We often find results to be very different between hanging and sitting
drops (equilibration kinetics for one may be the explanation). Then
there's the good thing of hanging drops that crystals rarely stick to
the surface of the support facilitating the mounting procedure, in
particular for fragile crystals.
All in all we much prefer hanging drops for our membrane proteins -
the bottle neck is not in the extra few minutes for set-up, but in the
months it takes to produce the protein.
Poul
On 30/04/2009, at 16.45, Jacob Keller wrote:
I have noticed that a significant majority of crystallizations are
done in hanging- rather than sitting-drop configuration, and
considering the significant extra labor involved in hanging drops,
can only understand this preference as a historical bias. I
understand that sometimes one technique works and not the other, but
all things being equal, why is hanging drop still "hanging around?"
Any insights appreciated...
Jacob Keller
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Jacob Pearson Keller
Northwestern University
Medical Scientist Training Program
Dallos Laboratory
F. Searle 1-240
2240 Campus Drive
Evanston IL 60208
lab: 847.491.2438
cel: 773.608.9185
email: j-kell...@northwestern.edu
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