Small Volumes

Structure determination on limited sample volumes

The trend in structural biology and genomics is towards using lower and lower quantities of proteins and other biological molecules for NMR studies. Cell free-  or baculovirus-  expression systems usually yield quantities of 100 to 200 micrograms of protein. When dissolved in only 5 microliters, concentrations of 1 to 2 mM can be obtained. (In standard 5mm tubes this would result in 10 to 20 micromolar solutions).
With the high sensitivity of the 1mm MicroProbe this is more than enough to perform screening studies and even allows for a complete structure determination. An additional benefit of the 1mm probe is a very high tolerance towards salt and buffer concentrations. Sensitivity and pulse length are only minimally affected by salt.
more in 1mm micro probes

Example spectra from a structure determination of a 8kD protein
Example spectra from a structure determination of a 8kD protein. 5 microliters of a 1.4mM solution were used, corresponding to ca 72 micrograms of protein. Sample courtesy of Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG), Guy Montelione