膜蛋白结晶方法学研究进展

膜蛋白执行着物质运输、能量转换和信号转导等重要生物学功能，其分子的三维结构解析对阐述其功能及开展理性药物设计有着十分重要的意义．目前膜蛋白结构解析以X射线单晶衍射技术为主，该技术需要高质量晶体作为衍射对象．然而由于膜蛋白具有两亲性，难以得到高度有序的三维晶体，进而导致其结构解析十分困难．针对此问题，研究者们发展了一些专门面向膜蛋白的结晶方法，如基于去垢剂的方法，基于脂类的方法等．本文回顾了这些方法，并对未来膜蛋白的结晶研究进行了展望．

Progresses on Crystallization Methodology of Membrane Proteins

Membrane proteins play crucial roles in substance transportation, energy transformation and signal transduction. Three dimensional structural determination of membrane protein is significantly important for its biological function study and rational drug design. The molecular structures of membrane proteins are mainly determined via X-ray single crystal diffraction technique, for which high quality membrane protein crystals are required. However, due to its amphipathicity, the membrane proteins are hard to crystallize, resulting in difficulties in the structural determination. In recent years, some methods (such as in surfo methods and in cubo methods) have been developed specifically for crystallizing membrane proteins. The progresses on crystallization methodology of membrane proteins are reviewed, and the prospective in this field are also discussed.