Adsorption at the liquid-solid Interface - Influence of protein stability on conformational changes

Abstract

Protein adsorption has large implications in a variety of fields and can be both a problem and an asset. Most often protein adsorption is accompanied by structural changes in the adsorbed protein. The degree and rate of these changes are dependent on the surface, conditions during adsorption and experimental set up as well as of intrinsic properties of the protein. The effect of conformational changes influences both practical applications and experimental results in studies of protein adsorption at the liquid/solid interface. The intrinsic property of the protein that is most instrumental for conformational changes upon adsorption is the stability of the protein. Hence, large efforts have been directed towards analysis of how both the nature of surfaces and conditions influence the stability of proteins upon adsorption. Less work has been focused on the reversed view, i.e. how the stability of proteins influences adsorption, the rate and degree of the subsequent conformational changes as well as the effects of these changes. However, the increasing use of proteins in a variety of medical and biotechnological applications requires a deeper knowledge of the importance and effects of stabilizing interactions in the protein structure. Engineered stabilized proteins that are less affected by surface interactions should be of potential use for various practical purposes.