Crystal Growth of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme (HEWL) under Various Gravity Conditions

• Almost all dimer molecules are served as a seed for cluster formation when lysozyme solution concentrated enough.
• Under microgravity, cluster keeps still due to its large size.
• The low diffusivity of cluster in protein solution under microgravity enhances crystal growth.
• The crystal growth is sensitive to surrounding flow field.

Motivated by the enhancement of protein quality under microgravity condition, the behaviors of crystal growth under various gravity conditions have been monitored via Foton Satellite and parabolic flight. We found that the normal growth rate and the step velocity would be enhanced only at high protein concentration. Although the difference of diffusion between monomer lysozyme molecule and main impurity species in HWEL dimer may be able to explain this enhancement in long period at high protein concentration, it is not valid at low lysozyme concentration and it can't explain the results obtained by parabolic flight, in which microgravity condition maintained only about 20 s. In order to compromise this contradiction, cluster, universal existing in protein solution, has been picked up. The dynamic light scattering technique figured out dimer is served as the seed for cluster formation. Due to its large size, cluster keeps still under microgravity. Via this mechanism, the purification of lysozyme above crystal surface has been achieved. We also found the two supergravity (∼1.5 g) periods immediately before and after microgravity period have different effects on the step velocity. The pre-MG period depresses the step velocity while the post-MG enhances it. This odd phenomenon ascribes to two factors: (1) the flow rate modification and (2) the purity of protein solution immediate above crystal surface.