CRYSTALLIZATION OF MEMBRANE-PROTEINS

The process of crystallizing membrane proteins is hampered by several factors. Isolating significant quantities of membrane proteins is diff icult because they are unstable and their biochemistry is not well und erstood. Even when the membrane proteins have been solubilized, severa l variables must be taken into account in order to achieve crystalliza tion. The most important of these are the choice of detergent, and amp hiphillic additives, as well as the type of lipid. Despite these diffi culties, progress in being made, as the recent resolution of the plant light-harvesting complex structure has shown.