Growth Rate Dispersion in Protein Crystal Growth

Like many small molecule materials, tetragonal lysozyme crystals exhibit growth rate dispersion. To investigate this phenomenon further, the growth rate dispersion of the (110) and (101) crystal faces was determined as a function of sodium chloride concentration, temperature, and solution pH. Under the conditions investigated, the growth rate dispersion follows the constant crystal growth model, in which each individual crystal is assumed to have a unique, constant growth rate. While the growth rate dispersion of the (110) face seems independent of the solution conditions, for the (101) face it was observed to vary systematically with temperature and pH. The greater susceptibility of the (101) face to the causes of growth rate dispersion was interpreted in light of a model proposed to explain the differing growth mechanisms of each face. Overall, the magnitude of crystal growth rate dispersion observed for lysozyme is similar to that reported for some small organic molecules.