Bacteriorhodopsin crystals consume their smaller counterparts
Thursday, December 10, 2015 - 05:40
in Physics & Chemistry
A group of biophysicists from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and their international colleagues have studied the crystallization of molecules of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. They have demonstrated that the larger crystals of the protein grow by "consuming" smaller crystals around them and creating a "depletion zone" around themselves. The paper has been published in the scientific journal Crystal Growth & Design.