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Modulating Self‐Assembly of DNA Crystals with Rationally Designed Agents
Author(s) -
Zhao Jiemin,
Zhao Yue,
Li Zhe,
Wang Yong,
Sha Ruojie,
Seeman Nadrian C.,
Mao Chengde
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201809757
Subject(s) - crystallization , yield (engineering) , materials science , protein crystallization , self assembly , nanotechnology , dna , crystal growth , crystallography , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , composite material
This manuscript reports a strategy for controlling the crystallization kinetics and improving the quality of engineered self‐assembled 3D DNA crystals. Growing large, high‐quality biomacromolecule crystals is critically important for determining the 3D structures of biomacromolecules. It often presents a great challenge to structural biologists. Herein, we introduce a rationally designed agent to modulate the crystallization process. Under such conditions, fewer, but larger, crystals that yield diffraction patterns of modestly higher resolution are produced compared with the crystals from conditions without the modulating agent. We attribute the improvement to a smaller number of nuclei and slow growth rate of crystallization. This strategy is expected to be generally applicable for crystallization of other biomacromolecules.