during the growth
of diamagnetic lysozyme crystals and that convection can be damped,
stopped, and even reversed. The growth velocity is strongly reduced in
simulated microgravity. This method provides a versatile and accessible
way to realize an earth-based tunable gravity environment for crystal
growth in which protein crystal quality may be optimized.