Structural study on hen egg-white lysozyme crystals grown in gravity and microgravity

Microgravity in space offers an ideal environment for growing protein crystals, where there is an absence of density driven convection and sedimentation. Using domestic apparatus of protein crystallization, two space experiments of protein crystal growth have been carried out on the Chinese re entry satellite, and good quality hen egg white lysozyme crystals were obtained. To study the effect of microgravity on the protein crystal structure, three structures of lysozyme crystals grown in gravity and microgravity were determined at high resolution.