Incorporation of microcrystals by growing protein and virus crystals

In the course of time-lapse video and atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations of macromolecular crystal growth, we frequently observed the sedimentation of microcrystals and three-dimensional nuclei onto the surfaces of much larger, growing protein or virus crystals. This was followed by the direct incorporation over time of the smaller crystals into the bulk of the larger crystals. In some cases, clear indications were present that upon...