The fluorescence and circular dichroism of proteins in reverse micelles: application to the photophysics of human serum albumin and N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide

Effect of Confinement on the Properties of Sequestered Mixed Polar Solvents: Enzymatic Catalysis in Nonaqueous 1,4-Bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate Reverse Micelles

The influence of different glycerol, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and water mixtures encapsulated in 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane reverse micelles (RMs) on the enzymatic hydrolysis of 2-naphthyl acetate by α-chymotrypsin is demonstrated. In the case of the mixtures with DMF and protic solvents it has been previously shown, using absorption, emission and dynamic light-scattering techniques, that solvents are segregated inside the polar core of the RMs. Protic solvents anchor to the AOT, whereas DMF locates to the polar core of the aggregate. Thus, DMF not only helps to solubilize the hydrophobic substrate, increasing its effective concentrations but surprisingly, it does not affect the enzyme activity. The importance of ensuring the presence of RMs, encapsulation of the polar solvents and the corrections by substrate partitioning in order to obtain reliable conclusions is highlighted. Moreover, the effect of a constrained environment on solvent-solvent interactions in homogenous media and its impact on the use of RMs as nanoreactors is stressed.

Determining the substrate permeability through the bilayer of large unilamellar vesicles of DOPC. A kinetic study

In this work we determine the permeability of DOPC vesicles in the presence of different cholesterol contents, by using the enzymatic hydrolysis of N-benzoyl-l-tyrosine p-nitroanilide catalyzed by α-chymotrypsin.

Beyond the excluded volume effects: mechanistic complexity of the crowded milieu

Macromolecular crowding is known to affect protein folding, binding of small molecules, interaction with nucleic acids, enzymatic activity, protein-protein interactions, and protein aggregation. Although for a long time it was believed that the major mechanism of the action of crowded environments on structure, folding, thermodynamics, and function of a protein can be described in terms of the excluded volume effects, it is getting clear now that other factors originating from the presence of high concentrations of “inert” macromolecules in crowded solution should definitely be taken into account to draw a more complete picture of a protein in a crowded milieu. This review shows that in addition to the excluded volume effects important players of the crowded environments are viscosity, perturbed diffusion, direct physical interactions between the crowding agents and proteins, soft interactions, and, most importantly, the effects of crowders on solvent properties.

Interaction of a hydrophobic-functionalized PAMAM dendrimer with bovine serum albumin: thermodynamic and structural changes

The interaction between a hydrophobic-functionalized PAMAM dendrimer (PAMAM-NH2-C12, 25%, G4) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated by circular dichroism (CD), UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopic methods and molecular modeling. The analysis of the effects of dendrimer complexation on the stability and conformation of BSA indicated that the binding process of the hydrophobic-functionalized dendrimer with BSA induced the relatively large changes in secondary structure of protein. Thermal denaturation of BSA, when carried out in the presence of dendrimer, also indicated that this hydrophobic-functionalized dendrimer acted as a structure destabilizer for BSA. The hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen bonding forces played important roles in the complex formation. The putative binding site of PAMAM-NH2-C12 (25%) dendrimer on BSA was near to domain I and domain II. The effect of hydrophobic modification on the stability and structure of BSA would find useful information on the cytotoxicity of PAMAM dendrimer.

Mechanistic investigation of domain specific unfolding of human serum albumin and the effect of sucrose

This study is devoted to understand the unfolding mechanism of a multidomain protein, human serum albumin (HSA), in absence and presence of the sucrose by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy with domain specific marker molecules and is further being substantiated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In water, the domain III of HSA found to unfold first followed by domains I and II as the concentration of GnHCl is increased in the medium. The sequential unfolding behavior of different domains of HSA remains same in presence of sucrose; however, a higher GnHCl concentration is required for unfolding, suggesting stabilizing effect of sucrose on HSA. Domain I is found to be most stabilized by sucrose. The stabilization of domain II is somewhat similar to domain I, but the effect of sucrose on domain III is found to be very small. MD simulation also predicted a similar behavior of sucrose on HSA. The stabilizing effect of sucrose is explained in terms of the entrapment of water molecules in between HSA surface and sucrose layer as well as direct interaction between HSA and sucrose.

Reverse micelles as a tool for probing solvent modulation of protein dynamics: Reverse micelle encapsulated hemoglobin

Hydration waters impact protein dynamics. Dissecting the interplay between hydration waters and dynamics requires a protein that manifests a broad range of dynamics. Proteins in reverse micelles (RMs) have promise as tools to achieve this objective because the water content can be manipulated. Hemoglobin is an appropriate tool with which to probe hydration effects. We describe both a protocol for hemoglobin encapsulation in reverse micelles and a facile method using PEG and cosolvents to manipulate water content. Hydration properties are probed using the water-sensitive fluorescence from Hb bound pyranine and covalently attached Badan. Protein dynamics are probed through ligand recombination traces derived from photodissociated carbonmonoxy hemoglobin on a log scale that exposes the potential role of both α and β solvent fluctuations in modulating protein dynamics. The results open the possibility of probing hydration level phenomena in this system using a combination of NMR and optical probes.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine p-nitroanilide by α-chymotrypsin in DMSO-water/AOT/n-heptane reverse micelles. A unique interfacial effect on the enzymatic activity

The reverse micelle (RM) media are very good as nanoreactors because they can create a unique microenvironment for carrying out a variety of chemical and biochemical reactions. The aim of the present work is to determine the influence of different water-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixtures encapsulated in 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane RMs on the enzymatic hydrolysis of N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine p-nitroanilide (Bz-Try-pNA) by α-chymotrypsin (α-CT). The reaction was first studied in homogeneous media at different DMSO-water mixture compositions and in DMSO-water/AOT/n-heptane RMs. The hydrolysis rates of Bz-Try-pNA catalyzed by α-CT were determined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The reaction follows the Michaelis-Menten mechanism and the kinetic parameters: kcat, KM, and kcat/KM were evaluated under different conditions. In this homogeneous media, DMSO plays an important role in the solubilization process of the peptide which is almost insoluble in water, but it has a tremendous impact on the inactivation of α-CT. It is shown that the enzyme dissolved in a 20% molar ratio of the DMSO-water mixture does not present enzymatic activity. Dynamic light scattering has been used to assess the formation of DMSO-water/AOT/heptane RMs at different DMSO compositions. The results also show that there is preferential solvation of the AOT RM interface by water molecules. To test the use of these RMs as nanoreactors, the kinetic parameters for the enzymatic reaction in these systems have been evaluated. The parameters were determined at fixed W(S) {W(S) = ([water] + [DMSO])/[AOT] = 20} at different DMSO-water compositions. The results show that the Michaelis-Menten mechanism is valid for α-CT in all the RM systems studied and that the reaction takes place at the RM interface. Surprisingly, it was observed that the enzyme encapsulated by the RMs show catalytic effects with similar kcat/KM values at any DMSO composition investigated, which evidence that DMSO molecules are localized far from the RM interface.

Applications of phasor plots to in vitro protein studies

In a recent article, we described the application of phasor analysis to fluorescence intensity decay data on in vitro samples. As detailed in that article, this method provides researchers with a simple graphical method for viewing lifetime data that can be used to quantify individual components of a mixture as well as to identify excited state reactions. In the current article, we extend the use of in vitro phasor analysis to intrinsic protein fluorescence. We show how alterations in the excited state properties of tryptophan residues are easily visualized using the phasor method. Specifically, we demonstrate that protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions can result in unique shifts in the location of phasor points, indicative of protein conformational changes. Application of the method to a rapid kinetic experiment is also shown. Finally, we show that the unfolding of lysozyme with either urea or guanidine hydrochloride results in different phasor trajectories, indicative of unique denaturation pathways.

Fluorescence biosensing in nanopores

Hydrated nanopores offer a unique environment for studying biological molecules under controlled conditions and fabricating sensors using fluorescence. Silica nanopores for example are non-toxic, biologically and optically compatible with protein, and can be easily synthesized to entrap protein and exclude potentially interfering macromolecules, while transmitting analytes of interest. A well known problem when polymerizing orthosilicates to fabricate silica sol-gel nanopores is the release of alcohol, which denatures proteins. We will describe how using the fluorescence of PRODAN (6-propionyl-2-(N,N-dimethylamino) naphthalene) to monitor methanol generated during polymerization has helped define a protocol with enhanced biocompatibility. The improved biocompatibility of sol-gel nanopores synthesized using tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) has been demonstrated by preserving the unstable native trimer form of allophycocyanin (APC) for up to 500 Hrs without the need to covalently binding the subunits together. This has enabled the observation of native APC trimer by means of its fluorescence in a pore down to the single molecule level. In this paper we demonstrate how PRODAN and another polarity sensitive dye, 9-diethylamino-5H-benzo[alpha]phenoxazine-5-one, Nile red (NR) report on pore polarity and successfully extend protein encapsulation to nano-channels of alumina (Al2O3). Improved biocompatibility of nanopores has potential impact in nanomedicine where the ability to study single biomolecules is a primary goal as it underpins our understanding of disease pathology and therapeutics at the most fundamental level. In sensing also the advantages of nanopore isolation of metabolite-specific protein for detecting non-fluorescent metabolites has been demonstrated. Similar approaches can in principle be developed for both single-molecules and lab-on-a-chip sensors.

Time-resolved methods in biophysics. 8. Frequency domain fluorometry: applications to intrinsic protein fluorescence

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy is an indispensable tool in the chemical, physical and biological sciences for the study of fast kinetic processes in the subpicosecond to microsecond time scale. This review focuses on the development and modern implementation of the frequency domain approach to time-resolved fluorescence. Both intensity decay (lifetime) and anisotropy decay (dynamic polarization) will be considered and their application to intrinsic protein fluorescence will be highlighted. In particular we shall discuss the photophysics of the aromatic amino acids, tryptophan, tyrosine and phenylalanine, which are responsible for intrinsic protein fluorescence. This discussion will be illustrated with examples of frequency domain studies on several protein systems.

Relaxation Dynamics of Piroxicam Structures within Human Serum Albumin Protein

We report on steady-state and ps-time-resolved emission studies of piroxicam (1) drug within human serum albumin (HSA) protein in cyclodextrin and in neat solvents. The steady-state results indicate that 1 binds to HSA protein and that two binding sites are involved. The fluorescence decays corresponding to site I in subdomain IIA and to site II in subdomain IIIA have time constants of approximately 60 ps and approximately 360 ps, respectively. The results suggest that the anion forms bind to site I, whereas the zwitterionic ones bind to site II. The energy-transfer process from excited tryptophan to 1 can occur with moderate efficiency (50%). The rotational time of 1 encapsulated by HSA indicates diffusion within the protein. These findings can be used for a better understanding of piroxicam and HSA interactions.

On the behavior of indole-containing species sequestered within reverse micelles at sub-zero temperatures

We report on the effects of temperature (+30 to -100 degrees C) on the fluorescence from N-acetyl tryptophanamide (NATA) and human serum albumin (HSA) sequestered within Aerosol-OT (AOT) reversed micelles. NATA reports simultaneously from the polar and non-polar side of the reverse micelle interface. As the sample temperature decreases, the relative fraction of NATA molecules associated with the polar side increases. This redistribution process is characterized by DeltaH = -14.8 +/- 0.6 kJ/mol and DeltaS = -54 +/- 2 J/(K mol). The activation energy for thermal quenching (E(a,TQ)) associated with the polar side NATA molecules is 6.7 kJ/mol before the micelles have shed water and 1.0 kJ/mol after water shedding (below approximately -20 degrees C). The time-resolved fluorescence intensity decay for tryptophan-214 in HSA is triple exponential. We suggest that these lifetimes arise from three indole residue conformations in equilibrium. Cooling the sample causes a freezing-in of the least quenched conformer; the other conformers are frozen out. The E(a,TQ) value for the shortest lifetime component is 6 kJ/mol. The E(a,TQ) for the long and intermediate lifetime components are equivalent (approximately 1.5 kJ/mol).

Nanosecond dynamics of a mimicked membrane-water interface observed by time-resolved stokes shift of LAURDAN

We studied the dipolar relaxation of the surfactant-water interface in reverse micelles of AOT-water in isooctane in the nanosecond and subnanosecond time ranges by incorporating the amphipathic solvatochromic fluorescent probes LAURDAN and TOE. A negative component was observed in the fluorescence decays in the red edge of the emission spectrum-the signature of an excited state reaction-with LAURDAN but not for TOE. The deconvolution of the transient reconstructed spectra of LAURDAN based on a model constructed by adding together three log-normal Gaussian equations made it possible to separate the specific dynamic solvent response from the intramolecular excited state reactions of the probe. The deconvoluted spectrum of lowest energy displayed the largest Stokes shift. This spectral shift was described by unimodal kinetics on the nanosecond timescale, whereas the relaxation kinetics of water-soluble probes have been reported to be biphasic (on the subnanosecond and nanosecond timescales) due to the heterogeneous distribution of these probes in the water pool. Most of this spectral shift probably resulted from water relaxation as it was highly sensitive to the water to surfactant molar ratio (w(0)) (60-65 nm at w(0) = 20-30). A small part of this spectral shift (9 nm at w(0) = 0) probably resulted from dipolar interaction with the AOT polar headgroup. The measured relaxation time values were in the range of the rotational motion of the AOT polar headgroup region as assessed by LAURDAN and TOE fluorescence anisotropy decays.

Enhanced stabilization of aerosol-OT surfactant monolayer upon interaction with small amounts of bovine serum albumin at the air–water interface

An investigation is made of the influence from small amounts of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the lateral organization of low molecular weight surfactant sodium bis-2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) at the air-water interface. Surface pressure (pi - A), surface potential (deltaV - A) and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) experiments were carried out, with particular emphasis on the monolayer stability under successive compression-expansion cycles. AOT monolayer is not stable at the air-water interface, which means that the majority of AOT molecules go into the aqueous subphase as monomers and/or normal micelles. When a waiting time elapses between spreading and compression, the surfactant monolayer tends to reorganize partially at the air-water interface, with a monolayer expansion being observed for waiting times as large as 12 h. The incorporation of very small amount of BSA (10(-9)M) at the interface, also inferred from BAM, increases the monolayer stability as revealed by pi - A and deltaV - A results. For a waiting time of circa 3 h, the mixed monolayer reaches its maximum stability. This must be related to protein (and/or protein-surfactant complexes) adsorbed onto the AOT monolayer, thus altering the BSA conformation to accommodate its hydrophobic/hydrophilic residues. Furthermore, the effects from such small amounts of BSA in the monolayer formation and stabilization mean that the AOT monolayer responds cooperatively to BSA.

Effect of the addition of a nonaqueous polar solvent (glycerol) on enzymatic catalysis in reverse micelles. Hydrolysis of 2-naphthyl acetate by alpha-chymotrypsin

The kinetics of hydrolysis of 2-naphthyl acetate (2-NA) catalyzed by alpha-chymotrypsin (alpha-CT), in reverse micellar solutions formed by glycerol (GY)-water (38% v/v) mixture/sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane has been determined by spectroscopic measurements. To compare the efficiency of this reaction with that observed in micelles with water in the core, as well as in the corresponding homogeneous media, the reaction was also studied in water/AOT/n-heptane reverse micellar solutions and in both homogeneous media (water and GY-water, 38% v/v mixture). In every media, alpha-CT was characterized by the absorption and emission spectra, the fluorescence lifetimes, and the fluorescence anisotropy of its tryptophan residues. The effect of AOT concentration on the kinetic parameters obtained in the micellar systems was determined, at a constant molar ratio of the inner polar solvent and surfactant. Moreover, the data obtained allowed the evaluation of the 2-NA partition constant between the organic and the micellar pseudophase. It is shown that the addition of GY to the micelle interior results in an increase in the catalytic properties of alpha-CT. The fluorescence anisotropy studies in the different media show that the addition of GY increases the viscosity as compared with the aqueous systems. It seems that the GY addition to the reverse micellar aggregates results in a decrease of the conformational mobility of alpha-CT, which leads to an increase of the enzyme stability and activity.

Conformational changes of beta-lactoglobulin in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate reverse micelles. A fluorescence and CD study

The effect of beta-lactoglobulin encapsulation in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate reverse micelles on the environment of protein and on Trp was analysed at different water contents (omega0). CD data underlined the distortion of the beta-sheet and a less constrained tertiary structure as the omega0 increased, in agreement with a concomitant red shift and a decrease in the signal intensity obtained in steady-state fluorescence measurements. Fluorescence lifetimes, evaluated by biexponential analysis, were tau1 = 1.28 ns and tau2 = 3.36 ns in neutral water. In reverse micelles, decay-associated spectra indicated the occurrence of important environmental changes associated with omega0. Bimolecular fluorescence quenching by CCl4 and acrylamide was employed to analyse alterations in the accessibility of the two Trp residues in beta-lactoglobulin, induced by changes in omega0. The average bimolecular quenching constant <kq(CCl4)> was found not to depend on omega0, confirming the insolubility of this quencher in the aqueous interface, while <kq(arcylamide)> increases with omega0. The drastic decrease with omega0 of kq, associated with the longest lifetime kq2(CCl4), comparatively to the increase of kq2(acrylamide), emphasizes the location of beta-lactoglobulin in the aqueous interfacial region especially at omega0> or = 10. The fact that (omega0 = 30) >> kq2(acrylamide) (water) also confirms the important conformational changes of encapsulated beta-lactoglobulin.

Spectroscopic studies on the interaction of a water soluble porphyrin and two drug carrier proteins

The interaction of meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP) sodium salt to human serum albumin and beta-lactoglobulin was studied by steady-state and dynamic fluorescence at different pH of aqueous solutions. The formation of TSPP J-aggregates and a noncovalent TSPP-protein complex was monitored by fluorescence titrations, which depend on pH and on the protein nature and concentration. The complex between TSPP and protein displays a heterogeneous equilibrium with large changes in the binding strength versus pH. The large reduction of the effective binding constant from pH 2 to 7 suggests that electrostatic interactions are a major contribution to the binding of TSPP to the aforementioned proteins. TSPP aggregates and TSPP-protein complex exhibit circular dichroism induced by the presence of the protein. Circular dichroism spectra in the ultraviolet region show that the secondary structure of both proteins is not extensively affected by the TSPP presence. Protein-TSPP interaction was also examined by following the intrinsic fluorescence of the tryptophan residues of the proteins. Fluorescence quenching by acrylamide and TSPP itself also point to small changes on the protein tertiary structure and a critical distance R(0) approximately 56 A, between tryptophan and bound porphyrin, was estimated using the long distance Förster-type energy transfer formalism.

Activity and Conformation of Yeast Alcohol Dehydrogenase (YADH) Entrapped in Reverse Micelles

Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) solubilized in reverse micelles of aerosol OT (i.e., AOT or sodium bis (2-ethyl hexyl) sulfosuccinate) in isooctane has been shown to be catalytically more active than that in aqueous buffer under optimum conditions of pH, temperature, and water content in reverse micelles. Studies of the secondary structure conformational changes of the enzyme in reverse micelles have been made from circular dichroism spectroscopy. It has been seen that the conformation of YADH in reverse micelles is extremely sensitive to pH, temperature, and water content. A comparison has been made between the catalytic activity of the enzyme and the alpha-helix content in the conformation and it has been observed that the enzyme is most active at the maximum alpha-helix content. While the beta-sheet content in the conformation of the entrapped enzyme was found to be dependent on the enzyme-micelle interface interaction, the alpha-helix and random coil conformations are governed by the degree of entrapment and the extent of rigidity provided by the micelle core to the enzyme structure. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

The interaction of bioactive peptides with an immobilized phosphatidylcholine monolayer

The interaction of three bioactive peptides, bombesin, beta-endorphin, and glucagon with a phosphatidylcholine monolayer that was immobilized to porous silica particles and packed into a stainless steel column cartridge, has been studied using dynamic elution techniques. This immobilized lipid monolayer provides a biophysical model system with which to study the binding of peptides to a lipid membrane. In particular, the influence of temperature and methanol concentration on the affinity of each peptide for the immobilized lipid surface was assessed. For all test peptides, nonlinear retention plots were observed at all temperatures that contrasted sharply with the simple linear plots observed for the small unstructured control molecules N-acetyltryptophanamide and diphenylalanine. An analysis of the thermodynamics of the interaction of peptides with the immobilized monolayer was also carried out. The results revealed that while the peptides interacted with the monolayer predominantly through hydrophobic interactions, the relative contribution of DeltaH(assoc)(O) and DeltaS(assoc)(O) to the overall free energy of association was dependent on the temperature and methanol concentration. In particular, it was evident that under most conditions, the binding of the peptides to the immobilized lipid monolayer was enthalpy-driven, i.e., mediated by nonclassical hydrophobic interactions. Significant band-broadening and asymmetric and split peaks were also observed for bombesin, beta-endorphin, and glucagon at different temperatures and methanol concentrations. These changes in affinity and peak shape are consistent with the formation of multiple conformational species during the interaction of these peptides with the lipid monolayer. In addition, the binding behavior of the three test peptides on an n-octylsilica surface that lacked the phospho headgroups of the phospholipid was significantly different from that observed with the immobilized phosphatidylcholine surface, indicating a specificity of interaction between the peptides and the lipid surface. Overall, these experimental results demonstrate that the biomimetic phosphatidylcholine monolayer provides a stable and sensitive system with which to explore the molecular mechanism of peptide conformational changes during membrane interactions.

The transmembrane sequence of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-C as a determinant in inhibition of a subset of natural killer cells

Molecular interactions with the extracellular domains of class I major histocompatibility complex proteins are major determinants of immune recognition that have been extensively studied both physically and biochemically. However, no immunological function has yet been placed on the transmembrane or cytoplasmic amino acid sequences of these proteins despite strict conservation of unique features within each class I major histocompatibility complex locus. Here we report that lysis by a subset of natural killer (NK) cells inhibited by target cell expression of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-Cw6 or -Cw7 was not inhibited by expression of chimeric proteins consisting of the extracellular domains of HLA-C and the COOH-terminal portion of HLA-G. Assays using transfectants expressing a variety of HLA-Cw6 mutants identified the transmembrane sequence and, in particular, cysteine at position 309 as necessary for inhibition of 68% (25/37) of NK cell lines and 23% (33/145) of NK clones tested. Moreover, these NK clones inhibited by target cell expression of HLA-Cw6 and dependent upon the transmembrane sequence were found not to express or to only dimly express NK inhibitory receptors (NKIR1) that are EB6/HP3E4-positive. Furthermore, assays using monoclonal antibody blocking suggest that an NK receptor other than NKIR1 or CD94 is responsible for recognition dependent upon the transmembrane sequence of HLA-Cw6.

Enzymes in low water systems

Water is fundamental for enzyme action and for formation of the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Hence, it may be assumed that studies on the interplay between water and enzymes can yield insight into enzyme function and formation. This has proven correct, because the numerous studies that have been made on the behavior of water-soluble and membrane enzymes in systems with a low water content (reverse micelles or enzymes suspended in nonpolar organic solvents) have revealed properties of enzymes that are not easily appreciated in aqueous solutions. In the low water systems, it has been possible to probe the relation between solvent and enzyme kinetics, as well as some of the factors that affect enzyme thermostability and catalysis. Furthermore, the studies show that low water environments can be used to stabilize conformers that exhibit unsuspected catalytic properties, as well as intermediates of enzyme function and formation that in aqueous media have relatively short life-times. The structure of enzymes in these unnatural conditions is actively being explored.

Mixtures of trifluoroethanol or hexafluoroisopropanol and dimethylformamide are not of general applicability for peptide condensations catalyzed by trypsin

Mixtures of a good hydrogen bond donor, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) or 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluroisopropanol, and an acceptor, dimethylformamide (DMF) (1:1, v/v), containing 4% buffer have been described as adequate solvent systems for trypsin-catalyzed peptide fragment condensations [Mihara et al. (1993) Int. J. Pept. Protein Res. 41, 405]. Thus, we decided to study the behaviour of trypsin in such solvent systems. We investigated whether this protease would efficiently catalyze condensations between fragments derived from an analogue of the gp-41 capsid protein of HIV virus or from cholecystokinin-22. None of the reactions carried out yielded the desired condensation products. However, when Fmoc-NLQNLDPSHR-OH and cholecystokinin-12 (H-ISDRDYMGWMDF-NH2) were used as substrates, the last had its R-D peptide bond hydrolyzed producing cholecystokinin-8. The proteolytic activity of this enzyme measured against a fluorogenic peptide derivative was 50 times lower in DMF/TFE containing 5% of aqueous phase than in buffer. Steady-state fluorescence studies in DMF/TFE buffer were performed to examine the structure of this protease in these media. Steady-state spectra obtained with increasing proportions of these two organic solvents in buffer showed that the emission intensities built up. Quenching studies with iodide revealed that the Io/I ratio (where Io and I are the fluorescence emission intensities in the absence and presence of quencher, respectively) changed from 1.2 in aqueous media to 2.2 in DMF/TFE (1:1, v/v) containing 11% 0.2 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.0, for 0.5 M iodide. The complete data indicated a higher exposure of tryptophan residues to the quencher in organic media, probably because of the partial unfolding of the enzyme.

Time-resolved fluorescence studies on site-directed mutants of human serum albumin

Human serum albumin (HSA) contains a single tryptophan residue at position 214. The emission properties of tryptophan 214 from recombinant albumins, namely, normal HSA, FDH-HSA and a methionine 218 HSA were examined. In all cases, the excited state lifetimes were best described by a two component model consisting mainly of a Lorentzian distribution. The centers of these distributions were 5.60 ns for HSA, 4.23 ns for FDH-HSA, and 6.08 ns for Met-218 HSA. The global rotational correlation times of the three HSAs were near 41 ns while the amplitude and rate of the local motion varied. These changes in the lifetimes and mobilities suggest perturbation in the local protein environment near tryptophan 214 as a consequence of the amino acid substitutions.