Novel protein crystal growth electrochemical cell for applications in x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy

A new crystal growth cell based on transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) glass-electrodes for electrochemically assisted protein crystallization allows for reduced nucleation and crystal quality enhancement. The crystallization behavior of lysozyme and ferritin was monitored as a function of the electric current applied to the growth cell. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that for specific currents, the crystal quality is substantially improved. No conformational changes were observed in the 3D crystallographic structures determined for crystals grown under different electric current regimes. Finally, the strong crystal adhesion on the surface of ITO electrode because of the electroadhesion allows a sufficiently strong fixing of the protein crystals, to undergo atomic force microscopy investigations in a fluid cell.