I have small crystals of protein DNA complex. I am worried about the
possibility of presence of some
DNases in the drop (I use DNase in the lysis buffer). I have Tris and
MgCl2 in
the crystallization condition,
which makes me hesitant to use DEPC or EDTA/EGTA respectively. Are there any
other DNase inhibitors
that I can use to protect the DNA? Any other precautions one should take
while
handling DNA
There is something called aurintricarboxylic acid that I've seen mentioned
several times. it is supposed to be a general inhibitor of nucleases.
I have no experience with it.
Also, this may sound crazy but if you are worried about DNAse I that you
used in previous steps, one option is to add a little bit of actin. Actin
binds
to DNAse I very specifically and with very high affinity, inhibiting its
activity. At the concentrations that you are likely to use it at, it should
be below critical concentration that makes it polymerize.
Dima
