Nature 301, 125 - 129 (13 January 1983); doi:10.1038/301125a0

Two-dimensional crystallization technique for imaging macromolecules, with application to antigen−antibody−complement complexes

Egidijus E. Uzgiris & Roger D. Kornberg

Department of Structural Biology, Sherman Fairchild Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA

Two-dimensional crystals are formed from macromolecules bound on the surface of a lipid monolayer. A ligand linked to the lipid orientates the binding, and lateral diffusion of the lipids facilitates crystallization. The crystals are suitable for structural analysis by image processing of electron micrographs. An example is the formation of ordered arrays of antibodies on a monolayer of a lipid hapten, and subsequent decoration of these arrays with the first component of complement. Image processing indicates the arrangement of antibodies and the site of complement binding. This approach should be widely applicable to molecular complexes, such as those in replication, protein synthesis, hormone−receptor interaction and metabolic processes.

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