화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Vol.100, No.1, 50-53, 2005
Processing of membrane protein crystal using ultraviolet laser irradiation
We demonstrated the processing of a membrane protein crystal, using a pulsed UV laser soft ablation (PULSA) technique. Irradiation with deep-UV laser pulses at a wavelength of 193 mn successfully processed not only single crystals of the membrane transporter protein AcrB but also nylon loops and cryoprotectants at a cryogenic temperature. Nonprocessed parts of the crystals exhibited no signs of crack or denaturation after the laser exposure. The trimmed crystals were found to be of high resolution for X-ray diffraction data collection. The results described here indicate that PULSA processing is an effective tool for membrane protein crystals, as well as for soluble protein crystals.