Denaturing Effects of Urea and Guanidine Hydrochloride on Hyperthermophilic Esterase from Aeropyrum pernix K1

Introduction Esterases(EC3.1.1.x)representadiversegroup ofhydrolasescatalyzingthecleavageandformationof esterbonds.Theyarewidelydistributedinanimals,plantsandmicroorganisms.Becauseoftheiractivities inbothaqueousandnonaqueoussolventsystems,ester aseshavebe…     

Fluorescence Study on the Interaction Between Hypericin and Lens Protein "α-Crystallin"

Hypericin has been reported as a potent photosensitizing agent exhibiting antiviral, antibacterial, antineoplastic activities. Although its photophysics and mode of action are strongly modulated by the binding protein, detailed information about its mechanism of interaction with possible cellular targets, including proteins, is still lacking. Previous in vitro studies demonstrated that hypericin can be uptaken by intact lens and is able to bind to the major lens protein "α-crystallin." In this study, the mechanism of interaction of this potent drug with α-crystallin was studied using the chemical denaturant guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) and the hydrophobic surface probe, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS). Fluorescence measurements showed that the increased exposure of tryptophan resulting from partial unfolding of α-crystallin incubated with 1.0 mol L⁻¹ of GdnHCl corresponds to the maximum accessibility of hydrophobic sites to ANS at the same GdnHCl concentration. Interestingly at this additional hydrophobicity of the protein, hypericin exhibited its maximum fluorescence intensity. This in vitro study implied that hydrophobic sites of α-crystallin play a significant role in its interaction with hypericin. The binding between α-crystallin and hypericin was found to be enhanced by partial perturbation of the protein.     

Studies on chemical modification of Tulipa gesneriana lectin

Modification of lysine, tyrosine, histidine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues did not affect the agglutinating activity of the Tulipa gesneriana lectin (TGL). Modification of two arginine residues per subunit in the lectin with either 2,3-butanedione or phenylglyoxal led to an almost complete loss of activity. An inactive lectin modified with 2,3-butanedione recovered a full activity on dialysis against Tris-HCl buffer. The presence of 0.1 M (alpha-1----6) linked mannotriose, a potent inhibitor of the lectin, protected all the arginine residues from modification and the lectin was fully active. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that no significant conformational change of TGL occurred following arginine modification. A treatment of the lectin solution with N-bromosuccinimide or 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide, chemical reagents for tryptophan modification, caused turbidity of the solution, accompanied with complete loss of activity. The fluorescence emission spectrum of the lectin showed a characteristic tryptophan emission with a maximum centered at 336 nm. Upon addition of manno-oligosaccharides a decrease of the fluorescence intensity was observed, indicating that the environment of tryptophan residues altered. These results suggest that arginine and tryptophan residues are importantly involved in the sugar binding of TGL.     

Characterization of subdomain IIA binding site of human serum albumin in its native, unfolded, and refolded states using small molecular probes

Subdomain IIA binding site of human serum albumin (HSA) was characterized by examining the change in HSA fluorescence in the native, unfolded, and refolded states. The study was carried out in the absence and presence of small molecular probes using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. 2-Pyridone, 3-pyridone, and 4-pyridone bear similar molecular structures to those found in many drugs and are used here as probes. They are found to specifically bind in subdomain IIA and cause a reduction in the fluorescence intensity and lifetime of the Trp-214 residue in native HSA which is located in the same subdomain. The efficiency of energy transfer from Trp-214 fluorescence to the probes was found to depend on the degree of the spectral overlap between the donor's fluorescence and the acceptor's absorption. After probe binding in subdomain IIA, the distance between the donor and acceptor was calculated using Forster theory. The calculated quenching rate constants and binding constants were also shown to depend on the degree of spectral overlap. The results point to a static quenching mechanism operating in the complexes. Denaturation of HSA in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) starts at [GdnHCl] > 1.0 M and is complete at [GdnHCl] > or = 6.0 M. Upon unfolding, two fluorescence peaks were observed. One peak was assigned to the fluorescence of Trp-214 in a polar environment, and the other peak was assigned to tyrosine fluorescence. A reduction of the fluorescence intensity of the two peaks upon binding of the probes to the denatured HSA indicates that Tyr-263 in subdomain IIA is one of the tyrosine residues responsible for the second fluorescence peak. The results were confirmed by measuring the fluorescence spectra and lifetimes of denatured HSA at different excitation wavelengths, and of L-tryptophan and L-tyrosine free in buffer. The measured lifetimes of denatured HSA are typical of tryptophan in a polar environment and are slightly reduced upon probe binding. Dilution of the denatured HSA by buffer results in a partial refolding of subdomain IIA. This partial refolding is attributed to some swelling of the binding site caused by water. The swelling prevents a full recovery from the denatured state.     

Fluorescence quenching, time-resolved fluorescence and chemical modification studies on the tryptophan residues of snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina) seed lectin

Fluorescence quenching and time-resolved fluorescence studies have been performed on the galactose-specific lectin purified from snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina) seeds, in order to investigate the tryptophan accessibility and environment in the native protein and in the presence of bound ligand. Estimation of the tryptophan content by N-bromosuccinimide modification in the presence of 8 M urea yields four residues per dimeric molecule. The emission spectrum of native lectin in the absence as well as in the presence of 50 mM methyl--d-galatopyranoside (MeGal) shows a maximum around 331 nm, which shifts to 361.8 nm upon reduction of the disulfide bonds and denaturation with 8 M urea, indicating that all four tryptophan residues in the native state of this protein are in a hydrophobic environment. The extent of quenching that is observed is highest with acrylamide, intermediate with succinimide, and low with Cs⁺ and I⁻, further supporting the idea that the tryptophan residues are predominantly buried in the hydrophobic core of the protein. The presence of MeGal (50 mM) affects the quenching only marginally. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements yield bi-exponential decay curves with lifetimes of 1.45 and 4.99 ns in the absence of sugar, and 1.36 and 4.8 ns in its presence. These results suggest that the tryptophan residues are not directly involved in the saccharide binding activity of the T. anguina lectin. Of the four quenchers employed in this study, the cationic quencher, Cs⁺, is found to be a very sensitive probe for the tryptophan environment of this lectin and may be useful in investigating the environment of partially buried tryptophan residues and unfolding processes in other proteins as well.     

硫酸铜诱导烟草多酚氧化酶抗变性的研究

In order to investigate the interaction between exogenous Cu2+ and Polyphenoloxidase (PPO) from Nictiana Tobacum, the Cu2+-induced resistant-denaturation against guanidine hydrochloride(Gdn-HCl) was studied by the following enzymatic activity assay, fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism (CD). The results show that the GdnHCl-induced unfolding is a two-state process with no detectable inter mediate state in the absence of exogenous Cu2+, while the GdnHCl-induced unfolding in the presence of 10.0 mmol/L exogenous Cu2+ follows a three-state transition with an intermediate state, which results from the fact that Cu2+ increases the structural stability of native PPO and its intermediate. In terms of enzymatic activities, 6 mol/L GdnHCl makes PPO lose 81.4% of its original activity after 5 min, inactivate completely after 30 min, while in the presence of 10.0 mmol/L exogenous Cu2+, only 39.4% and 75.1%, after 5 and 30 min respectively. According to the CD measurements, the relative average fractions of α-helix, anti-parallel2-sheet, 2-turn/parallel 2-sheet, aromatic residues and disulfide bond, and random coil/γ-turn are 1.1%, 3.8%, 3.3%, 7.5% and 84.3%, respectively, in the 6.0mol/L GdnHCl containing no CuSO4, but34.2%, 13.7%, 21.0%, 9.5% and 21.6%, respectively, in the same concentration of Gdn-HCl containing 10mmol/L CuSO4.     

Effect of ionic liquid on the native and denatured state of a protein covalently attached to a probe: Solvation dynamics study

Effect of a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL, [pmim][Br]) on the solvation dynamics of a probe covalently attached to a protein (human serum albumin (HSA)) has been studied using femtosecond up-conversion. For this study, a solvation probe, 7-diethylamino-3-(4-maleimidophenyl)-4-methylcoumarin (CPM) has been covalently attached to the lone cysteine group (cys-34) of the protein HSA. Addition of 1.5 M RTIL or 6 M GdnHCl causes a red shift of the emission maxima of CPM bound to HSA by 3 nm and 12 nm, respectively. The average solvation time ?τ(s)? decreases from 650 ps (in native HSA) to 260 ps (～2.5 times) in the presence of 1.5 M RTIL and to 60 ps (～11 times) in the presence of 6 M GdnHCl. This is ascribed to unfolding of the protein by RTIL or GdnHCl and therefore making the probe CPM more exposed. When 1.5 M RTIL is added to the protein denatured by 6 M GdnHCl in advance, a further ～5 nm red shift along with further ～2 fold faster solvent relaxation (?τ? ～30 ps) is observed. Our previous fluorescence correlation spectroscopy study [D. K. Sasmal, T. Mondal, S. Sen Mojumdar, A. Choudhury, R. Banerjee, and K. Bhattacharyya, J. Phys. Chem. B 115, 13075 (2011)] suggests that addition of RTIL to the protein denatured by 6 M GdnHCl causes a reduction in hydrodynamic radius (r(h)). It is demonstrated that in the presence of RTIL and GdnHCl, though the protein is structurally more compact, the local environment of CPM is very different from that in the native state.     

ROLE OF THE TRYPTOPHAN FLUORESCENT STATE IN THE ULTRAVIOLET-INDUCED INACTIVATION OF β-TRYPSIN*

Abstract— Stern-Volmer quenching constants for β-trypsin at pH 3 were determined for fluorescence quenching by histidine, acrylamide, and nitrate ion. A modified Stern-Volmer plot (Lehrer, 1971) was employed to show that all of the fluorescent tryptophanyl residues of β-trypsin were equally susceptible to quenching by acrylamide at pH 3 when the enzyme was either in its native conformation or denatured in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). Fluorescence lifetime measurements indicated that acrylamide quenched β-trypsin fluorescence by a purely collisional mechanism. Solvation of tryptophanyl residues of the protein was maximal at 2.5 M GuHCl, as monitored by fluorescence emission wavelength.
Investigations of the ultraviolet-induced inactivation of β-trypsin at 295 nm were performed in the presence of acrylamide at pH 3. The quantum yields for enzyme inactivation and indole destruction (determined using the PDAB reagent) were unchanged upon depopulation of the fluorescent state by 65 per cent, whether the enzyme was in its native conformation or denatured by 6 M GuHCl. It is concluded that the fluorescent state of tryptophanyl residues of β-trypsin is not involved in enzyme inactivation or tryptophan destruction.     

Effect of pH and guanidine hydrochloride on the conformation of 57 kDa rat liver nuclear thyroid hormone binding protein measured by fluorescence.

The denaturation of the 57 kilodalton (kDa) rat liver nuclear thyroid hormone binding protein (NTHB) by pH and guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) has been investigated with the fluorescence method. The acid and alkaline fluorescence quenching suggests that the structure of NTHB is invariant in the relatively narrow pH region of approximately pH 7-9. A cooperative conformational transition occurred in GdnHCl concentrations of 1.5-2.5 m. The apparent free energy of unfolding of NTHB, delta G(appH2O) was evaluated as 6.31 (+/- 0.12) kcal.mol-1 at pH 7.7, 25 degrees C.     

铜离子对烟草多酚氧化酶变性和复性影响的热力学研究(英)

在有无5 mmol·L^-1 CuSO₄存在的两种情况下，运用荧光光谱研究了烟草多酚氧化酶在盐酸胍诱导下的变性和复性平衡。烟草多酚氧化酶在6.0 mol·L^-1盐酸胍变性30 min(25 ℃)即完全失活。荧光光谱结果表明：铜离子能够提高烟草多酚氧化酶的结构稳定性和抗盐酸胍变性的能力，进而影响烟草多酚氧化酶在盐酸胍诱导下的变性和复性过程。没有外源铜存在的情况下，盐酸胍诱导的烟草多酚氧化酶变性和复性是一个可逆的二态过程；在5 mmol·L^-1 CuSO₄存在的条件下，由于结合了Cu²⁺的酶的中间态稳定性增加，显示特征荧光，结果显示，外源铜存在时，盐酸胍诱导的烟草多酚氧化酶变性和复性是一个可逆的三态过程。根据相应模型，进行了热力学计算。上述实验结果得到酶活性测定的进一步证实，在6 mol·L^-1盐酸胍中放置5，10，15，20，25，30 min，烟草多酚氧化酶的剩余活性分别为18.7%，11.7%，8.9%，6.6%，3.6%，0.06%，但在5 mmol·L^-1 CuSO₄存在的条件下，剩余活性则分别为60.3%，44.6%，42.5%，40.2%，25.6%，25.3%。     

Cyclodextrin-Based [c2]Daisy Chain Rotaxane Insulating Two Diarylacetylene Cores

A [c2]daisy chain rotaxane with two diarylacetylene cores was efficiently synthesized in 53 % yield by capping a C₂-symmetric pseudo[2]rotaxane composed of two diarylacetylene-substituted permethylated α-cyclodextrins (PM α-CDs) with aniline stoppers. The maximum absorption wavelength of the [c2]daisy chain rotaxane remained almost unchanged in various solvents, unlike that of the stoppered monomer, indicating that the two independent diarylacetylene cores were insulated from the external environment by the PM α-CDs. Furthermore, the [c2]daisy chain rotaxane exhibited fluorescence emission derived from both diarylacetylene monomers and the excimer, which implies that the [c2]daisy chain structure can undergo contraction and extension. This is the first demonstration of a system in which excimer formation between two π-conjugated molecules within an isolated space can be controlled by the unique motion of a [c2]daisy chain rotaxane.     

Lysozyme photo-oxidation by singlet oxygen: properties of the partially inactivated enzyme

This work studies the behaviour of partially inactivated lysozyme formed by the effect of singlet oxygen, which was obtained through the irradiation of the native enzyme solution with polychromatic visible light using Methylene Blue as a sensitizer. The polyacrylamide gel analysis of the partially inactivated lysozyme solution shows the presence of different protein fractions. One of them, which corresponds to 53% of the original enzyme, has the same migration as the native enzyme. The others are a mixture of fractions (47%) that show slower migration to the cathode. When this experiment is carried out in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, only one fraction is obtained, which rules out the presence of covalently aggregated forms of lysozyme. The partially inactivated lysozyme has lost 74% of the fluorescence emission of the tryptophan (Trp) residues. By using the anionic quencher iodide, it is determined that 45 and 36% of the fluorescence emission arising from the native and partially inactivated enzyme, respectively, are due to Trp residues exposed to the solvent. Michaelis-Menten constants (K(in)) of 0.296 and 0.511 (mg/ml) and maximum initial rates (Vmax) of 0.295 and 0.190 (mg/ml min) are determined for the native and the partially inactivated enzyme solutions, respectively. The same inactivation profile is found when the denaturing effect of increasing urea concentration on both the native and partially inactivated lysozyme is studied. It is postulated that the partially inactivated lysozyme solution is composed of one protein fraction with enzymatic activity similar to that of the native enzyme and also of a mixture of fractions (47% of the total enzyme) with very low activity and characterized by a high tryptophan photo-oxidation.     

Homogeneous enzymatic reactions in ionic liquids with poly(ethylene glycol)-modified subtilisin

Subtilisin Carlsberg was covalently modified with comb-shaped poly(ethylene glycol) (PM13). PM13-modified subtilisin (PM13-Sub) was readily solubilized in three different ionic liquids (ILs), i.e., [Emim][Tf2N], [C2OC1mim][Tf2N] and [C2OHmim][Tf2N]. Analysis of homogeneous enzymatic reactions in the ILs revealed that PM13-Sub exhibited excellent catalytic performance while the native enzyme suspended in ILs showed no activity. Hydrophobicity of ILs slightly affected enzyme activity, and the relatively hydrophobic IL [Emim][Tf2N] was the preferred medium for enzymatic reactions, similar to enzymatic reactions in conventional organic solvents. Enzyme activity was much higher in [Emim][Tf2N] than in conventional organic solvents, and excellent activity was associated with unique properties of ILs such as hydrophobicity and high polarity. Furthermore, PM13-Sub showed good stability in [Emim][Tf2N], and maintained 80% of its initial activity after 60 h.     

盐酸胍诱导的淀粉液化芽孢杆菌α-淀粉酶去折叠过程的研究

分别用内源荧光光谱法、荧光相图法、荧光探针法、荧光猝灭法、蛋白质电泳法以及体积排阻色谱法研究了盐酸胍诱导的淀粉液化芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶的去折叠过程. 内源荧光光谱和荧光相图结果表明, 当变性液中盐酸胍浓度约为1.0 mol/L时, 芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶的去折叠过程中出现一个部分折叠中间体, 其去折叠过程符合“三态模型”; 荧光探针结果表明, 在溶液中盐酸胍浓度约为1.0 mol/L时, 中间态芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶分子中存在着能够与探针分子1-苯胺 基-8-萘磺酸(ANS)结合的稳定的疏水区域; 荧光猝灭研究给出了不同程度变性的淀粉液化芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶中的Trp的分布情况, 结果表明中间态芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶分子中能够被碘化钾猝灭的位于分子表面的色氨酸残基数目达到最大的8个; 蛋白电泳和体积排阻色谱结果表明, 在盐酸胍诱导的芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶分子的整个去折叠过程中, 不会以共价键或非共价键形式形成芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶分子之间的集聚体或集聚体沉淀. 在此基础上, 对盐酸胍诱导的淀粉液化芽孢杆菌a-淀粉酶的去折叠过程进行了描述.     

Thermal denaturation ofTrichoderma reesei cellulases studied by differential scanning calorimetry and tryptophan fluorescence

The thermal denaturation of four purified Trichoderma reesei cellulase components, cellobiohydrolase (CBH) I, CBH II, endoglucanase (EG) I, and EG II, has been monitored using a combination of classical temperature/activity profiles, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal scanning fluorescence emission spectrometry. Significant correlations were found between the results of enzyme activity studies and the results obtained through the more direct physical approaches, in that both DSC and the activity studies showed EG II (T_m = 75°C) to be much more thermostable (by 10–11 °C) than the other three enzymes, all three of which were shown by both activity profiles and DSC to be very similar in thermal stability. The temperature dependence of the wavelength of maximum tryptophan emission showed a parallel result, with the three enzymes exhibiting less thermostable activity being grouped together in this regard, and EG II differing from the other three in maintaining a less-exposed tryptophan microenvironment at temperatures as high as 73 °C. The DSC results suggested that at least two transitions are involved in the unfolding of each of the cellulase components, the first (lower-temperature) of which may be the one correlated with activity loss.

     

Characterization of secondary and tertiary conformational changes of beta-lactoglobulin adsorbed on silica nanoparticle surfaces

Nanoparticles possess unique properties as a result of their large surface area per unit volume and therefore can be functionalized by the immobilization of enzymes for a variety of biosensing applications. Changes in the tertiary conformation of beta-lactoglobulin adsorbed on 90 nm silica nanoparticles with time were inferred using tryptophan fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for different surface concentrations, temperature, pH, ionic strength, and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) and dithiothreitol (DTT) concentrations. Rapid initial unfolding followed by a much slower rate at longer times was observed, with the extent of unfolding being higher at lower surface concentrations, higher ionic strengths, higher temperature, higher TFE and DTT concentrations, and pI. The effect of temperature on the unfolding of adsorbed protein on the nanoparticle surface was similar to that in the bulk even though the extent of unfolding was higher for adsorbed protein molecules. The results of the extent of change in tertiary conformation using FTIR as indicated by the change in the ratio of amide II'/amide I were consistent with those obtained by tryptophan fluorescence whereas the rates of conformational changes given by FTIR were found to be much faster. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed that altering the surface concentration by itself did not change the secondary structure of beta-lactoglobulin on the surface. TFE was found to increase the alpha helix content at the expense of the fraction of the beta sheet, whereas the beta sheet was converted to an unordered conformation in the presence of DTT.     

Fluorescence and quenching comparative studies of halophilic and bovine glutamate dehydrogenase

Fluorescence techniques have been used to study the structural characteristics of many proteins. The halophilic enzyme NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase from Haloferax mediterranei is found to be a hexameric enzyme composed of identical subunits. Fluorescence spectra of native and denatured halophilic and bovine glutamate dehydrogenase (h-GDH and b-GDH) have been analysed. Native h-GDH presents the maximum emission at 338 nm, whereas for b-GDH the maximum appears at 332 nm. The denaturation process is accompanied by an exposure to the solvent of the tryptophan residues, as manifested by the red shift of the emission maximum in both cases. The unfolding of h-GDH is a gradual process, which is accompanied by a loss in enzyme activity. Fluorescence quenching by external quenchers, KI and acrylamide, has also been carried out. The tryptophan residues in the protein are more exposed to the solvent in h-GDH than in b-GDH. The total amount of tryptophan residues is nearly the same for both enzymes.     

Thermostability of glucose oxidase in silica gel obtained by sol-gel method and in solution studied by fluorimetric method

The thermostability of glucose oxidase entrapped in silica gel obtained by sol-gel method was studied by thermostimulated fluorescence of FAD at pH 5 and 7 and compared with that of the native enzyme in the solution and at the presence of ethanol. The unfolding temperatures were found to be lower for the enzyme immobilised in gel as compared with the native enzyme but higher as for the enzyme at the presence of ethanol. In gel, the thermal denaturation of glucose oxidase is independent on pH while in solution the enzyme is more stable at pH 5. The investigation the enzyme in different environment by steady-state fluorescence of FAD and tryptophan, synchronous fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence of tryptophan indicates that the state of the molecule (tertiary structure and molecular dynamics) is different in gel and in solution. The ethanol produced during gel precursor hydrolysis is not the main factor influencing the thermostability of the enzyme but more important are interactions of the protein with the gel lattice.     

Chemical Modification of Tryptophan Residues in Superoxide Dismutase from Camellia Pollen and Its Fluorescence Spectrum

The amino acid composition of the superoxide dismutase（SOD） from camellia pollen was measured and the tryptophan（Trp） residues were modified by using N-bromosuccinimide（NBS）. The results show that there are 21 Trp residues in an SOD molecule and seven of which are located on the surface of the enzyme. By researching the fluorescence spectra of the native SOD and the modified SOD, we have found that the emission wavelength of Trp is at 335 nm and the fluorescence intensity will decrease when the enzyme is modified. The results also show that potassium iodide（KI） can significantly quench the fluorescence of the native SOD, but it has a less pronounced effect on the modified enzyme. Glycerin as a surface activation reagent can stabilize the fluorescence of the modified enzyme.     

Evidence for a Molten Globule State in Cicer α-Galactosidase Induced by pH, Temperature, and Guanidine Hydrochloride

Physiologically as well as industrially, α-galactosidases are very important enzymes, but very little is known about the stability and folding aspect of enzyme. In the present study, we have investigated the temperature, pH, and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) induced unfolding of Cicer α-galactosidase using circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Strong negative ellipticities at 208, 215, and 222 nm indicate the presence of both α and β structures in Cicer α-galactosidase and showed that its secondary structure belongs to α?+?β class of proteins with 31 % α-helicity. For Cicer α-galactosidase the emission maximum was found to be 345 nm which suggests that tryptophan residues are less exposed to solvent. However, at pH?2.0, protein showed blue-shift. This state of protein lacked activity but it retained significant secondary structure. Enhanced binding of ANS at pH?2.0 indicated significant unfolding and exposure of hydrophobic regions. The unfolded state of Cicer α-galactosidase showed a red-shift of 15 nm with a concomitant decrease in the fluorescence intensity. The enzyme maintained its native structure and full activity up to 40 °C; however, above this temperature, denaturation was observed.