Advanced Technologies for Protein Crystal Optimization and Delivery of Protein Crystals

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last years, the establishment and continuous development of Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SFX) at X-Ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) radiation sources and the establishment of Serial Crystallography (SX) at high brilliant synchrotron radiation (SR) sources indicate that the methods and procedures applied in modern protein crystallography to collect diffraction data, from utilizing single crystals to well-defined suspensions of crystals, have changed substantially and will continue to do so for the next decade. The latest serial diffraction data collection methods, including corresponding crystal delivery procedures via jets, tape drive or chips, emphasize the increasing efforts towards developing new and efficient procedures to produce protein micro- and nano-crystals, including the challenge of preparing and scoring crystalline suspensions to meet particular crystal delivery methods at SR and XFEL beamlines. This Special Issue aims to summarize and provide insight regarding the latest methods in crystallogenesis to produce micro- and nano-sized crystals, besides conventional single crystal production, in vitro and in vivo. Further, particular methods to characterize crystalline suspensions will be included. In summary, this Special Issue will be of interest for crystal growth experts, as well as for young scientists and scholars interested in the field.

Prof. Dr. Christian Betzel
Dr. Hévila Brognaro
Guest Editors

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• distinct crystals growth
• in-vivo crystallization
• crystal nucleation and liquid dense protein clusters
• crystal growth for neutron diffraction
• external electrical and magnetic fields
• microgravity crystallization
• mass transport in crystallization
• in situ analysis of crystals
• in situ optimization of crystals
• physicochemical characterization of crystals
• scoring crystal suspensions
• instrument and software development
• crystal delivery for XFEL and synchrotron radiation sources