Application of UV-Laser Ablation to Detaching Protein Crystal from Growth Vessel

Abstract

We propose a new procedure for detaching protein crystals from a growth vessel, which we call harvesting adhered crystals by laser irradiation (HACLI). A single laser shot at a wavelength of 193 nm successfully detaches hen egg-white lysozyme crystals from a fused-silica glass plate or capillary tube. X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrate that laser irradiation has little influence on the crystallinity. The HACLI technique will be a powerful tool for handling fragile protein crystals, especially those grown in a glass capillary tube.