Download MendeleyExploring humidity effects on polycrystalline human insulin-ligand complexes: preliminary crystallographic insights.
Kontarinis, A., Papaefthymiou, C., Kafetzi, S., Konstantopoulos, M., Koutoulas, D., Nanao, M., Schluckebier, G., Norrman, M., Dadivanyan, N., Beckers, D., Degen, T., Rosmaraki, E., Fitch, A., Margiolaki, I.(2025) J Appl Crystallogr 58: 1920-1935
- PubMed: 41551492
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576725007484
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9IBB, 9QLD - PubMed Abstract:
This study investigates the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the crystal structures of human insulin (HI) complexes with organic ligands, m -cresol and m -nitro-phenol, using in situ X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) with a controlled-humidity chamber. Co-crystallization at pH 7.5 produced hexagonal microcrystals (space group R 3) for both protein-ligand complexes. The corresponding single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures were solved: HI- m -cresol (PDB entry 9ibb, 1.84 Å) and HI- m -nitro-phenol (PDB entry 9qld, 2.55 Å). Pawley analysis of the in situ XRPD data revealed structural stability up to 70% RH, with no phase transitions observed. At lower humidity levels, reduced diffraction intensities indicated loss of crystallinity, which was fully restored upon rehydration to 95% RH. Notably, each complex exhibited distinct changes in unit-cell parameters during dehydration-rehydration cycles. These results highlight the critical role of controlling environmental factors in structure-based drug design and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and demonstrate how organic ligands can enhance the stability of protein crystals, offering valuable insights for pharmaceutical development.
- Department of Biology, Section of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development University of Patras Patras GR-26500 Greece.
Organizational Affiliation:
