Dynamic surface activity by folding and unfolding an amphiphilic alpha-helix

We describe a rationally designed peptide with tunable surface activity, where the dynamics of surface activity are an outcome of helical folding. Our rationally designed model peptide is surface-active only as an alpha-helix. We apply circular dichroism to show that the folded population can be controlled with changes in electrolyte concentration, and we apply pendant bubble tensiometry to explore dynamic surfactant activity. This study shows a peptide that responds to environmental stimuli with dynamic folding and surface activity. Extending this concept to selective binding peptides will lead to new tools, where dynamic surface activity is coupled to targeted binding.     

细胞色素C氧化酶稳态动力学研究

应用分光光度计研究了细胞色素c氧化酶的稳态动力学。结果表明,酶与底物具有高低两个亲和相,催化反应受底物浓度调节,具有单底物多相反应动力学特点。     

细胞色素c突变研究进展

在简述细胞色素c的生物功能和结构特征的基础上,综述了细胞色素c突变研究的进展,重点论述了对血红素辅基(heme)的轴向配体Met80、heme所在腔的保守氨基酸残基Tyr67以及蛋白表面的保守氨基酸残基Phe82的突变研究,并对一些突变体蛋白表现出来的特殊性质给予解释。     

蚕丝蛋白固相萃取分离富集细胞色素c的研究

在特定实验条件下, 蚕丝蛋白对细胞色素c表现出选择性吸附. 以蚕丝蛋白微填充柱为载体, 在流动系统中建立了细胞色素c的分离富集方法, 以分光光度法在410 nm处检测分离富集过程. 在进样流速低于10 μL/s时, 2 mL样品溶液(pH=5.6的水溶液)中5 μg/mL的细胞色素c可被蚕丝蛋白微柱完全吸附, 而在洗脱流速低于15 μL/s时, 200 μL NaCl溶液(1.0 mol/L)可将吸附的细胞色素c完全洗脱, 分离富集系数为10. 用本方法测定细胞色素c的线性范围为1.0~10.0 μg/mL, 检出限为0.33 μg/mL, 精密度RSD为2.5%(5 μg/mL, n=9). 此外, 还采用本文方法对人全血中的蛋白质进行了分离富集, 并用SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳验证了分离后蛋白的纯度.     

基于细胞色素C/氧化锌的过氧化氢生物传感器

在铟锡氧化物(ITO)导电玻璃上,通过物理气相沉积纳米氧化锌制备了Nano-ZnO/ITO,并采用浸渍法将细胞色素C(Cyt.c)直接修饰于Nano-ZnO膜上,制得了Cyt.c修饰电极(Cyt.c/Nano-ZnO/ITO/CME),构建了基于直接电子传递的过氧化氢(H2O2)生物传感器.Nano-ZnO的X射线衍射光谱表明Nano-ZnO 膜为多晶六边形纤维锌矿结构;扫描电子显微镜(SEM) 表明Nano-ZnO 膜为多孔纳米材料,微粒直径在50～100 nm,且堆积形成多孔Nano-ZnO结构;紫外可见吸收光谱的最大吸收峰为360 nm,室温禁带宽度 3.37 eV.交流阻抗、紫外可见光谱以及循环伏安法证明了吸附在Nano-ZnO上的Cyt.c保持了生物催化活性,并实现了在Nano-ZnO上的直接电子传递.H2O2生物传感器(Cyt.c/Nano-ZnO/ITO/CME)的线性范围5×10-5～5×10-3 mol/L;灵敏度7.2×10-3 A·cm-2·mol/L,检出限4×10-5mol/L; 响应时间约3 s.     

细胞色素c在氧化石墨烯上的吸附研究

蛋白质在石墨烯上的吸附研究对于石墨烯材料的生物应用及安全性评价具有重要意义。该文对一种具有重要生理意义的蛋白质——细胞色素c在氧化石墨烯上的吸附进行了研究,利用原子力显微镜对吸附前后的形貌进行了表征,考察了吸附动力学和最大吸附容量,并对蛋白质在吸附前后的酶活性进行了比较。结果表明,细胞色素c在氧化石墨烯上具有超高的吸附容量(1 978 mg/g),吸附模式为多层吸附,且吸附作用力较牢固。吸附后,细胞色素c的酶活性仅有少许下降,说明蛋白质构象未发生变化。该文有望为石墨烯材料的生物应用和安全性评价提供重要数据。     

Optical properties of Yeast Cytochrome c monolayer on gold: an in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry investigation

The adsorption of Yeast Cytochrome c (YCC) on well defined, flat gold substrates has been studied by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) in the 245-1000 nm wavelength range. The investigation has been performed in aqueous ambient at room temperature, focusing on monolayer-thick films. In situ δΨ and δΔ difference spectra have shown reproducibly well-defined features related to molecular optical absorptions typical of the so-called heme group. The data have been reproduced quantitatively by a simple isotropic optical model, accounting for the molecular absorption spectrum and film-substrate interface effects. The simulations allowed a reliable estimate of the film thickness and the determination of the position and the shape of the so-called Soret absorption peak that, within the experimental uncertainty, is the same found for molecules in liquid. These findings suggest that YCC preserves its native structure upon adsorption. The same optical model was able to reproduce also ex situ results on rinsed and dried samples, dominated by the spectral features associated to the polypeptide chain that tend to overwhelm the heme absorption features.     

Energy Transfer between Flavin and Cytochrome c

Energy transfer between photoexcited flavin and cytochrome c has been investigated in order to estimate intermolecular forces between flavin and cytochrome c. The quenching of the fluorescence of flavin by cytochrome c excited at 372 nm was found to be much greater than that excited at 465 nm. This dependence of the quenching on the exciting wavelength is considered to be due to the “prerelaxational” fast energy transfer. From the analysis of the quenching of the fluorescence of FMN and lumiflavin by cytochrome c excited at 465 nm, it was concluded that 1) the quenching is mainly controlled by resonance energy transfer, and 2) the heterogeneous dispersion state of molecules due to electrostatic forces makes the critical transfer distance, R ₀, of the resonance process longer than the real distance. For the quenching of the fluorescence of flavodoxin by cytochrome c, it was found that complex formation is a dominant process and is controlled to a great extent by electrostatic forces. Furthermore, fluorescence decay curves were measured by a single-photon counting method in order to estimate the dynamic processes of flavin fluorescence. The results also showed that the resonance process exists in the energy transfer between flavin and cytochrome c.     

Acid Denaturation and Refolding of Cytochrome c on Silica Surface

Denaturation of oxidized cytochrome c (cyt c) adsorbed to a hydrophilic fused silica surface was studied by UV‐VIS attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy using a multiple optical pass system newly developed by this lab. Cyt c surface adsorption at neutral pH gave an adsorption equilibrium constant of K_a = 2 × 10⁵ M^?1 and a surface coverage at 63% of a monolayer saturation. Protein unfolding by acid denaturation was studied by equilibrating surface bound cyt c with acid buffers ranging in pH from 5 to 2. Protein orientation and surface coverage were calculated based on a theoretical model developed in previous work. The average heme tilt angle (44°) was found to be independent of pH, implicating protein‐surface interactions as the dominant factor governing adsorption. A non‐random molecular orientation distribution of cyt c on the surface was observed, providing further support for the dominance of protein‐surface interactions. It was shown that when denaturing acid buffers were removed and replaced with a neutral buffer cyt c refolded, assuming their original conformation. The combination of unique, yet applicable, science and laboratory skills involved in this project had a tremendous impact on the authors‘ undergraduate curriculum, making it ideal for capstone project development.     

基于ITO电极的细胞色素c吸附层的直接电化学

采用未经修饰的铟锡氧化物(ITO)工作电极直接探测到了细胞色素c(Cytc)吸附层的氧化还原峰,并得出了Cytc的表面浓度,随着溶液浓度从2μmo·lL-1增大到10μmo·lL-1,Cytc的表面浓度相应地从0.35×10-12mo·lcm-2增大到1.53×10-12mo·lcm-2.实验获得的表面浓度倒数与溶液浓度倒数的准线性关系说明Cytc在ITO表面的吸附基本满足Langmuir等温吸附理论.对Cytc溶液的循环伏安测试结果表明参与电极反应的Cytc包括游离分子和吸附分子,前者的贡献大于后者,电极反应主要受扩散控制并呈准可逆过程.根据Nicholson方法估算得到反应物的标准异相速率常数的平均值为1.65×10-3cm·s-1.实验结果显示在室温下放置1h后Cytc吸附层电化学活性部分丧失,在80℃下放置1h后吸附层完全失活.失活的Cytc吸附层对铁氰化钾溶液在Au电极上的电极反应具有明显的阻碍作用.     

吡啶、2-甲基吡啶存在下细胞色素c碱式异构化和配体细胞色素c配合物的电化学研究

用半胱氨酸修饰的金电极研究了吡啶、2 甲基吡啶存在下细胞色素c碱式异构化和配体结合细胞色素c的电化学。在此电极上 ,细胞色素c可发生准可逆的电极反应而吡啶结合细胞色素c和 2 甲基吡啶结合细胞色素c在循环伏安图上只给出还原峰。高浓度 (1.2 7mol·L- 1)的吡啶和 2 甲基吡啶可诱导碱式细胞色素c在中性条件下生成。进一步的研究表明 ,这种诱导作用与配体和细胞色素c的键合无关     

表面带负电荷氨基酸残基的突变对细胞色素b5与细胞色素c结合和识别的影响

利用核磁共振方法研究表面带不同负电荷氨基酸残基突变后的细胞色素b₅与细胞色素c的结合与识别.结果表明,静电作用在细胞色素b₅与细胞色素c的结合过程中有着重要的贡献,而且这些静电贡献在一定程度上具有累加性,E48的贡献略大于E44.同时还证明Browniandynamicssimulations优化出的Glu48-Lys13,Glu56-Lys₈₇,Asp60-Lys86和heme6-propionate-Tml₇₂(细胞色素b₅的残基排在前面)的结合方式在溶液中的确存在.细胞色素b₅突变体(E48,E56/A,D60/A)及[Cr(oxalate)₃]^3-对细胞色素c的表面结合竞争实验表明,细胞色素c表面结合区Site仍然同细胞色素b₅突变体(E48,E56/A,D60/A)有结合作用,只是结合强度上相对于野生细胞色素b₅同细胞色素c的结合有所降低.这表明除上述的Brownian dynamics simulations模型外,尚有其它如Salemme模型等的结合方式,这也揭示出细胞色素b₅和细胞色素c之间的结合是比较动态的.     

细胞色素c突变体的共振拉曼光谱研究

采用共振拉曼光谱技术研究了细胞色素c一次突变体（WT）及其突变体Y67F和N52I在低频区的光谱特征。结果表明，以苯丙氨酸替代WT中酪氨酸残基Tyr67并没有明显影响血红素丙氨酸侧基周围多肽氨基酸残基的构象，而异亮氨酸对天冬酰胺残基Asn52的取代则较大程度地改变了蛋白质内部水分子与周围氨基酸残基间的氢键作用和多肽空腔的疏水性，进而使氨基酸残基和血素的构象相应发生调变。两种取代都导致形成血红素周围空腔的多肽氨基酸残基构象的变化。     

Studies on Cytochrome c Modified by [PtdienNO_3]Cl

For the first time, [PtdienNO_3]Cl was used as a stable reagent to modify ferricytochrome c and the reaction products were separated and purified with the CM-52 cation exchange chromatography. Five components were obtained, corresponding to the native cytochrome c single-labeled, dual-labeled, and triple-labeled derivatives as shown by the analysis of the molar ratio of the two metal atoms (Pt and Fe). The reduction potentials of these proteins were measured by differential pulse voltammetry. His-33 and Trp-59 were identified by~1HNMR as the binding sites of the platinum complex in the modified cytochrome c derivatives. Trp-59 was a conserved amino acid connected with the heme through hydrogen bond, which had not been modified by other transition metal complexes. The platinummodified cytochrome c derivatives might be valuable in exploring the role of the aromatic amino acids, especially Trp-59, in electron transfer.     

Direct and Cytochrome c Mediated Electrochemistry of Bilirubin Oxidase on Gold

Direct electron transfer (DET) of bilirubin oxidase from Myrothecium verrucaria (BOD) was established on promoter‐modified gold electrodes. The electrochemical behavior of the enzyme in solution was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry evaluating the biocatalytic reduction of dioxygen. The reaction of BOD at Au electrodes was shown to be efficient only at low pH. In addition, a novel interaction between BOD and cytochrome c (cyt.c) was found. It was shown that BOD efficiently accepts cyt.c as an electron donor in both cases when cyt.c is in solution and electrostatically adsorbed. The results suggest that cyt.c can play the role of a mediator facilitating electron transfer in a pH range where no DET could be observed between the enzyme and the electrode. For the interaction between cyt.c and BOD in solution the reaction kinetics has been studied electrochemically and spectrophotometrically.     

大分子拥挤条件下光诱导细胞色素C还原的光谱研究

稀溶液中高铁细胞色素C（ferric cytochrome c,Fe（Ⅲ）-Cyt c）能被光照还原成亚铁细胞色素C（ferrous cytochrome c,Fe（Ⅱ）-Cyt c）,但这一研究忽略了生物体细胞的真实环境是高度拥挤的,因此采用紫外可见、同步荧光及圆二色谱光谱法研究了大分子拥挤环境中光诱导Cyt c的还原过程及其对外界环境的依赖情况. UV-Vis光谱和同步荧光光谱结果表明,拥挤试剂葡聚糖70（Dextran70）和聚蔗糖70（Ficoll70）的加入利于Cyt c光还原的进行,且Ficoll70存在时Cyt c光还原程度远高于Dextran70存在时;Dextran70和Ficoll70环境中光诱导Cyt c还原的最适温度分别为37 ℃和25 ℃,定波长280 nm光照射利于Cyt c还原;Cyt c的光还原程度随着Dextran70浓度增加而增大,Ficoll70环境中Cyt c的最适光还原浓度为100 g·L^-1;拥挤环境下Met,Trp,Tyr和Phe的存在对光诱导Cyt c的还原过程依Phe> Tyr> Trp> Met顺序有催化促进作用;CD光谱结果表明光照射稀溶液中Cyt c蛋白还原后,其α-螺旋含量降低,β-折叠含量升高,而光照射拥挤环境中Cyt c还原后蛋白的二级结构基本没变化. 结果表明拥挤试剂具有稳定蛋白质二级结构的作用,且影响光还原Cyt c的电子传递过程及效率.     

血红蛋白和细胞色素c构象去折叠行为研究

利用紫外-可见吸收和荧光光谱法研究了血红蛋白(Hb)与细胞色素c(Cytc)两种血红素蛋白的去折叠行为。采用化学变性剂盐酸胍(GdHCl)和尿素(Urea)诱导两种蛋白构象去折叠,阐述了两种蛋白的去折叠机理。Hb的血红素(Heme)辅基通过与卟啉铁原子和组氨酸配位,与肽链键合的稳定性较差,在3.0 mol/L的盐酸胍作用下即发生解离。而Cyt c的Heme辅基通过卟啉与半胱氨酸形成二硫键呈现较强的稳定性,盐酸胍浓度达到6.0 mol/L也难使其发生解离。该研究为阐释蛋白构象与功能之间的关系提供了重要依据。     

Direct electrochemistry behavior of Cytochrome c on silicon dioxide nanoparticles-modified electrode

A newfangled direct electrochemistry behavior of Cytochrome c (Cyt c) was found on glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with the silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles by physical adsorption. A pair of stable and well-defined redox peaks of Cyt c′ quasi-reversible electrochemical reaction were obtained with a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant of 1.66×10-3 cm/s and a formal potential of 0.069 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) (0.263 V versus NHE) in 0.1 mol/L pH 6.8 PBS. Both the size and the amount of SiO2 nanoparticles could influence the electron transfer between Cyt c and the electrode. Electrostatic interaction which is between the negative nanoparticle surface and positively charged amino acid residues on the Cyt c surface is of importance for the stability and reproducibility toward the direct electron transfer of Cyt c. It is suggested that the modification of SiO2 nanoparticles proposes a novel approach to realize the direct electrochemistry of proteins.     

Tandem mass spectrometry of protein—Protein complexes: Cytochrome c—Cytochrome b 5

An improved method to interpret triple quadrupole MS/MS experiments of complexes of large ions is presented and applied to a study of the complex formed by the proteins cytochrome c and cytochrome b5. Modeling of the activation and dissociation process shows that most of the reaction occurs near the collision cell exit where ions have the highest internal energies. Experiments at different collision cell pressures or with different collision gases (Ne, Ar, Kr) are interpreted with a previously proposed collision model (Chen et al., Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 1998, 12, 1003-1010) to calculate the internal energy added to ions to cause dissociation. Small but systematic differences under different experimental conditions are attributed to different times available for reaction. A method to correct for this is presented. Ne, Ar, and Kr are found to have similar energy transfer efficiencies. Complexes of cytochrome c and cytochrome b5 are detected in ESI mass spectra but with abundances less than expected from the solution equilibrium. Dissociation of the cytochrome c-cytochrome b5 complexes with charge k gives as the most abundant fragments, cytochrome b5(+3) and cytochrome c+(k-3). Adding charges to the complex destabilizes it. A series of cytochrome c variants with Lys residues thought to be involved in solution binding replaced by Ala showed no differences in the energy required to induce dissociation of the gas phase complex. The implications for the binding of the gas phase ions are inconclusive.