Protein stability and structure in HIC: hydrogen exchange experiments and COREX calculations

Hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry (HXMS) coupled to proteolytic digestion has been used to probe the conformation of bovine β-lactoglobulin (BLG), bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA), and human serum albumin (HSA) in solution and while adsorbed to the hydrophobic interaction chromatography media Phenyl Sepharose 6FF. All three proteins show evidence of EX1 exchange kinetics, indicating a loss of stability on the surface. HX protection patterns for all three proteins also indicate that the unfolded form is only partially solvent exposed. The hydrogen-deuterium exchange patterns of BLG and BLA on the surface suggest a structure that resembles each protein's respective solution phase molten globule state. The low stability of Domain II of HSA observed on Phenyl Sepharose 6FF also suggests a link to solution stability because Domain II is frequently cited as the least stable domain in solution unfolding pathways. COREX, an algorithm used to compute protein folding stabilities, correctly predicts solution hydrogen-deuterium exchange patterns for BLG and offers insight into its adsorbed phase stabilities but is unreliable for BLA predictions. The results of this work demonstrate a link between solution-phase local stability patterns and the nature of partially unfolded states that proteins can adopt on HIC surfaces.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins: Thermodynamic analysis of conformational changes

For BSA and β-lactoglobulin adsorption to hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) stationary phases leads to conformational changes. In order to study the enthalpy (ΔH_ads), entropy (ΔS_ads), free energy (ΔG_ads) and heat capacity (Δc_p,ads) changes associated with adsorption we evaluated chromatographic data by the non-linear van’t Hoff model. Additionally, we performed isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments. van’t Hoff analysis revealed that a temperature raise from 278 to 308 K increasingly favoured adsorption seen by a decrease of ΔG_ads from −12.9 to −20.5 kJ/mol for BSA and from −6.6 to −13.2 kJ/mol for β-lactoglobulin. Δc_p,ads values were positive at 1.2 m (NH₄)₂SO₄ and negative at 0.7 m (NH₄)₂SO₄. Positive Δc_p,ads values imply hydration of apolar groups and protein unfolding. These results further corroborate conformational changes upon adsorption and their dependence on mobile phase (NH₄)₂SO₄ concentration. ITC measurements showed that ΔH_ads is dependent on surface coverage already at very low loadings. Discrepancies between ΔH_ads determined by van’t Hoff analysis and ITC were observed. We explain this with protein conformational changes upon adsorption which are not accounted for by van’t Hoff analysis.     

Structural changes in β-lactoglobulin by conjugation with three different kinds of carboxymethyl cyclodextrins

β-Lactoglobulin-carboxymethyl cyclodextrin (β-LG-CMCyD) conjugates were prepared by using water soluble carbodiimide. Three kinds of CMCyDs differing in molecular mass were used to investigate the effects of different CMCyD contents, net charge and hydrophobicity on the structural changes in β-lactoglobulin. The effect of CMCyDs on the structure of β-lactoglobulin was utilized to investigate the contribution of hydrophobic interactions to the stability of the protein. Spectroscopic studies suggested that the conformation around had not changed in either conjugate but the α-helix content of β-LG-CMCyD conjugates had markedly increased as compared with that of β-lactoglobulin. The differential scanning calorimetry technique confirmed that the addition of one glucose unit in β-LG-CMCyD conjugates, enthalpy change of calorimetry decreased and the denaturation temperature of each conjugate was higher than that of native β-lactoglobulin. The heat contents agreed well with the conformational transition measured by molar ellipticity at 222 nm ([θ]₂₂₂) and Stoke's radius (R_S) values. Therefore, hydrophobic forces play an important role in stabilizing and shielding of the β-LG-CMCyD conjugates.     

A differential microcalorimetric study of whey proteins and their behaviour in oil-in-water emulsions

Oil-in-water emulsions (20% soya oil, 1% protein) have been prepared containing lysozyme or isolates of -lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin from whey protein. The structural characteristics of these proteins adsorbed at an oil/water interface were determined by following their thermal transitions using differential scanning microcalorimetry. Thermograms of the proteins in the adsorbed state differed markedly from the corresponding transitions seen for the proteins in solution. This suggests that the proteins underwent substantial changes in secondary and tertiary structure upon adsorption. In general, for all the proteins studied, a net decrease in the total energy absorbed during denaturation was found when the proteins were in an adsorbed state. Both lysozyme and -lactalbumin were in part “surface denatured”, and they showed a certain degree of reversibility between solution and the adsorbed state. β-Lactoglobulin showed the highest degree of denaturation upon adsorption and the conformational change was irreversible.     

Dynamic control of protein conformation transition in chromatographic separation based on hydrophobic interactions: Molecular dynamics simulation

Conformational transitions of a protein in hydrophobic interaction based chromatography, including hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), and their impact on the separation process and performance were probed by molecular dynamics simulation of a 46-bead β-barrel coarse-grained model protein in a confined pore, which represents the porous adsorbent. The transition of the adsorbed protein from the native conformation to an unfolded one occurred as a result of strong hydrophobic interactions with the pore surface, which reduced the formation of protein aggregates. The conformational transition was also displayed in the simulation once an elution buffer characterized by weaker hydrophobicity was introduced to strip protein from pore surface. The discharged proteins that underwent conformational transition were prone to aggregation; thus, an unsatisfactory yield of the native protein was obtained. An orthogonal experiment revealed that in addition to the strengths of the protein–protein and protein–adsorbent hydrophobic interactions, the elution time required to reduce the above-mentioned interactions also determined the yield of native protein by HIC and RPLC. Stepwise elution, characterized by sequential reduction of the hydrophobic interactions between the protein and adsorbent, was presented as a dynamic strategy for tuning conformational transitions to favor the native conformation and reduce the formation of protein aggregates during the elution process. The yield of the native protein obtained by this dynamic operation strategy was higher than that obtained by steady-state elution. The simulation study qualitatively reproduced the experimental observations and provided molecular insight that would be helpful for designing and optimizing HIC and RPLC separation of proteins.     

Analysis of major milk whey proteins by immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis coupled with MALDI-MS

Two major milk whey proteins, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin, are among the main cow milk allergens and can cause allergy even at a very low concentrations. Therefore, these proteins are interesting targets in food analysis, not only for food quality control but also for highlighting the presence of allergens. Herein, a sensitive analysis for β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin was developed using immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis hyphenated with MALDI-MS. Magnetic beads functionalized with appropriate antibodies were used for β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin immunocapture inside the capillary. After elution from the beads, analyte focusing and separation were performed by transient isotachophoresis followed by MALDI-MS analysis performed through an automated iontophoretic fraction collection interface. A LOD in the low nanomolar range was attained for both whey proteins. The method developed was further applied to the analysis of different milk samples including fortified soy milk.     

Structural rearrangement of β-lactoglobulin at different oil-water interfaces and its effect on emulsion stability

Understanding the factors that control protein structure and stability at the oil-water interface continues to be a major focus to optimize the formulation of protein-stabilized emulsions. In this study, a combination of synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy, front-face fluorescence spectroscopy, and dual polarization interferometry (DPI) was used to characterize the conformation and geometric structure of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) upon adsorption to two oil-water interfaces: a hexadecane-water interface and a tricaprylin-water interface. The results show that, upon adsorption to both oil-water interfaces, β-Lg went through a β-sheet to α-helix transition with a corresponding loss of its globular tertiary structure. The degree of conformational change was also a function of the oil phase polarity. The hexadecane oil induced a much higher degree of non-native α-helix compared to the tricaprylin oil. In contrast to the β-Lg conformation in solution, the non-native α-helical-rich conformation of β-Lg at the interface was resistant to further conformational change upon heating. DPI measurements suggest that β-Lg formed a thin dense layer at emulsion droplet surfaces. The effects of high temperature and the presence of salt on these β-Lg emulsions were then investigated by monitoring changes in the ζ-potential and particle size. In the absence of salt, high electrostatic repulsion meant β-Lg-stabilized emulsions were resistant to heating to 90 °C. Adding salt (120 mM NaCl) before or after heating led to emulsion flocculation due to the screening of the electrostatic repulsion between colloidal particles. This study has provided insight into the structural properties of proteins adsorbed at the oil-water interface and has implications in the formulation and production of emulsions stabilized by globular proteins.     

Coarse-grained simulations of the conformational dynamics of proteins

The conformational dynamics of a set of proteins, cytochrome c, α-lactalbumin and barnase, is studied by an off-lattice Monte Carlo (MC)/Metropolis simulation technique. A low-resolution model (virtual bond model) for the protein structure is used with recently extracted knowledge-based potentials. The calculated root-mean-square fluctuations in the α-carbons are in good agreement with X-ray crystallographic temperature factors. The potentially yielding or non-yielding regions of the protein for unfolding, in the kinetic sense, are identified from the correlation analysis of the rotational motions of the backbone bonds. The bonds which display highly auto-correlated rotational motions, in general, belong to those regions which are experimentally identified to be highly resistant to unfolding.     

An investigation of the effect of microwave treatment on the structure and unfolding pathways of β-lactoglobulin using FTIR spectroscopy with the application of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS)

Microwave treatment of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) in D₂O solution under various conditions was monitored by Fourier transform mid infrared (mid-FTIR) spectroscopy. At sub-ambient temperatures, no microwave-induced changes in the conformation of the protein were detected. Microwave heating of the β-Lg solutions to temperatures in the range of 40–60 °C resulted in a marked increase in the rate of hydrogen–deuterium (H–D) exchange as compared to conventional heating at the same temperature. At heating temperatures in the range of 70–90 °C, the microwave-heated solutions exhibited more extensive protein aggregation than conventionally heated solutions. Application of two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis to the Fourier self-deconvolved FTIR spectra recorded as a function of number of cycles of microwave or conventional heating revealed that the unfolding pathway of β-Lg was different in these two temperature ranges (40–60 °C versus 70–90 °C) but was similar in both microwave – treated and conventionally heated samples. Nevertheless, within the temperature range of 70–90 °C microwave treatment accelerated the unfolding of β-lactoglobulin.     

Insights into the energetics and mechanism underlying the interaction of tetraethylammonium bromide with proteins

Calorimetry has been employed to investigate the quantitative energetic aspects and mechanism underlying protein–tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) interactions. Differential scanning calorimetry and UV–Visible spectroscopy have been used to study the thermal unfolding of three proteins of different structure and function (bovine serum albumin, α-lactalbumin, and bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A). The mode of interaction has been studied by using isothermal titration calorimetry, which demonstrates the absence of appreciable specific binding of TEAB to the protein. This suggests the involvement of solvent mediated effects and, possibly weak non-specific binding. The thermal unfolding transitions were found to be calorimetrically reversible for α-lactalbumin and bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A and partially reversible in the case of bovine serum albumin. The results indicate protein destabilization promoted by the TEAB interaction. The preferential interaction parameters of TEAB with α-lactalbumin and ribonuclease A confirm that an increased interaction of the hydrophobic groups of the TEAB with that of the protein upon denaturation is responsible for the reduced thermal stability of the protein. The decrease in the thermal stability of proteins in the presence of TEAB is well supported by a red shift in the intrinsic fluorescence of these proteins leading to conformational change thereby shifting the native ? denatured equilibrium towards right. The forces responsible for the thermal denaturation of the proteins of different structure and function in the presence of TEAB are discussed.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. III. Unfolding of proteins upon adsorption

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) exploits the hydrophobic properties of protein surfaces for separation and purification by performing interactions with chromatographic sorbents of hydrophobic nature. In contrast to reversed-phase chromatography, this methodology is less detrimental to the protein and is therefore more commonly used in industrial scale as well as in bench scale when the conformational integrity of the protein is important. Hydrophobic interactions are promoted by salt and thus proteins are retained in presence of a cosmotropic salt. When proteins are injected on HIC columns with increasing salt concentrations under isocratic conditions only, a fraction of the applied amount is eluted. The higher the salt concentration, the lower is the amount of eluted protein. The rest can be desorbed with a buffer of low salt concentration or water. It has been proposed that the stronger retained protein fraction has partially changed the conformation upon adsorption. This has been also corroborated by physicochemical measurements. The retention data of 5 different model proteins and 10 different stationary phases were evaluated. Partial unfolding of proteins upon adsorption on surfaces of HIC media were assumed and a model describing the adsorption of native and partial unfolded fraction was developed. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the surface acts as catalyst for partial unfolding, since the fraction of partial unfolded protein is increasing with length of the alkyl chain.     

原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉及酸奶中蛋白去除效果的研究

建立了毛细管电泳法分析α-乳白蛋白、β-乳球蛋白A及β-乳球蛋白B的方法,考察了不同浓度冰乙酸(HAc)及三氯乙酸(TCA)对原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉A和B及酸奶中蛋白的去除效果。结果表明,TCA去除蛋白效果优于HAc,不同样品所需TCA浓度不同:2g原料奶需3mL100g/LTCA;0.5g婴儿配方奶粉A和B分别需5mL10g/L及20g/LTCA;2g酸奶则需3mL20g/LTCA才能将蛋白完全沉淀。为原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉及酸奶等乳制品的样品前处理提供了有价值的参考。     

Separation of casein micelles from whey proteins by high shear microfiltration of skim milk using rotating ceramic membranes and organic membranes in a rotating disk module

This paper investigates the microfiltration of skim milk in order to separate caseins micelles from two whey proteins, α-lactalbumin (α-La) and β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg), using a modified dynamic filtration pilot (MSD) consisting in 6 ceramic 9-cm diameter membrane disks of 0.2 μm pores, rotating around a shaft inside cylindrical housing. A comparison was made with another dynamic filtration module consisting in a disk rotating near a fixed PVDF 15.5 cm diameter membrane with 0.15 μm pores. Maximum permeate fluxes were 120 L h⁻¹ m⁻² with the MSD module at 1930 rpm and at 40 °C, and 210 L h⁻¹ m⁻² at 2500 rpm and 45 °C, with the rotating disk module. Casein rejection was around 99% at high speed for both membranes. α-La transmission decreased with increasing transmembrane pressure (TMP) from 75% to 60% for ceramic membranes and from 25% to 10% for the PVDF one. β-Lg transmissions were lower, ranging from 23% to 15% for ceramic membranes and from 20% to 5% for the PVDF one. In a concentration test with the PVDF membrane at 2000 rpm, the flux decayed from 200 L h⁻¹ m⁻² at initial concentration to 80 L h⁻¹ m⁻² at VRR = 3.2 and 22.1% of the initial α-La mass was recovered in the permeate, against 8.1% for β-Lg. Permeate fluxes in the mass transfer limited regime (J_lim) of the MSD and rotating disk module operated at various speeds were well correlated by the equation J_lim = 17.13 V_av where V_av denoted the disk azimuthal velocity averaged over the membrane area. Measurements of J_lim, taken from Ref. [G. Samuelsson, P. Dejlmek, G. Tragardh, M. Paulsson, Minimizing whey protein retention in crossflow microfiltration of skim milk. Int. Dairy J. 7 (1997) 237–242] during MF of skim milk using tubular ceramic membranes at velocities from 1.5 to 8 m s⁻¹ with permeate co-current recirculation were found to obey the same correlation.     

pH dependence of the kinetics of interfacial tension changes during protein adsorption from sessile droplets on FEP-Teflon

Interfacial tension changes during protein adsorption at both the solid-liquid and the liquid-vapor interface were measured simultaneously by ADSA-P from sessile droplets of protein solutions on fluoroethylenepropylene-Teflon. Four globular proteins of similar size, viz. lysozyme, ribonuclease, -lactalbumin and Ca²⁺-free -lactalbumin, and one larger protein, serum albumin, were adsorbed from phosphate solutions at varying pH values (pH 3-12). The kinetics of the interfacial tension changes were described using a model accounting for diffusion-controlled adsorption of protein molecules and conformational changes of already adsorbed molecules. The contribution of conformational changes to the equilibrium interfacial pressure was shown to be relatively small and constant with respect to pH when compared to the contribution of adsorption of the protein molecules. The model also yields the diffusion relaxation time and the rate constant for the conformational changes at the interface. Around the isoelectric point of a protein the calculated diffusion relaxation time was minimal, which is ascribed to the absence of an energy barrier to adsorption. Energy barriers to adsorption become larger at pH values away from the isoelectric point and can therefore become rate-limiting for the adsorption process. The rate constants for conformational changes at the liquid-vapor interface were maximal around the isoelectric point of a protein, suggesting a smaller structural stability of the adsorbed protein. At the solid-liquid interface the rate constants were smaller and independent of pH. indicating that conformational changes more readily occur at the liquid-vapor than at the solid-liquid interface.     

Influence of surface modification on protein retention in ion-exchange chromatography: Evaluation using different retention models

A large number of different stationary phases for ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) from different manufacturers are available, which vary significantly in a number of chemical and physical properties. As a consequence, binding mechanisms may be different as well. In the work reported here, the retention data of model proteins (α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin A, bovine serum albumin and alcohol dehydrogenase) were determined for three anion-exchange adsorbents based on synthetic copolymer beads with differences in the functional group chemistry. Fractogel EMD DEAE and Fractoprep DEAE consist of functional groups bound to the surface via “tentacles”, ToyopearlDEAE by a short linker. Three models which describe chromatographic retention were used to analyse the characteristic parameters of the protein/stationary-phase interactions. The number of electrostatic interaction between the stationary phase and the model proteins, the protein specific surface charge densities and the interacting surface of the proteins with the adsorptive layer of the chromatographic media depend on the surface modification as well as on the molecular mass of the model proteins. In general, protein retention of the model proteins on the weak anion exchangers was found to be greater if the stationary phase carries tentacles and protein mass is above 60 kDa.     

Loading, stationary phase, and salt effects during hydrophobic interaction chromatography: alpha-lactalbumin is stabilized at high loadings

Amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange labeling has been used to study the effects of salt and protein loading on alpha-lactalbumin (BLA) stability during hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). Stability in the adsorbed phase increased dramatically with increasing loading, and unfolding was nearly undetectable close to the resin saturation capacity. We also found that a butyl surface destabilized BLA more than a phenyl surface, despite the fact that BLA was bound more strongly on the phenyl surface. These observations have important implications for HIC process design and indicate that in some cases column capacity does not have to be sacrificed to preserve protein stability.     

Effects of urea induced protein conformational changes on ion exchange chromatographic behavior

Urea is widely employed to facilitate protein separations in ion exchange chromatography at various scales. In this work, five model proteins were used to examine the chromatographic effects of protein conformational changes induced by urea in ion exchange chromatography. Linear gradient experiments were carried out at various urea concentrations and the protein secondary and tertiary structures were evaluated by far UV CD and fluorescence measurements, respectively. The results indicated that chromatographic retention times were well correlated with structural changes and that they were more sensitive to tertiary structural change. Steric Mass Action (SMA) isotherm parameters were also examined and the results indicated that urea induced protein conformational changes could affect both the characteristic charge and equilibrium constants in these systems. Dynamic light scattering analysis of changes in protein size due to urea-induced unfolding indicated that the size of the protein was not correlated with SMA parameter changes. These results indicate that while urea-induced structural changes can have a marked effect on protein chromatographic behavior in IEX, this behavior can be quite complicated and protein specific. These differences in protein behavior may provide insight into how these partially unfolded proteins are interacting with the resin material.     

Efficient separation of homologous α-lactalbumin from transgenic bovine milk using optimized hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Transgenic bovine milk could be a rich source of recombinant human proteins. However, the co-presence of bovine and human homologous proteins can be a challenge for product purification. In this study, the average surface hydrophobicity and electric potential of human α-lactalbumin (HLA) and bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) were analyzed and compared through the exposure area calculation of different amino acids. Based on the analysis, calcium independent hydrophobic interaction chromatography was selected for separation of recombinant human α-lactalbumin (rHLA) from BLA in transgenic bovine milk. The operating conditions for the best separation of two proteins were predicted by fluorescence data. Three commercially available HIC resins (Butyl Sepharose 4 FF, Octyl Sepharose 4 FF, Phenyl Sepharose 6 FF) were compared. The transgenic milk was skimmed and treated by pH adjustment to remove a large quantity of casein protein. The supernatant was loaded on the hydrophobic interaction chromatographic matrix. The correct elution fraction was further treated with gel filtration chromatography. The overall recovery of rHLA was up to 67.1% with the purity greater than 95%. Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and mass spectrogram (MS) confirmed the native state and glycosylated form of the purified rHLA.     

DESORPTION OF LYSINE MODIFIED AND UNMODIFIED PROTEINS FROM SOLID SURFACES - ELUTION OF β -LACTOGLOBULIN ADSORBED ON ALUMINA AND SILICA

The strength of attachment of adsorbed bovine β-lactoglobulin (βlg) and acetylated β-lactoglobulin (Ac-βlg) has been studied by comparing the elution profiles of the adsorbed proteins. βlg binds very loosely to alumina at pH 4.2 and both βlg and Ac-βlg bind very tightly to alumina at pH 5.1 where the proteins showed highest adsorption at alumina/ water interface [ Bhaduri, A & Das, K. P., J. Disp. Sci. Technol., 15, 165-188 (1994)]. Adsorbed protein can only be eluted out if the pH of the elution buffer is raised to 7.6. βlg elutes as a single peak whereas Ac-βlg as two peaks indicating the later is adsorbed to alumina with different affinities. Elution profile of adsorbed βlg at pH 6.3 shows that adsorbed βlg population consists of partly folded elutable fraction and partly unfolded resistant one. The interaction of first layer of protein with the silica surface at pH 5.1 is primarily hydrophobic for βlg and electrostatic for Ac-βlg.     

Enzymatic activity and catalytic hydrogen evolution in reduced and oxidized urease at mercury surfaces

It was originally shown [10] that urease retains its enzymatic activity when adsorbed at bare mercury and solid amalgam surfaces. However the opinion later prevailed that, when adsorbed at bare metal electrodes, proteins are irreversibly denatured. Here we confirm that urease is enzymatically active at a bare solid amalgam surface as found by Santhanam et al., and we show that this enzyme is equally active at a thiol-modified amalgam surface. We also show that it is the reduced form of urease, which is enzymatically active at Hg surfaces. Oxidation of the protein, resulting in formation of disulfide bonds, strongly decreases the enzyme activity. Using constant current chronopotentiometric stripping (CPS) we show that the exposure of surface-attached urease to negative potentials results in the protein unfolding. The extent of the unfolding depends upon the amount of time for which the protein is exposed to negative potentials, and at very short times this unfolding can be avoided. At thiol-modified Hg surfaces the protein is less vulnerable to the effects of the electric field. We conclude that the loss of enzymatic activity, resulting from a 10 min exposure of the protein to −0.58 V, is not due to reduction of the disulfide bonds as suggested by Santhanam et al. This loss is probably a result of protein reorientation, due to reduction of the Hg-S bonds (formed by accessible cysteines), followed by prolonged electric field effect on the surface-attached protein.