Practical aspects of protein crystallography

Ivana Kuta Smatanova^{1, 2}, Jakub Jung¹, Pavel Malcher¹, Pavel Nemec¹, Martin Papez¹, Jan Tvaroh¹, Oksana Degtjarik¹, Jaroslava Kohoutova¹, Tatyana Prudnikova¹, Katsiaryna Tratsiak¹, and Michal Kuty^{1, 2}

¹ University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, CENAKVA and Institute of Complex Systems, Zamek 136, 373 33 Nove Hrady

²Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Nanobiology and Structural Biology GCRC, Zamek 136, 373 33 Nove Hrady

The protein crystallography is one of the powerful techniques used for studying of protein structures and description their mechanism and function. This is possible only in the case of obtaining diffractable monocrystals. Different crystallization techniques such as standard, advanced and alternative methods are used to crystallize soluble and membrane proteins and protein complexes. Research projects are designed for graduate students and postgraduates who work on these projects on different levels. Finally developed methods and obtained crystallization and crystallographic data are compiled and results are published in prestigious journals.

Nowadays more than 20 proteins, protein complexes and their mutant variants are systematically studied. The main target is focused on research of (1) soluble haloalkane dehalogenases e.g. DhaA from Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13064, DbeA of Bradyrhizobium elkani USDA94, LinB of Sphingobium japonicum UT26 or new haloalkan dehalogenases DpcA from Psychrobacter cryohalolentis K5 and DmxA from Marynobacter sp ELB 17, as well as (2) membrane photosynthetic proteins isolated from different higher plants.

This research is supported by the ME CR (COST LD11011 and CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0024), GACR (P207/12/0775 and P207/11/0717), and by the AS CR.