SINGLE CRYSTAL QUARTZ CHIPS FOR PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION AND X-RAY DIFFRACTION DATA COLLECTION AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20150117611A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renz Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Renz Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Ren, Zhong
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/20025 Sample holders or supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/207 Diffractometry using detectors, e.g. using a probe in a central position and one or more displaceable detectors in circumferential positions

Abstract

A crystallization device for in situ x-ray diffraction of biological samples includes a flat plate made of single crystal quartz, silicon or sapphire and having an array of wells or lanes defined on the plate. The crystallization device may be in the form of a cover slide used with a crystallization plate in a vapor diffusion setup. Also disclosed is a method for preparing biological samples for crystallization and x-ray diffraction, including: obtaining a crystallization device made of single crystal quartz, silicon or sapphire; loading a solution containing biological molecules onto the crystal support device; maintaining the solution in a crystal growth environment to grow crystals of the biological molecules; removing the crystal support device carrying the crystals from the crystal growth environment; exposing the crystals carried on the crystal support device to an X-ray beam; and recording X-ray diffracted by the biological crystals.

Claims

1. A crystallization device for in situ x-ray diffraction of biological samples, comprising a flat plate made of single crystal quartz, silicon or sapphire and having a plurality of wells defined on the plate.

2. The crystallization device of claim 1, wherein the plate is made of single crystal quartz, and wherein two parallel surfaces of the plate and a bottom surface of the wells are perpendicular to a Z-axis of the quartz crystal.

3. The crystallization device of claim 2, wherein the plate has a thickness of between 100 and 300 μ

m, and the wells have a bottom thickness of less than 50 μ

m.

4. The crystallization device of claim 2, wherein each well is a hexagon with one pair of sides parallel to an X- or Y-axis of the quartz crystal, and a diagonal of the hexagon is between 0.5 and 5 mm.

5. The crystallization device of claim 2, wherein the wells are multiple parallel lanes.

6. The crystallization device of claim 1, wherein the plate has a size smaller than a 22 mm square and larger than a 1.7 mm diameter circle and a heptagon shape.

7. The crystallization device of claim 1, wherein the plate is made of single crystal quartz, wherein two parallel surfaces of the plate and a bottom surface of the wells are perpendicular to a Z-axis of the quartz crystal, wherein the plate has a substantially circular shape having a diameter of about 1 inch with one straight edge parallel to an X-axis of the quartz crystal, and wherein the wells have a Y-shaped three fold symmetric pattern with one branch of the Y-shape perpendicular to the straight edge.

8. The crystallization device of claim 1, wherein the plate further includes engraved markings indicating a coordinate system for identifying each well.

9. A method for preparing biological samples for crystallization and x-ray diffraction, comprising:

obtaining a crystallization device made of single crystal quartz, silicon or sapphire;

loading a solution containing biological molecules onto the crystal support device;

maintaining the solution in a crystal growth environment to grow crystals of the biological molecules;

removing the crystal support device carrying the crystals from the crystal growth environment;

exposing the crystals carried on the crystal support device to an X-ray beam; and

recording X-ray diffracted by the protein crystal and the crystallization device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the crystal support device comprises a flat plate made of single crystal quartz, silicon or sapphire and having a plurality of wells defined on the plate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plate is made of single crystal quartz, and wherein two parallel surfaces of the plate and a bottom surface of the wells are perpendicular to a Z-axis of the quartz crystal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plate has a thickness of between 100 and 300 μ

m, and the wells have a bottom thickness of less than 50 μ

m.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each well is a hexagon with one pair of sides parallel to an X- or Y-axis of the quartz crystal, and a diagonal of the hexagon is between 0.5 and 5 mm.

14. The method claim 11, wherein the wells are multiple parallel lanes.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the plate has a size smaller than a 22 mm square and larger than a 1.7 mm diameter circle and a heptagon shape.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the plate is made of single crystal quartz, wherein two parallel surfaces of the plate and a bottom surface of the wells are perpendicular to a Z-axis of the quartz crystal, wherein the plate has a substantially circular shape having a diameter of about 1 inch with one straight edge parallel to an X-axis of the quartz crystal, and wherein the wells have a Y-shaped three fold symmetric pattern with one branch of the Y-shape perpendicular to the straight edge.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the plate further includes engraved markings indicating a coordinate system for identifying each well.