The study of conditions that optimize the association of proteins in solution guides the design of protocols for formation of large crystals that are amenable to analysis by the X-ray diffraction techniques discussed in Chapter 20. It is important to characterize protein dimerization because the process is considered to be the rate-determining step in the growth of crystals of many proteins. Consider the variation with ionic strength of the rate constant of dimerization in aqueous solution of a cationic protein P:

What can be deduced about the charge of P?

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0.0100 0.0150 0.0200 0.0250 0.0300 13.30 20.50 27.80 38.10 I kfk" 8.10 0.0350 52.00