Capillary convection in protein crystal growth

Abstract

An optical diagnostic system consisting of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer with the phase shift device and the image processor has been developed for the study of the kinetics of protein crystal growing process. The concentration capillary convection around growing protein crystal was investigated during the process of trichosanthin crystal growth. The observation in real time showed that the concentration capillary convection associated with the surface tension of the crystallizing solution occurs at the vicinity of the surface of the protein mother liquor and directly affects on the outcome of protein crystallization, including the process of growth and the quality of resulting crystal. So far the detailed analysis and the important role of the concentration capillary convection in protein crystallization has been overlooked in both the spaceand the ground-based crystal growth experiments. This may be one of the reasons for the majority of the results of space-based investigation shown no improvement.