Protein crystal is very fragile and not 3d, how to resolve
Answers
Answer:
Membrane proteins are difficult to study for a number of reasons. Their surface is relatively hydrophobic and they can only be extracted from the cell membrane with detergents. They are also often flexible and unstable. This leads to challenges at all levels, including expression, solubilisation, purification, crystallisation, data collection and structure solution. This review highlights the issues associated with membrane protein structural biology and outlines recent approaches that have been successful in determining new structures.
Answer:
the most common way to reduce protein solubility for crystallization is by the addition of so-called precipitants. A precipitant binds water molecules, essentially competing with the protein for water, thus reducing water availability, which mimics higher protein concentration.