Using crystals to understand living organisms Biological cry以ab At the interface between chemistry and biology: In order to understand the way a living organism functions as well the role of the various proteins involved,scientists have long sought to see their structures.For this,X-ray diffraction has proved to be an extremely powerful technique.It does have one limitation:the proteins must be in a crystalline form. de FUMER "Growing"protein crystals. ...to study them. Proteins are very large biological molecules There exists a very strong relationship between the (macromolecules)and essential for life.They are atomic arrangement (the structure)of a biological made of amino acids.Each protein has a specific macromolecule and its function:the precise 标书th球w间eh意6 function,directly linked to its three-dimensional knowledge acquired about its forms means that a structure,i.e.the manner in which the amino acids hypothesis can be made regarding its role and the are laid out,one against the other in space.Proteins manner in which it carries out its functio do not naturally form crystals,so they have to be Studies relate to both basic research,in order to grown artifically. acquire a precise understanding of the bioogical processes,and applied research, leading to the synthesis of new medicines. Mcromoules (rpmak Cr-kumk IYCr2014