X-ray diffraction properties of protein crystals prepared in agarose gel under hydrostatic pressure

Crystals of thaumatin and of turkey and hen lysozyme, prepared in a batch at 293 K under hydrostatic pressures in the 0.1–150 MPa range, have been analyzed to investigate how this parameter influences crystallization and if depressurization introduces defects in the crystalline lattice. The X-ray diffraction properties of depressurized crystals have been compared with those of unpressurized control crystals prepared under otherwise identical conditions at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). Independently of pressure, the crystals of each protein belong to the same space group and have cell parameters identical to those of the controls. Their diffraction limit is more dependent upon crystal volume than upon pressure. Crystal mosaicity, expressed as the full-width at half-maximum w of the Bragg reflection profile, was used to quantify the defects in the lattice. While the quality of lysozyme crystals deteriorates as pressure increases, that of tetragonal thaumatin crystals becomes more homogeneous. The first result correlates with the apparition of cleavages oriented perpendicularily to the crystal's c -axis. The second one is interpreted by a gradual selection of well-formed nuclei. The 3D structure of thaumatin in a crystal that was grown under a pressure of 150 MPa and returned to atmospheric pressure was solved. The fold of the polypeptide chain and the distribution of water molecules was compared with those in a reference crystal grown at 0.1 MPa.The results suggest that the crystal lattice is elastic. A possible application of pressure to the preparation of high quality protein crystals is discussed in the light of these results.