Effects of different post-crystallization soaking conditions on the diffraction of Mtcp1 crystals

The crystal structure of human Mtcp1 was determined at 2 A resolution after the X-ray diffraction limit was improved by post-crystallization soaking in 2.0 M ammonium sulfate for 1-5 months. The effects of varying the ammonium sulfate concentration and addition of polyethylene glycol to the soaking solution were examined in order to understand the phenomenon and to reduce the soaking time. Soaking the crystal for one week in a solution of 1.5 M ammonium sulfate and 2% PEG 3400 gave the desired improvement in diffraction quality. Therefore, different soaking conditions should be explored when crystals show disordered and low-resolution diffraction.