La La fase esponja como Sistema Biomimético para cristalizar proteínas de membrana

This paper describes in general terms the importance of protein crystallization and X-ray diffraction experiments used to elucidate the tertiary structure of these biomolecules. In particular, it is stated that crystallization of membrane proteins requires special methods of preparation of the crystallization matrix since it must “mimic” the hydrophobic environment of the membrane protein. Thus, the work focuses on some properties of the liquid phase of membranes called “sponge phase”, whose main feature is a complex structure of membranes connected in three dimensions. Due to their microstructure, the sponge is a transparent, isotropic liquid that have a low viscosity. These features make the sponge phase a “biomimetic” system potentially useful for crystallizing membrane proteins.