Effect of compounds of the urea-guanidinium class on renaturation and thermal stability of acid-soluble collagen

Unraveling the Role of Hydroxyproline in Maintaining the Thermal Stability of the Collagen Triple Helix Structure Using Simulation

The thermal stability of collagen has an important effect on its practical applications. Many believe that hydroxyproline (Hyp) improves the structural stability of collagen molecules. In this study, for the first time, a method of building natural collagen molecular models was described. We constructed a collagen model with typical triple-helix structure and calculated the hydrogen bond energy between collagen α chains. The calculated hydrogen bond energy was consistent with the experimental results of differential scanning calorimetry. After the calculation simulation, we verified that the hydrogen bond energy between collagen chains was positively correlated with Hyp content in the models and an increased Hyp content in the model was beneficial in improving the thermal resistance of the structure. In addition, we found that thermal unfolding did not occur simultaneously along the entire molecule but started in the regions with less Hyp content. This study provides a collagen model with a natural collagen amino acid sequence, which will be helpful for further investigation of the physical and chemical properties of natural collagen.

Van Gieson's picrofuchsin. The staining mechanisms for collagen and cytoplasm, and an examination of the dye diffusion rate model of differential staining

The staining mechanism of van Gieson's picrofuchsin was studied by use of simple protein model systems and tissue sections, and by spectrophotometry and dialysis experiments. At the endpoint of the staining reaction (equilibrium) cytoplasm is yellow. Dye dilution experiments demonstrated that the highest affinity in the tissue section--picrofuchsin system is between binding sites in cytoplasmic protein and acid fuchsin. Nevertheless sections that were first stained in acid fuchsin (AcF) and then in picrofuchsin ended up with cytoplasm stained yellow. It was concluded that differences in the dye diffusion rates and differences in the permeability of tissue components cannot be invoked to explain the differential staining result. Model experiments with dissolved proteins demonstrated a positive relationship between protein concentration and uptake of picric acid (PA) from picrofuchsin. From this and experiments with additives (sodium dodecylsulphate, urea etc.) and organic solvents, it is proposed that coagulant interchain cross-linking at the high protein concentration of the cytoplasm masks potential dye-binding sites. This affects high affinity dyes with multiple binding sites more than small dyes, and so puts AcF at a disadvantage compared to PA. Staining of non-collagen proteins is mainly by hydrophobic bonding, involving ionic attractions, apolar bonds, and release of water. This mode of binding is relatively strong, decreases swelling and leads to slow dye exchange. Dye binding to collagen is mostly by hydrogen bonds, but in aqueous dye solvent nonpolar residues and charged residues may also participate. This structure remains relatively open during and after dye-binding, and the bound dye ions are therefore easily exchanged for other dye ions.

Destabilization of collagen structure by amides and detergents in solution

The effects of amides and detergents on collagen to gelatin transition have been studied at neutral pH. Simple amides denature the protein. The substitution of H-atoms by the alkyl groups at the nonpolar end of amide increases the effectiveness of the compounds in destabilizing the collagen structure whereas substitution of the H-atom at the polar amide end shows marginal effects on the collagen transition. The capabilities of these reagents to denature collagen are much less pronounced than their effects on denaturing globular proteins. Anionic detergents are found to destabilize collagen at very low concentrations (below their cmc values). In this respect, the effects of the detergents on collagen are comparable to the denaturing effects of the detergents on globular proteins. The effect of detergents increases with the increase in the length of the alkyl chain. The structure of the anion in the detergent is also important as seen from the lower potency of the sulfonate containing detergent compared to the sulfate containing detergent in denaturing collagen. Cationic and nonionic detergents do not denature collagen.

Unfolding and refolding of phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus in solutions of guanidinium chloride

1. Protein-fluorescence studies indicated that phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus is denatured in solutions of guanidinium chloride. The denaturation was not thermodynamically reversible and followed biphasic kinetics. 2. Guanidinium chloride solutions released the structural Zn2+ from the enzyme and rendered all histidine residues chemically reactive. In the presence of free Zn1+ the enzyme was much more resistant to denaturation. Also, the addition for free Zn2+ to the denatured enzyme induced refolding. 3. The Zn2+-free apoenzyme was much more sensitive to guanidinium chloride than was the native enzyme and the denaturation appeared to be thermodynamically reversible. 4. Guanidinium chloride denaturation was associated with a reversible inactivation of the enzyme. Heat-inactivated, coagulated enzyme was substantially re-activated on dissolution in guanidinium chloride solutions followed by dialysis against a Zn2+-containing buffer.

Effect of alcohols and neutral salt on the thermal stability of soluble and precipitated acid-soluble collagen

The effects of mono- and poly-hydric alcohols in the presence of KCl on the intrinsic stability of collagen molecules in dilute acid solution were compared with corresponding solvent and salt effects on the increased stability of the aggregated molecules in salt-precipitated fibrils. Salt addition decreased solubility and increased the thermal stability of fibrils, but progressively decreased the stability of collagen molecules in solution. In contrast, the alcohols enhanced solubility and decreased fibril stability, the effects increasing with solvent hydrocarbon chain length and with decreasing hydroxyl/methylene-group ratio. Molar destabilization of dissolved collagen by alcohols was lower than for fibrils, and at low salt concentration, both ethylene glycol and glycerol were structural stabilizers. Electron-micrograph studies indicated that salt-precipitated fibrils tended to adopt the native aggregation mode, and qualitatively similar solvent effects were observed in insoluble collagens. Implications of the experimental findings are discussed in terms of a model in which electrostatic and apolar interactions mainly govern the excess of stability in collagen fibrils whereas intrinsic stability of single molecules is a function of polar interactions and polypeptide-chain rigidity.