Development of a method to grow large protein crystals for neutron structural analysis

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14677
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Structural biochemistry
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Yao Min 北海道大学, 先端生命科学研究院, 教授 (40311518)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Kato Koji 北海道大学, 先端生命科学研究院, 助教 (30452428)
• Research Collaborator: ADACHI Motoyasu 国立研究開発法人日本原子力研究開発機構, 原子力科学研究部門・量子ビーム応用研究センター, グループリーダー (60293958)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 中性子線結晶構造解析 / タンパク質結晶成長 / LCST型温度応答ポリマー / ゲル / ゾル / X線結晶構造解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this project is to establish technology for growing large protein crystals with high quality, which is essential to analyze the protein structure by neutron crystallography. We tried to grow up lager crystals by using LCST-type polymers for several protein samples, and have succeeded in growing lager crystals. Among those samples, we collected neutron diffraction data of GatCAB (Mw:110 kDa), and determined the neutron structure. The effectiveness of LCST-type polymer on the growth of large protein crystal was confirmed. Moreover, the entropy changes during in the crystallization solution using LCST-type polymer were investigated during crystal growth. Therefore, it is assumed that LCST-type polymer changed the state of water molecules around the protein molecules.

Free Research Field

構造生物学