Use of Gold Nanoparticles as Additives in Protein Crystallization

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Diana Ribeiro (Author) Other; Alina Kulakova (Author) Other; Pedro Quaresma (Author) Other; Eulalia Pereira (Author) FCUP; Cecilia Bonifacio (Author) Other; Maria Joao Romao (Author) Other; Ricardo Franco (Author) Other; Ana Luisa Carvalho (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Crystal Growth & Design

Vol. 14

Pages: 222-227

ISSN: 1528-7483

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 12 Citations

Scopus - 3 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Materials engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-008-WC5

DOI: 10.1021/cg4014398

Abstract (EN): Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) exhibit unique properties that have made them a very attractive material for application in biological assays. Given the potentially interesting interactions between AuNPs and biological macromolecules, we investigated AuNPs-induced protein crystal growth. Differently functionalized AuNPs were tested as additives in cocrystallization studies with model proteins (hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL), ribonuclease A (RNase A), and proteinase K) as well as with case studies where there were problems in obtaining well-diffracting crystals. Trials were performed considering different crystallization drawbacks, from total absence of crystals to improvement of crystal morphology, size, twinning, and number of crystals per drop. Improvement of some of these factors was observed in the cases of HEWL, RNase A, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAR), myoglobin, native aldehyde oxidase (AOH), and human albumin. In these proteins, the presence of the AuNPs promoted an increase in the size and/or better crystal morphology. From the systematic trials and subsequent observations, it can be concluded that the introduction of AuNPs should definitely be considered in crystal optimization trials to improve previously determined crystallization conditions.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6