Crystallography

Crystallography is a vital branch of biology dealing with biological molecules’ structure and spatial organization that relies on evaluating x-ray diffractions by crystals of macromolecules. Protein crystallography entails increasingly high-resolution microscopy that assists scientists in visualizing molecules at an atomic resolution. It enables one to visualize beyond the capabilities of even the powerful light microscope. Proteins are essential for biological processes; thus, understanding the fine details of their structure is highly informative. Additionally, scientists can utilize crystallography to provide information on the active sites of the enzymes, thus allowing one to design molecules that can target the areas of the enzymes, thus providing the basis for a new drug. For instance, crystallography has been used in experimental approaches to understand the GPCR activation. This process gained insights on allosteric regulations of the GPCRs by polypeptides, lipids, cholesterol, and endogenous ions (Katritch et al., 2013).

Crystallography is helpful for proteins as it enables one to obtain a 3D picture of a protein’s structure, which helps understand how the protein works. There are not many approaches to getting such information. Although it is possible to gain some knowledge from NMR of proteins in solution, the best representation comes from a picture from x-ray crystallography hence the need for crystals. Crystallography is a vital process as it contributes to understanding molecular and atomic structures at protein and nucleic levels. These crystals assist in delineating the three-dimensional structures of complex molecules and their functions. Thus, it is essential to note that crystallography is useful for proteins as it has led to discoveries on the crystal structures of macromolecules, thus enhancing the understanding of atomic and molecular structures of proteins.

Image showing the process of protein crystallography (Kermani, 2021).

Question:

How does pH affect protein crystallization?Explain critically

What is crystallography and why is so useful for proteins?