Physics

Biological system

Crystallization

Process engineering

Diffusion

Biology

Engineering

Protein crystallization

Composite material

Biochemical engineering

Chemistry

Materials science

Desiccant

Computer science

Botany

Desiccation

Thermodynamics

Journal of Applied Crystallography

In vapor diffusion protein crystallization screening, it has been reported that replacing the reservoir solution with desiccant can increase the crystallization success rate. Therefore, the desiccation method is a potentially powerful method in practical protein crystallization screening. However, this method is difficult to apply broadly because the optimal amount of desiccant for a specific screening task is unknown. Utilizing an unsuitable amount of desiccant can result in even worse screening results than would be obtained from the traditional vapor diffusion method. Here, it is shown that by employing a modified strategy, named the gradual desiccation method, the problem can be solved without knowing the optimal amount of desiccant, and the crystallization success rate can be further increased compared with the one-time desiccation method.

A gradual desiccation method for improving the efficiency of protein crystallization screening