A new simple method to determine the diffusion coefficient from Active Enzyme Centrifugation experiments

Abstract

A simple and accurate procedure to determine the diffusion coefficient from Active Enzyme Centrifugation experiments is presented. Using computer-simulated concentration distributions we demonstrate that the procedure, derived by Vinograd for the conventional band sedimentation, is suitable to exploit Active Enzyme Centrifugation experiments when the Cohen's Difference Curves Method is used. This new empirical method avoids all the difficulties of the rigorous method previously proposed by Cohen et al., without any loss of accuracy. Optimal conditions are described which allow the determination of the enzyme diffusion coefficient with a 5% uncertainty. Such an easy determination of the sedimentation and diffusion coefficients by the AEC technique can provide a good and rapid estimation of the active enzyme molecular weight, either with a low amount of material or in very impure preparations.