Protein interactions at solid surfaces

Protection mechanism of Tween 80 during freeze-thawing of a model protein, LDH

The purpose of the study was to investigate the protective mechanism of a non-ionic surfactant, Tween 80, at freeze-thawing with controlled temperature history of a model protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The system was examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). LDH activity assays were performed spectrophotometrically. In all samples, independent of temperature history and addition of surfactant, all water was crystallized to polycrystalline ice at temperatures below -20 degrees C. The size and perfection of the ice crystals could be varied by a range of cooling rates giving different degrees of undercooling. At Tween concentrations below the cmc at crystallization, lower concentrations were required at low cooling rates compared to higher cooling rates to protect LDH. Concentrations above cmc of Tween reduced the protection at a cooling rate of 5 degrees C min(-1) and at quenching in N(2)(l). The amount of Tween needed for complete protection correlated to the surface area of the ice crystals at a certain temperature history. Tween 80 protects LDH from denaturation at freeze-thawing by hindering its destructive interaction with the ice crystals. The protective effect might be obtained when Tween molecules compete with the protein for sites on the ice surface. The optimum concentration of Tween needed for complete protection is dependent on the temperature history.

Peptide interfacial adsorption is kinetically limited by the thermodynamic stability of self association

We present a study of the adsorption of two peptides at the octane-water interface. The first peptide, Lac21, exists in mixed monomer-tetramer equilibrium in bulk solution with an appreciable monomer concentration. The second peptide, Lac28, exists as a tetramer in solution, with minimal exposed hydrophobic surface. A kinetic limitation to interfacial adsorption exists for Lac28 at moderate to high surface coverage that is not observed for Lac21. We estimate the potential energy barrier for Lac28 adsorption to be 42 kJ/mol and show that this is comparable to the expected free energy barrier for tetramer dissociation. This finding suggests that, at moderate to high surface coverage, adsorption is kinetically limited by the availability of interfacially active monomeric "domains" in the subinterfacial region. We also show how the commonly used empirical equation for protein adsorption dynamics can be used to estimate the potential energy barrier for adsorption. Such an approach is shown to be consistent with a formal description of diffusion-adsorption, provided a large potential energy barrier exists. This work demonstrates that the dynamics of interfacial adsorption depend on protein thermodynamic stability, and hence structure, in a quantifiable way.

Mucin Adsorption to Hydrophobic Surfaces

The adsorption isotherm of bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM) onto a hydrophobic polystyrene surface was determined by using the solution depletion method, in which mucin concentrations were analyzed by amino acid analysis. Adsorption and desorption kinetics of BSM onto hydrophobic polystyrene surfaces were also studied by the solution depletion method, in which mucin solution concentrations were determined by measuring UV absorbance at a wavelength of 280 nm and by a BCA colorimetric assay with final calibration by amino acid analysis. From the adsorption isotherm, we found that the saturated surface concentration (Gamma(max)) was 2.3 mg/m(2), and the adsorption constant (K) was calculated as 0.099 (ml/mg). By using a Langmuir adsorption model and nonlinear fitting, kinetics parameters, k(on) and k(off), were found to be 8.13x10(-3) cm(3) mg(-1) s(-1) and 5.67x10(-4) s(-1), respectively. The coating was found to be very stable with very limited desorption (less than 2%) from a long-term observation (28 h). The mucin coating layer thickness was investigated by several analytical techniques: flow field-flow-fractionation, photon correlation spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The thickness was measured as 4-5 nm, from which a monolayer coating was concluded. Finally, the weight average molecular weight of purified bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM) was determined as 1.6x10(6) Da by using static light scattering. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) microsphere synthesis and their chemical modifications

Vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) was dispersion polymerized to give monodisperse microspheres in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a steric stabilizer. The effect of PVP concentration on the size and on microsphere stability during the polymerization process was investigated. Microsphere size was examined when co-stabilizer molecules were employed with PVP during the polymerization reaction. The built-in reactive chloromethyl groups of the microspheres were the sites of the nucleophilic reaction of two amino-group model molecules, glucosamine (G), a hexosamine implicated in processes of molecular recognition, and also bovine serum albumin (BSA). Elemental analyses and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed that poly(vinylpyrrolidone) was associated with the microsphere network. Elemental analyses, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and zeta potential measurements confirmed G and BSA links at the microsphere surface.

Protein adhesion force dynamics and single adhesion events

Using the manipulation force microscope, a novel atomic force microscope, the adhesion forces of bovine serum albumin, myoglobin, ferritin, and lysozyme proteins to glass and polystyrene substrates were characterized by following the force necessary to displace an adsorbed protein-covered microsphere over several orders of magnitude in time. This force was consistent with a power law with exponent a = 0.37 +/- 0.03 on polystyrene, indicating that there is no typical time scale for adhesion on this substrate. On glass, the rate of adhesion depended strongly on protein charge. Forces corresponding to single protein adhesion events were identified. The typical rupture force of a single lysozyme, ferritin, bovine serum albumin, and myoglobin protein adhering to glass was estimated to be 90 +/- 10 pN, 115 +/- 13 pN, 277 +/- 44 pN, and 277 +/- 44 pN, respectively, using a model of the experimental system. These forces, as well as the force amplitudes on hydrophobic polystyrene, correlate with protein stiffness.

Asymmetric Multiblock Copolymers at the Gas-Liquid Interface: Phase Diagram and Surface Pressure

A theoretical model of copolymers made of N blocks is studied at the air-water interface. Each block is made of a sequence A of ZA hydrophobic and of a sequence B of ZB hydrophilic monomers. The A and B sequences cannot cross the interface. The conformation of an adsorbed polymer is determined as a random walk of N elements whose size is the Flory radius of a single sequence. The structure of the interfacial layer is determined as a function of alpha = ZA/ZB and of the surface concentration using scaling law arguments. Only three different regions are found in the phase diagram to describe the change of surface regime as a function of the total surface concentration. The energy of flower-like micelles of polymers is calculated and compared with the energy of adsorbed macromolecules in order to determine the surface concentration at saturation. The surface pressure is also calculated as a function of the surface concentration in the three different regions of the phase diagram. It is found that these surface pressure isotherms are not affected by the solvent quality except when the properties of the interfacial layer are dominated by a purely two-dimensional behavior (semidiluted regime of the whole polymer or of the A sequences on the air side of the interface). Finally the properties of this model are compared with experimental data obtained with protein adsorbed layers and encouraging agreement is found although proteins are much more complicated polymers than this crude model. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Acute and long-term stability studies of deoxy hemoglobin and characterization of ascorbate-induced modifications

The reaction of ascorbate with recombinant hemoglobin (rHb1.1) in the presence of differing partial pressures of oxygen was studied. In the presence of 15 000 ppm (1.5%) residual oxygen, ascorbate/oxygen-mediated reactions resulted in an increased rate of autoxidation, modification of the beta-globin, increased oxygen affinity and decreased maximum Hill coefficient. One of the observed modifications to the beta-globin was a 72 Da addition to its N-terminus. Detailed characterization indicates the modification was an imidazolidinone type structure. Thorough deoxygenation of the hemoglobin solution to <150 ppm of oxygen prior to addition of ascorbate was required to prevent these modifications. Addition of ascorbate to the deoxy hemoglobin (deoxyHb) at pH 8 induced aggregation, eventually leading to precipitation. No such precipitation was observed at pH 7. Long-term storage of the hemoglobin was carried out by addition of ascorbate to deoxyHb at pH 7. The level of methemoglobin remained at <2% for up to 1 year at 4 degreesC, with no detectable precipitation of the protein. Modifications similar to those observed by the acute studies were observed over the 1-year period and correlated with disappearance of the added ascorbate.

Effect of Tween 20 on freeze-thawing- and agitation-induced aggregation of recombinant human factor XIII

Agitation- and freeze-thawing-induced aggregation of recombinant human factor XIII (rFXIII) is due to interfacial adsorption and denaturation at the air-liquid and ice-liquid interfaces. The aggregation pathway proceeds through soluble aggregates to formation of insoluble aggregates regardless of the denaturing stimuli. A nonionic surfactant, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), greatly reduces the rate of formation of insoluble aggregates as a function of surfactant concentration, thereby stabilizing native rFXIII. Maximum protection occurs at concentrations close to the critical micelle concentration (cmc), independent of initial protein concentration. To study the mechanistic aspects of the surfactant-induced stabilization, a series of spectroscopic studies were conducted. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy indicates that binding is not occurring between Tween 20 and either the native state or a folding intermediate state of rFXIII. Further, circular dichroism spectroscopy suggests that Tween 20 does not prevent the secondary structural changes induced upon guanidinium hydrochloride-induced unfolding. Taken together, these results imply that Tween 20 protects rFXIII against freeze-thawing- and agitation-induced aggregation primarily by competing with stress-induced soluble aggregates for interfaces, inhibiting subsequent transition to insoluble aggregates.

Effects of Tween 80 and sucrose on acute short-term stability and long-term storage at -20 degrees C of a recombinant hemoglobin

The addition of low levels of surfactant polyoxyethylene 20 sorbitan monooleate, Tween 80, to recombinant hemoglobin in phosphate-buffered saline minimized the level of protein aggregation during acute freeze-thaw studies. Addition of sucrose alone to the phosphate-buffered saline formulation, up to 0.5 M, provided minimal protection against freeze-thaw induced aggregation. In contrast to the acute stability studies, long-term storage at -20 degrees C induced aggregation and methemoglobin formation in those formulations containing only Tween 80 in phosphate-buffered saline. Addition of sucrose between 0.1 and 0.5 M to the formulation prevented formation of aggregates and severely arrested methemoglobin formation during the long-term -20 degrees C storage. Specific binding of Tween 80 to the hemoglobin was not observed using 16-doxyl stearic acid partitioning techniques with electron paramagnetic resonance. Minor structural changes to the protein secondary structure during freezing in the absence and presence of Tween 80 were observed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The alterations were partially prevented by addition of the sucrose. It is likely that the Tween 80 severely reduced protein aggregation during the acute stability studies by preventing the hemoglobin from reaching the air-liquid interface or the liquid-surface interfaces. The reduction in methemoglobin formation and aggregation observed during long-term storage can be accounted for on the premise that the sucrose reduced localized unfolding of the protein in a manner similar to the preferential exclusion theory (Arakawa, T.; and Timasheff, S. N. 1982, Biochemistry 1982, 21, 6536-6544). These studies demonstrate that acute formulation screening studies, albeit useful, may not necessarily predict protein stability during long-term storage.

The Adsorption of Lysozyme at the Silica-Water Interface: A Neutron Reflection Study

The adsorption of lysozyme (chicken egg white) from aqueous solution on to the hydrophilic silica surface and the variation of interfacial structure with solution conditions have been studied by neutron reflection. The accurate determination of the adsorbed layer thicknesses in combination with the dimension of the globular structure of lysozyme allows us to postulate the mean structural conformation of the lysozyme molecules within the adsorbed layer. It was found that the adsorption was completely reproducible with respect to lysozyme concentration, but it was irreversible. The effect of ionic strength on the adsorption of lysozyme was examined at pH 7 and at a bulk lysozyme concentration of 0.03 g dm-3. The adsorbed layer was not affected by changes in ionic strength when the total ionic strength was below 0.05 M, but above this concentration addition of NaCl gradually reduced the amount of lysozyme adsorbed. Complete removal of adsorbed lysozyme was achieved when the total ionic strength was above 0.5 M. The effect of solution pH on the amount of lysozyme adsorbed was characterized by varying the pH in cycles at fixed lysozyme concentrations. Adsorption was found to be completely reversible with respect to pH over a wide protein concentration range. The level of surface excess was dominated by the electrostatic repulsion between lysozyme molecules within the adsorbed layers, rather than the attraction between the surface and lysozyme. The lysozyme layer structure along the surface normal was characterized by varying the isotopic composition of the water. At pH 7 a monolayer 30 +/- 2 Å thick was formed when the lysozyme concentration was below 0.03 g dm-3, indicating that the lysozyme was adsorbed with its long axis parallel to the surface (sideways-on). At higher concentrations the thickness of the layer changed to 60 +/- 2 Å, suggesting the formation of a bilayer of lysozyme molecules in the sideways-on configuration. When the lysozyme concentration is above 1 g dm-3 the surface excess within the inner layer is sufficiently high that repulsion within the adsorbed layer becomes significant and the molecules start to tilt towards longways-on adsorption. At pH 4, the electrostatic repulsion between the adsorbed molecules is stronger than at pH 7, resulting in a lower surface excess and a tilting away from the sideways-on configuration at lower surface concentration. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Direct Measurement of Interactions between Adsorbed Protein Layers Using an Atomic Force Microscope

An atomic force microscope (AFM) in conjunction with the colloid probe technique has been used to measure directly the interaction of adsorbed layers of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). The BSA was adsorbed on both a silica colloid probe and a silica surface. Measurements of force-distance curves were made at various salt concentrations and pHs. The measured force-distance curves were in good quantitative agreement with predictions based on the DLVO theory using zeta potentials (outer Helmholtz plane potentials) calculated for BSA from an independently validated site-binding-site-dissociation surface model. The paper hence provides a direct confirmation that the AFM colloid probe technique can provide a useful means of directly quantifying the interaction of biological macromolecules. Copyright 1998 Academic Press. Copyright 1998Academic Press

Correlation between surface morphology and surface forces of protein A adsorbed on mica

We have investigated the morphology and surface forces of protein A adsorbed on mica surface in the protein solutions of various concentrations. The force-distance curves, measured with a surface force apparatus (SFA), were interpreted in terms of two different regimens: a "large-distance" regimen in which an electrostatic double-layer force dominates, and an "adsorbed layer" regimen in which a force of steric origin dominates. To further clarify the forces of steric origin, the surface morphology of the adsorbed protein layer was investigated with an atomic force microscope (AFM) because the steric repulsive forces are strongly affected by the adsorption mode of protein A molecules on mica. At lower protein concentrations (2 ppm, 10 ppm), protein A molecules were adsorbed "side-on" parallel to the mica surfaces, forming a monolayer of approximately 2.5 nm. AFM images at higher concentrations (30 ppm, 100 ppm) showed protruding structures over the monolayer, which revealed that the adsorbed protein A molecules had one end oriented into the solution, with the remainder of each molecule adsorbed side-on to the mica surface. These extending ends of protein A overlapped each other and formed a "quasi-double layer" over the mica surface. These AFM images proved the existence of a monolayer of protein A molecules at low concentrations and a "quasi-double layer" with occasional protrusions at high concentrations, which were consistent with the adsorption mode observed in the force-distance curves.