Robert E. Thorne
Department of Physics, Cornell University
Abstract:
A new technology1
for manipulating and mounting macromolecular and small molecule crystals
resolves the problems of existing technologies that have become apparent in
the high-throughput era. The crystal mount consists of a thin
microfabricated polyimide film wrapped around a cylindrical pin. Crystals
are retrieved via a convenient, scoop-like action. Mounting of small (<50
micron) crystals is straightforward, and complete data sets with minimal
background have been obtained from sub-10 micron protein crystals. Excess
surrounding liquid is minimized, reducing background scatter, improving
flash cooling and simplifying cryoprotection. Rapid automated alignment in
the X-ray beam can be performed without optical observation of the crystal.
Mesh designs allow multiple small crystals to be retrieved and screened at a
time. Several new tools simplify crystal manipulation prior to mounting.
Finally, a new room room-temperature data collection technology2
eliminates glass capillaries and allows easy room T and low T data
collection from the same crystal, allowing the origin of poor
low-temperature diffraction to be diagnosed. Poorly diffracting crystals
can now be quickly eliminated from the diffraction pipeline, increasing
overall throughput by a factor of five or more.
1. Thorne, R. E., et al. (2003). Microfabricated Mounts for
High-Throughput Macromolecular Cryocrystallography. J. Appl. Cryst.
36, 1455-1460.
2. Kalinin, Y. et al. (2005). A New Sample Mounting Technique for Room-Temperature Macromolecular Crystallography. J. Appl. Cryst. 38, 333-339.
2008 Run
Nov 19th - Dec 22nd
