Crystal quality enhancement by magnetic fields

From the latter half of the '90s, many studies of the effects of magnetic fields on protein crystallization have been carried out. It has been found that the crystallization of proteins under both homogeneous and inhomogeneous (gradient) magnetic fields enhances the quality of protein crystals. The quality enhancement is attributed to the magnetic orientation of protein crystals and the magnetic suppression of buoyancy convection in protein solutions. The magnetic fields also affect the kinetics of protein crystallization and hence change the habit of protein crystals. In this review, the effects of magnetic fields on protein crystallization, their mechanisms and indispensable future studies are outlined.