We provide a comprehensive service for the structural determination of proteins and their complexes using X-ray crystallography, including advanced applications such as epitope mapping or ligand-binding analysis. Our pipeline spans from protein production and crystallization to atomic-resolution structure refinement and functional interpretation.

Service Capabilities

1. Protein Expression & Purification (optional)

• Recombinant expression in various systems (E. coli, insect, mammalian)
• High-purity purification protocols (affinity, ion exchange, SEC)
• Quality control (SDS-PAGE)

2. Crystallization & Co-crystallization

• High-throughput screening of crystallization conditions
  • 1 Mosquito robot (TTP Labtech)
  • 1 EVO150 robot (Tecan)
  • 2 Rock Imagers (Formulatrix) thermostated at 20°C and 8°C, equipped with a UV module and CRIMS software
• Crystallization of apo-proteins and complexes:
  • Protein–ligand (chemical compound)
  • Protein–antibody (Fab or sdAb)
  • Protein–peptide
• Optimization of crystal size and quality for diffraction

3. X-ray Diffraction & Data Collection

• Synchrotron access (SOLEIL or ESRF)
• Cryo-protection, data collection at cryogenic temperatures
• Data processing using standard pipelines (XDS, CCP4)

4. Structure Determination & Refinement

• Phasing via molecular replacement or experimental phasing (SAD/MAD)
• Iterative model building (PHENIX, Coot) and refinement
• Full structure validation (MolProbity)

Deliverables

• 3D structure files (.pdb/.cif)
• Full crystallographic data (.mtz/.hkl)
• Technical report: data collection, refinement statistics, structural validation
• High-resolution figures for publications or grant applications