CRYSTAL-GROWTH OF LYSOZYMES IN MEDIA CONTAMINATED BY PARENT MOLECULES - INFLUENCE OF GELLED MEDIA

A series of solution and gel growth experiments have been done to obtain hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals in media contaminated by a parent molecule, turkey egg white lysozyme (TEWL) or TEWL crystals from media contaminated by HEWL. In both cases, such a contamination causes nucleation inhibition and morphology changes. Evolutions of nucleation and morphology as a function of contaminant percentage show that the contaminant percentage is efficient on nucleation at low percentages (<10%) and on morphology at high percentage (>20%). This suggests that the contaminant exists in solution as different species probably oligomers, whose action is different for prenucleation and growth processes. Gel media extend the domain for which usable monocrystals are obtained from 50% contaminant (case of solution) to 60% (case of agarose gel) or 70% (case of silica gel).