Interaction Of Trimethylamine N-oxide Research Articles

Interaction of Zwitterionic Osmolyte Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) with Molecular Hydrophobes: An Interplay of Hydrophobic and Electrostatic Interactions.

Interaction of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) with charged/uncharged moieties of proteins and lipids is an important elementary step toward the multifaceted biofunctions of TMAO. Using minimum area Raman difference spectroscopy (MA-RDS) of aqueous TMAO (1.0 M) in the presence of deuterated molecular hydrophobes (e.g., deuterated tetramethylammonium cation (d-TMA+) and tert-butylalcohol (d-TBA)), we show that TMAO exhibits two distinct motifs of interaction with the cationic (d-TMA+) and uncharged (d-TBA) hydrophobes. Specifically, the trimethylammonium moiety of TMAO undergoes van der Waals attraction with the tert-butyl group of d-TBA, which is governed by their mutual hydrophobic interaction with water. This makes their methyl groups less exposed to water. In contrast, for the cationic hydrophobe (d-TMA+), TMAO interacts electrostatically via its negatively charged-oxygen, which in turn orients the TMAO-methyls away from the hydrophobe (d-TMA+), keeping them exposed to water.

Trimethylamine-N-oxide: its hydration structure, surface activity, and biological function, viewed by vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

The osmolyte molecule trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) stabilizes the structure of proteins. As functional proteins are generally found in aqueous solutions, an important aspect of this stabilization is the interaction of TMAO with water. Here, we review, using vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, recent studies on the structure and dynamics of TMAO with its surrounding water molecules. This article ends with an outlook on the open questions on TMAO-protein and TMAO-urea interactions in aqueous environments.

Crucial Importance of Water Structure Modification on TrimethylamineN-Oxide Counteracting Effect at High Pressure

Penetration of water molecules into the protein interior under high hydrostatic pressure conditions, leading to protein structural transition, is a well-known phenomenon. The counteracting effect of a naturally occurring osmolyte, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), against pressure-induced protein denaturation is also well-established. But, what is largely unknown is the mechanism by which TMAO counteracts this protein denaturation. So to provide a molecular level understanding of how TMAO protects proteins at high pressure, we report here molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation results for aqueous solutions of N-methylacetamide (NMA) with different TMAO concentrations over a wide range of pressures relevant to protein denaturation. Hydration behavior of NMA is analyzed at different conditions chosen. It is observed that hydrostatic pressure leads to a significant compression of hydration shell of nonpolar groups and increases hydration number. The compression is relatively insignificant in the vicinity of hydrogen bonding sites. TMAO can prevent pressure-induced enhanced hydration of NMA molecules. Interaction of TMAO with NMA and the structural and dynamical properties of water (site-site radial distribution function, coordination number, hydrogen-bond number, and lifetime) are also investigated to find the origin of the counteracting action of TMAO. Our results confirm that TMAO and pressure have counteracting effects on the water structural and dynamical properties, giving an explanation as to how TMAO counteracts pressure-conferred denaturation of proteins.