Effects of a magnetic field on the nucleation and growth of protein crystals

Crystallization of hen egg-white lysozyme and horse-spleen ferritin was carried out under a steady and uniform magnetic field of 10 T and compared with the crystals grown under 0 T. It is clearly demonstrated that a magnetic field reduced the number of nuclei and not only oriented the crystals but also modified the habit of protein crystals. The present experimental result indicates that application of a magnetic field is an efficient method for growing a small number of large crystals.