NOVEL BIOPOLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION PLATE, BIOPOLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION METHOD USING SAME, AND METHOD FOR DIRECTLY COLLECTING X-RAY DIFFRACTION DATA FROM THE BIOPOLYMER CRYSTAL GENERATED BY SAME

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel biopolymer crystallization plate, to a biopolymer crystallization method using same, and to a method for directly collecting X-ray diffraction data from the biopolymer crystal generated by same. The biopolymer crystallization plate according to the present invention has a crystallization space (3) which is an opening at the center of the top of a biopolymer mixture solution container (2) to obtain a biopolymer crystal with a large and neat appearance when a biopolymer is crystallized. In addition, a direct-mounting-type biopolymer crystallization plate containing the biopolymer crystal is directly mounted on an X-ray diffractometer after the solidification of a crystallization solution, thereby enabling X-ray diffraction data to be directly collected from the biopolymer crystal without using a crystal-collecting loop and thus minimizing damage to the biopolymer crystal. The present invention employs a cryogenic refrigeration method which uses liquid nitrogen to prevent the deterioration of the biopolymer crystal during the collection of X-ray diffraction data. The present invention rotates the crystallization plate to the maximum angle of 120° to collect X-ray diffraction data, to thereby enable a large-scale screening process for determining whether or not to collect biopolymer X-ray diffraction data, and to enable a collection of a full X-ray data set for determining a three-dimensional structure of the biopolymer. Consequently, the present invention enables the development of large-scale equipment for checking the three-dimensional structure of the biopolymer, which is required for studies such as a structure-based drug design or the like.