Solvent behaviour in flash-cooled protein crystals at cryogenic temperatures

The solvent behaviour of flash-cooled protein crystals was studied in the range 100-180 K by X-ray diffraction. If the solvent is within large channels it crystallizes at 155 K, as identified by a sharp change in the increase of unit-cell volume upon temperature increase. In contrast, if a similar amount of solvent is confined to narrow channels and/or individual cavities it does not crystallize in the studied temperature range. It is concluded that the solvent in large channels behaves similarly to bulk water, whereas when confined to narrow channels it is mainly protein-associated. The analogy with the behaviour of pure bulk water provides circumstantial evidence that only solvent in large channels undergoes a glass transition in the 100-180 K temperature range. These studies reveal that flash-cooled protein crystals are arrested in a metastable state up to at least 155 K, thus providing an upper temperature limit for their storage and handling. The results are pertinent to the development of rational crystal annealing procedures and to the study of temperature-dependent radiation damage to proteins. Furthermore, they suggest an experimental paradigm for studying the correlation between solvent behaviour, protein dynamics and protein function.