5. Conclusion

The crystallography of biological macromolecules occupies a central place in modern biology, as the three-dimensional structure of a macromolecule or macromolecular complex sheds new and original light that is essential for understanding biological function. In most cases, this is a revolution, and several Nobel Prizes have crowned the most outstanding successes. Purifying the macromolecule(s) and obtaining quality crystals (diffraction limit better than 3 Å) are still the two limiting stages in any structural project.

This article, which outlines the first steps in the crystallographic process, should be supplemented by [P 1 111]...