Concentrations Of Guanidine Hydrochloride Research Articles

Impact of a Reducing Agent on the Dynamic Surface Properties of Lysozyme Solutions.

Disulfide bond shuffling in the presence of the reducing agents dithiothreitol (DTT) or β-mercaptoethanol (BME) strongly affects the surface properties of lysozyme solutions. The addition of 0.32 mM DTT substantially alters the kinetic dependencies of the dynamic surface elasticity and surface tension relative to those of pure protein solutions. The significant increase in the dynamic surface elasticity likely relates to the cross-linking between lysozyme molecules and the formation of a dense layer of protein globules stabilized by intermolecular disulfide bonds at the liquid/gas interface. This effect differs from the previously described influence of chaotropic denaturants, such as guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) and urea, on the surface properties of lysozyme solutions. If both chaotropic and reducing agents are added to protein solutions simultaneously, their effects become superimposed. In the case of mixed lysozyme/GuHCl/DTT solutions, the dynamic surface elasticity near equilibrium decreases as the GuHCl concentration increases because of the gradual loosening of the cross-linked layer of protein globules but remains much higher than that of lysozyme/GuHCl solutions.

Denaturation of proteins with beta-barrel topology induced by guanidine hydrochloride

The stability of the representatives of two protein classes with β-barrel topology: porcine odorant-binding protein (OBP) and a number of fluorescent proteins (FPs), was studied. It was shown that both of them are significantly more stable than globular α-helical and α/β proteins. At the same time the value of energy barrier between native and unfolded state for FPs exceeds that for OBP. It was found that the small guanidine hydrochloride concentrations induce local structural distur- bances in proteins: changes in microenvironment of tryptophan residue in the case of odorant-binding protein and decrease in chromophore non-planarity in the case of green fluorescent protein.

Stability and disassembly properties of human naïve Hsp60 and bacterial GroEL chaperonins.

Human Hsp60 chaperonin and its bacterial homolog GroEL, in association with the corresponding co-chaperonins Hsp10 and GroES, constitute important chaperone systems promoting the proper folding of several mitochondrial proteins. Hsp60 is also currently described as a ubiquitous molecule with multiple roles both in health conditions and in several diseases. Naïve Hsp60 bearing the mitochondrial import signal has been recently demonstrated to present different oligomeric organizations with respect to GroEL, suggesting new possible physiological functions. Here we present a combined investigation with circular dichroism and small-angle X-ray scattering of structure, self-organization, and stability of naïve Hsp60 in solution in comparison with bacterial GroEL. Experiments have been performed in different concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride, monitoring the dissociation of tetradecamers into heptamers and monomers, until unfolding. GroEL is proved to be more stable with respect to Hsp60, and the unfolding free energy as well as its dependence on denaturant concentration is obtained.

Influence of guanidine hydrochloride and urea on the dynamic surface properties of lysozyme solutions

Guanidine hydrochloride and urea have different effects on the surface properties of lysozyme solutions due to different interaction mechanisms between the protein and denaturants: an increase in the guanidine hydrochloride concentration leads to noticeable changes in the dynamic surface elasticity, while the main effect of urea consists in a significant drop of the static surface tension.

DENATURATION OF NATIVE AND DEGLYCOSYLATED α-GALACTOSIDASES FROM Penicillium canescens BY GUANIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE

The aim of this work was the study of native and deglycosylated -galactosidases from Penicillium canescens under denaturing conditions caused by guanidine hydrochloride. Calculation of kinetics and constants of enzymes inactivation was carried out on using experimental kinetic curves of enzyme denaturation. We observed significant differences in the kinetics of inactivation of native and deglycosylated -galactosidases from P. canescens caused by guanidine hydrochloride. Native enzyme was stable within the selected range of guanidine hydrochloride concentrations (from 0.1 to 3.0 M), retaining no less than 50% of the initial enzyme activity for 3 days. Deglycosylated enzyme preparations were less stable and they lost their activity within 5–30 minutes, when they were treated with guanidine hydrochloride in concentrations above 1 M. Dissociation rate constant of native and deglycosylated forms of the enzyme differed by 10 to 100 folds. It was shown that subunit interactions play a major role in the process of inactivation of the enzyme, and the carbohydrate component is essential for stabilizing of subunit bonds and maintaining conformational stability of the enzyme under denaturing conditions of chemical agents.

Cosolute effects on amyloid aggregation in a nondiffusion limited regime: intrinsic osmolyte properties and the volume exclusion principle.

The effects of cosolutes on amyloid aggregation kinetics in vivo are critical and not fully understood. To explore the effects of cosolute additives, the in vitro behavior of destabilizing and stabilizing osmolytes with polymer cosolutes on the aggregation of a model amyloid, human insulin, is probed using experiments coupled with an amyloid aggregation reaction model. The destabilizing osmolyte, guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), induces biphasic behavior on the amyloid aggregation rate exhibited by an enhancement of the aggregation kinetics at low concentrations of GuHCl (<0.6 M) and a reduction in kinetics at higher GuHCl concentrations. Stabilizing osmolytes, glycerol, sorbitol and trimethylamine N-oxide, slow the rate of aggregation by reducing the rate of monomer unfolding. Polymer cosolutes, polyvinylpyrrolidone 3.5 kDa and 40 kDa, delay amyloid aggregation mainly through a decrease in the nucleation reaction. These results are in good agreement with the volume exclusion principle for polymer crowding and supports the need to include conformational rearrangement of monomers prior to nucleation. Using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, we demonstrate that amyloid aggregation is nondiffusion limited, except during fibril accumulation in the presence of high concentrations of long chain polymers. Lastly, the neutral surface area of osmolytes correlates well with the time to initiate fibril formation, tlag, which implicates an intrinsic osmolyte property underlying preferential interactions.

Dynamic surface properties of lysozyme solutions. Impact of urea and guanidine hydrochloride

Urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) have different influence on surface properties of lysozyme solutions. The increase of GuHCl concentration leads to noticeable changes of kinetic dependencies of the dynamic surface elasticity and ellipsometric angles while the main effect of urea reduces to a strong drop of the static surface tension. The difference between the effects of these two denaturants on the surface properties of other investigated globular proteins is significantly weaker and is mainly a consequence of a different extent of the globule unfolding in the surface layer at equal concentrations of the denaturants. The obtained results for lysozyme solutions are connected with the strongly different denaturation mechanisms under the influence of urea and GuHCl. In the former case the protein preserves its globular structure in the adsorption layer at high urea concentrations (up to 9M) but without tightly packed interior of the globule and with a dynamic tertiary structure (molten globule state). On the contrary, the increase of GuHCl concentration leads to partial destruction of the protein tertiary structure in the surface layer, although this effect is not as strong as in the case of previously studied bovine serum albumin and β-lactoglobulin.

Prediction of partition coefficients of guanidine hydrochloride in PEG–phosphate systems using neural networks developed with differential evolution algorithm

The complex problem of determining the partition coefficient of the guanidine hydrochloride in aqueous two-phase systems has been less studied. For this reason, an artificial neural network was developed to predict the partition coefficients of guanidine hydrochloride in poly (ethylene glycol) 4000/phosphate/guanidine hydrochloride/water system. The neural model (topology and internal structure) was determined using a neuro-evolutionary technique based on differential evolution algorithm, designed in different variants. This model was able to predict the guanidine hydrochloride concentrations in each phase with a mean relative error of 1.4%, which closely matched the experimental data.

Guanidine hydrochloride and urea effects upon thermal stability of Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin (HbGp)

Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin (HbGp) has a molecular mass of 3600kDa. It belongs to the hexagonal bilayer hemoglobin class, which consists of highly cooperative respiratory macromolecules found in mollusks and annelids. The present work focusses on oxy-HbGp thermal stability, in the presence of urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), monitored by several techniques. Initially, dynamic light scattering data show that the presence of GuHCl induces the protein oligomeric dissociation, followed by a significant 11-fold increase in the hydrodynamic diameter (DH) values, due to the formation of protein aggregates in solution. In contrast, urea promotes the HbGp oligomeric dissociation, followed by unfolding process at high temperatures, without aggregation. Circular dichroism data show that unfolding critical temperature (Tc) of oxy-HbGp decreases from 57°C, at 0.0mol/L of the denaturant, to 45°C, in the presence of 3.5mol/L of urea, suggesting the reduction of HbGp oligomeric stability. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry results show that at lower GuHCl concentrations, some thermal stabilization of the hemoglobin is observed, whereas at higher concentrations, the reduction of stability takes place. Besides, HbGp is more stable in the presence of urea when compared with the guanidine effect, as deduced from the differences in the concentration range of denaturants.

Intermolecular disulfide bond formation promotes immunoglobulin aggregation: investigation by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

Protein aggregation generally results from association between hydrophobic regions of individual monomers. However, additional mechanisms arising from specific interactions, such as intermolecular disulfide bond formation, may also contribute to the process. The latter is proposed to be the initiating pathway for aggregation of immunoglobulin (IgG), which is essential for triggering its immune response. To test the veracity of this hypothesis, we have employed fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to measure the kinetics of aggregation of IgG in separate experiments either allowing or inhibiting disulfide formation. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements yielded a diffusion time (τ(D)) of ∼200 µsec for Rhodamine-labeled IgG, corresponding to a hydrodynamic radius (R(H)) of 56 Å for the IgG monomer. The aggregation kinetics of the protein was followed by monitoring the time evolution of τ(D) under conditions in which its cysteine residues were either free or blocked. In both cases, the progress curves confirmed that aggregation proceeded via the nucleation-dependent polymerization pathway. However, for aggregation in the presence of free cysteines, the lag times were shorter, and the aggregate sizes bigger, than their respective counterparts for aggregation in the presence of blocked cysteines. This result clearly demonstrates that formation of intermolecular disulfide bonds represents a preferred pathway in the aggregation process of IgG. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that aggregates formed in experiments where disulfide formation was prevented denatured at lower concentration of guanidine hydrochloride than those obtained in experiments where the disulfides were free to form, indicating that intermolecular disulfide bridging is a valid pathway for IgG aggregation.

Investigation on solubilization protocols in the refolding of the thioredoxin TsnC from Xylella fastidiosa by high hydrostatic pressure approach

The lack of efficient refolding methodologies must be overcome to take full advantage of the fact that bacteria express high levels of aggregated recombinant proteins. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) impairs intermolecular hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, dissociating aggregates, which makes HHP a useful tool to solubilize proteins for subsequent refolding. A process of refolding was set up by using as a model TsnC, a thioredoxin that catalyzes the disulfide reduction to a dithiol, a useful indication of biological activity. The inclusion bodies (IB) were dissociated at 2.4kbar. The effect of incubation of IB suspensions at 1–800bar, the guanidine hydrochloride concentration, the oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratios, and the additives in the refolding buffer were analyzed. To assess the yields of fully biologically active protein obtained for each tested condition, it was crucial to analyze both the TsnC solubilization yield and its enzymatic activity. Application of 2.4kbar to the IB suspension in the presence of 9mM GSH, 1mM GSSG, 0.75M guanidine hydrochloride, and 0.5M arginine with subsequent incubation at 1bar furnished high refolding yield (81%). The experience gained in this study shall help to establish efficient HHP-based protein refolding processes for other proteins.

Volumetric studies on nucleic acid bases and nucleosides in aqueous guanidine hydrochloride solutions at T = (288.15 to 318.15) K and at atmospheric pressure

Apparent molar volumes (V2,ϕ) have been determined from density measurements for some nucleic acid bases (uracil, cytosine, thymine), and nucleosides (uridine, cytidine and thymidine) in water and in aqueous solutions of (0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00)mol⋅kg−1 guanidine hydrochloride (co-solute) over the temperature range (288.15 to 318.15)K, at atmospheric pressure using vibrating-tube digital densimeter. These data have further been used to calculate apparent molar volumes V2,ϕo at infinite dilution and the corresponding apparent molar volumes of transfer ΔtrV2,ϕo at infinite dilution from water to aqueous solutions of guanidine hydrochloride (GnHCl). Apparent molar expansibilities (E2,ϕo), second-order derivative ∂2V2,ϕo/∂T2p and volumetric interaction coefficients have also been calculated. Co-sphere overlap model has been used to rationalize the data in terms of molecular interactions (hydrophilic, hydrophobic and ionic interactions). The present data have been compared and discussed for the systems studied with those reported in the presence of other co-solutes. The contributions of –CH2 group to V2,ϕo have also been calculated at different temperatures and concentrations of GnHCl.

Fluorescence study of domain structure and lipid interaction of human apolipoproteins E3 and E4

Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) isoforms exhibit different conformational stabilities and lipid-binding properties that give rise to altered cholesterol metabolism among the isoforms. Using Trp-substituted mutations and site-directed fluorescence labeling, we made a comprehensive comparison of the conformational organization of the N- and C-terminal domains and lipid interactions between the apoE3 and apoE4 isoforms. Trp fluorescence measurements for selectively Trp-substituted variants of apoE isoforms demonstrated that apoE4 adopts less stable conformations in both the N- and C-terminal domains compared to apoE3. Consistent with this, the conformational reorganization of the N-terminal helix bundle occurs at lower guanidine hydrochloride concentration in apoE4 than in apoE3 as monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from Trp residues to acrylodan attached at the N-terminal helix. Upon binding of apoE3 and apoE4 variants to egg phosphatidylcholine small unilamellar vesicles, similar changes in Trp fluorescence or FRET efficiency were observed for the isoforms, indicating that the opening of the N-terminal helix bundle occurs similarly in apoE3 and apoE4. Introduction of mutations into the C-terminal domain of the apoE isoforms to prevent self-association and maintain the monomeric state resulted in great increase in the rate of binding of the C-terminal helices to a lipid surface. Overall, our results demonstrate that the different conformational organizations of the N- and C-terminal domains have a minor effect on the steady-state lipid-binding behavior of apoE3 and apoE4: rather, self-association property is a critical determinant in the kinetics of lipid binding through the C-terminal helices of apoE isoforms.

Refolding and purification of recombinant L-asparaginase from inclusion bodies of E. coli into active tetrameric protein.

A tetrameric protein of therapeutic importance, Escherichia coli L-asparaginase-II was expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies (IBs). Asparaginase IBs were solubilized using low concentration of urea and refolded into active tetrameric protein using pulsatile dilution method. Refolded asparaginase was purified in two steps by ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatographic techniques. The recovery of bioactive asparaginase from IBs was around 50%. The melting temperature (Tm) of the purified asparaginase was found to be 64°C. The specific activity of refolded, purified asparaginase was found to be comparable to the commercial asparaginase (190 IU/mg). Enzymatic activity of the refolded asparaginase was high even at four molar urea solutions, where the IB aggregates are completely solubilized. From the comparison of chemical denaturation data and activity at different concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride, it was observed that dissociation of monomeric units precedes the complete loss of helical secondary structures. Protection of the existing native-like protein structure during solubilization of IB aggregates with 4 M urea improved the propensity of monomer units to form oligomeric structure. Our mild solubilization technique retaining native-like structures, improved recovery of asparaginase in bioactive tetrameric form.

Factor defining the effects of glycine betaine on the thermodynamic stability and internal dynamics of horse cytochrome C.

A compatible osmolyte such as glycine betaine (GB) and low concentrations of a denaturant constrain the internal dynamics of natively folded carbonmonoxycytochrome c (NCO) at pH 7.0. GB and subdenaturing concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) or urea have a cumulative effect on the constrained dynamics of NCO. At higher denaturant concentrations, large-scale unfolding fluctuations dominate the dynamics and inclusion of GB opposes the structural fluctuations that cause unfolding of the protein. These deductions are made from kinetic and thermodynamic parameters measured for the CO dissociation reaction of NCO at varying concentrations of denaturant in the absence and presence of 1.0 M GB. Intermolecular docking between horse ferrocytochrome c and a denaturant or GB reveals that the denaturant-mediated constrained dynamics of the protein is due to polyfunctional interactions between the denaturant and different groups of protein while the GB-mediated restricted dynamics of the protein arises from both the direct interactions of GB with different side chains of Lys or Arg residues of the protein and indirect interactions of GB with the protein surface. Thermodynamic analysis of the thermal and GdnHCl-induced unfolding curves of ferrocytochrome c measured in the absence and presence of 1.0 M GB at pH 7.0 indicates that GB increases the thermodynamic stability of ferrocytochrome c at neutral pH. Analysis of thermal and urea-induced unfolding curves of ferricytochrome c measured at different GdnHCl concentrations in the absence and presence of 0.5-1.0 M GB at pH 7.0 and 3.8 suggests that GB counteracts the destabilizing effect of the denaturant at pH 7.0 but exhibits an additive effect on the destabilizing effect of the denaturant at pH 3.8.

A comparative study on the aggregating effects of guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine hydrochloride and urea on lysozyme aggregation

Protein aggregation and its subsequent deposition in different tissues culminate in a diverse range of diseases collectively known as amyloidoses. Aggregation of hen or human lysozyme depends on certain conditions, namely acidic pH or the presence of additives. In the present study, the effects on the aggregation of hen egg-white lysozyme via incubation in concentrated solutions of three different chaotropic agents namely guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine hydrochloride and urea were investigated. Here we used three different methods for the detection of the aggregates, thioflavin T fluorescence, circular dichroism spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Our results showed that upon incubation with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0M) of the chemical denaturants, lysozyme was aggregated at low concentrations of guanidine thiocyanate (1.0 and 2.0M) and at high concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (4 and 5M), although no fibril formation was detected. In the case of urea, no aggregation was observed at any concentration.

Chemical- and thermal-induced unfolding of Leishmania donovani ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B: a single-tryptophan protein.

Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B (RpiB), a crucial enzyme of pentose phosphate pathway, was proposed to be a potential drug target for visceral leishmaniasis. In this study, we have analyzed the biophysical properties of Leishmania donovani RpiB (LdRpiB) enzyme to gain insight into its unfolding pathway under various chemical and thermal denaturation conditions by using fluorescence and CD spectroscopy. LdRpiB inactivation precedes the structural transition at lower concentrations of both urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GdHCl). 8-Anilinonapthalene 1-sulfonic (ANS) binding experiments revealed the presence of molten globule intermediate at 1.5M GdHCl and a nonnative intermediate state at 6-M urea concentration. Acrylamide quenching experiments further validated the above findings, as solvent accessibility of tryptophan residues increased with increase in GdHCl and urea concentration. The recombinant LdRpiB was completely unfolded at 6M GdHCl, whereas the enzyme molecule was resistant to complete unfolding even at 8-M urea concentration. The GdHCl- and urea-mediated unfolding involves a three-state transition process. Thermal-induced denaturation revealed complete loss of enzyme activity at 65°C with only 20% secondary structure loss. The formation of the well-ordered β-sheet structures of amyloid fibrils was observed after 55°C which increased linearly till 85°C as detected by thioflavin T dye. This study depicts the stability of the enzyme in the presence of chemical and thermal denaturants and stability-activity relationship of the enzyme. The presence of the intermediate states may have major implications in the way the enzyme binds to its natural ligand under various conditions. Also, the present study provides insights into the properties of intermediate entities of this important enzyme.

Partial unfolding of a monoclonal antibody: role of a single domain in driving protein aggregation.

We have examined the effect of incubating a monoclonal antibody (mAb) in low (0-2.0 M) concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) on the protein's conformation and aggregation during isothermal incubation. In GdnHCl solutions at concentrations from 1.2 to 1.6 M, the mAb was partially unfolded. As demonstrated by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy, the partially unfolded state of the antibody had perturbed tertiary structure but retained native secondary structure. Furthermore, partial unfolding of the antibody was documented by analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, and limited proteolysis. Subsequent aggregation of the antibody was characterized using size-exclusion chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, and dynamic light scattering. Over the entire concentration range (0-2.0 M) of GdnHCl, protein-protein interactions were attractive, as quantified by negative osmotic second virial coefficients measured with static light scattering. However, during isothermal incubation at 37 °C, the aggregation of the antibody was detected only in solutions that induced partial unfolding. Differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that the antibody's CH2 domains were unfolded in antibody molecules that had been incubated in 1.2 M and higher concentrations of GdnHCl. These results suggest that unfolding of the CH2 domains leads to aggregation.

Conformational fluctuation dynamics of domain I of human serum albumin in the course of chemically and thermally induced unfolding using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

The present study elucidates the involvement of conformational fluctuation dynamics during chemically and thermally induced unfolding of human serum albumin (HSA) by fluorescence correlation spectroscopic (FCS) study, time-resolved fluorescence measurements, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic methods. Two fluorescent probes, tetramethylrhodamine-5-maleimide (TMR) and N-(7-dimethylamino-4-methylcoumarin-3-yl) iodoacetamide (DACIA) were used to selectively label the domain I of HSA through the reaction with cys-34 for these studies. The guanidine hydrochloride (GnHCl) induced global structural change of HSA is monitored through its hydrodynamic radius (r(H)) and CD response, which is found to be two step in nature. In FCS experiment, along with the diffusion time component we have observed an exponential relaxation time component (τ(R)) that has been ascribed to the concerted chain dynamics of HSA. Unlike in the global structural change, we found that the τ(R) value changes in a different manner in the course of the unfolding. The dependence of τ(R) on the concentration of GnHCl was best fitted with a four state model, indicating the involvement of two intermediate states during the unfolding process, which were not observed through the CD response and r(H) data. The fluorescence lifetime measurement also supports our observation of intermediate states during the unfolding of HSA. However, no such intermediate states were observed during thermally induced unfolding of HSA.

Elongation of mouse prion protein amyloid-like fibrils: effect of temperature and denaturant concentration.

Prion protein is known to have the ability to adopt a pathogenic conformation, which seems to be the basis for protein-only infectivity. The infectivity is based on self-replication of this pathogenic prion structure. One of possible mechanisms for such replication is the elongation of amyloid-like fibrils.We measured elongation kinetics and thermodynamics of mouse prion amyloid-like fibrils at different guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) concentrations. Our data show that both increases in temperature and GuHCl concentration help unfold monomeric protein and thus accelerate elongation. Once the monomers are unfolded, further increases in temperature raise the rate of elongation, whereas the addition of GuHCl decreases it.We demonstrated a possible way to determine different activation energies of amyloid-like fibril elongation by using folded and unfolded protein molecules. This approach separates thermodynamic data for fibril-assisted monomer unfolding and for refolding and formation of amyloid-like structure.