Cold denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin

We have investigated the thermal unfolding of bovine alpha-lactalbumin by means of circular dichroism spectroscopy in the far- and near-ultraviolet regions, and shown that the native alpha-lactalbumin undergoes heat and cold denaturation. The guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding of alpha-lactalbumin was also investigated by circular dichroism spectroscopy at various temperatures from 261 to 318 K. It is shown that the population of the molten globule state is strongly dependent on temperature and that the molten globule state does not accumulate during the guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding transition at 261 K. Our results indicate that the molten globule state of alpha-lactalbumin undergoes cold denaturation as the native alpha-lactalbumin does, and that the heat capacity change of unfolding from the molten globule to the unfolded state is positive and significant. The present results further support the idea that the molten globule and the unfolded states do not belong to the same thermodynamic state, and that the native, molten globule and unfolded states are sufficient for interpreting the guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding behavior of alpha-lactalbumin.     

Molecular basis of cooperativity in protein folding. V. Thermodynamic and structural conditions for the stabilization of compact denatured states

The heat-denatured state of proteins has been usually assumed to be a fully hydrated random coil. It is now evident that under certain solvent conditions or after chemical or genetic modifications, the protein molecule may exhibit a hydrophobic core and residual secondary structure after thermal denaturation. This state of the protein has been called the “compact denatured” or “molten globule” state. Recently is has been shown that α-lactalbumin at pH < 5 denatures into a molten globule state upon increasing the temperature (Griko, Y., Freire, E., Privalov, P. L. Biochemistry 33:1889–1899, 1994). This state has a lower heat capacity and a higher enthalpy at low temperatures than the unfolded state. At those temperatures the stabilization of the molten globule state is of an entropic origin since the enthalpy contributes unfavorably to the Gibbs free energy. Since the molten globule is more structured than the unfolded state and, therefore, is expected to have a lower configurational entropy, the net entropic gain must originate primarily from solvent related entropy arising from the hydrophobic effect, and to a lesser extent from protonation or electrostatic effects. In this work, we have examined a large ensemble of partly folded states derived from the native structure of α-lactalbumin in order to identify those states that satisfy the energetic criteria of the molten globule. It was found that only few states satisfied the experimental constraints and that, furthermore, those states were part of the same structural family. In particular, the regions corresponding to the A, B, and C helices were found to be folded, while the β sheet and the D helix were found to be unfolded. At temperatures below 45°C the states exhibiting those structural characteristics are enthalpically higher than the unfolded state in agreement with the experimental data. Interestingly, those states have a heat capacity close to that observed for the acid pH compact denatured state of α-lactalbumin [980 cal (mol.K)^?l]. In addition, the folded regions of these states include those residues found to be highly protected by NMR hydrogen exchange experiments. This work represents an initial attempt to model the structural origin of the thermodynamic properties of partly folded states. The results suggest a number of structural features that are consistent with experimental data. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on unfolding of alpha-lactalbumin: volumetric equivalence of the molten globule and unfolded state

The effect of pressure on the unfolding of bovine alpha-lactalbumin was investigated by ultraviolet absorption methods. The change of molar volume associated with unfolding, deltaV, was measured in the presence or absence of guanidine hydrochloride at pH 7. The deltaV was estimated to be -63 cm3/mol in the absence of a chemical denaturant. While in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), it was found that deltaV was -66 cm3/mol at 25 degrees C and was independent of the concentration of GuHCl, despite the fact that the molten globule fraction in the total unfolding product decreased with the increase of GuHCl concentration. The results indicate that the volume of alpha-lactalbumin only changes at the transition from a native to a molten globule state, and almost no volume change has been found during the transition from a molten globule to the unfolded state.     

Energetic basis of structural stability in the molten globule state: alpha-lactalbumin

The denatured states of alpha-lactalbumin, which have features of a molten globule state, have been studied to elucidate the energetics of the molten globule state and its contribution to the stability of the native conformation. Analysis of calorimetric and CD data shows that the heat capacity increment of alpha-lactalbumin denaturation highly correlates with the degree of disorder of the residual structure of the state. As a result, the denaturational transition of alpha-lactalbumin from the native to a highly ordered compact denatured state, and from the native to the disordered unfolded state are described by different thermodynamic functions. The enthalpy and entropy of the denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin to compact denatured state are always greater than the enthalpy and entropy of its unfolding. This difference represents the unfolding of the molten globule state. Calorimetric measurements of the heat effect associated with the unfolding of the molten globule state reveal that it is negative in sign over the temperature range of molten globule stability. This observation demonstrates the energetic specificity of the molten globule state, which, in contrast to a protein with unique tertiary structure, is stabilized by the dominance of negative entropy and enthalpy of hydration over the positive conformational entropy and enthalpy of internal interactions. It is concluded that at physiological temperatures the entropy of dehydration is the dominant factor providing stability for the compact intermediate state on the folding pathway, while for the stability of the native state, the conformational enthalpy is the dominant factor.     

Hydrogen exchange in a large 29 kD protein and characterization of molten globule aggregation by NMR

The nature of denatured ensembles of the enzyme human carbonic anhydrase (HCA) has been extensively studied by various methods in the past. The protein constitutes an interesting model for folding studies that does not unfold by a simple two-state transition, instead a molten globule intermediate is highly populated at 1.5 M GuHCl. In this work, NMR and H/D exchange studies have been conducted on one of the isozymes, HCA I. The H/D exchange studies, which were enabled by the previously obtained resonance assignment of HCA I, have been used to identify unfolded forms that are accessible from the native state. In addition, the GuHCl-induced unfolded states of HCA I have also been characterized by NMR at GuHCl concentrations in the 0-5 M range. The most important findings in this work are as follows: (1) Amide protons located in the center of the beta-sheet require global unfolding events for efficient H/D exchange. (2) The molten globule and the native state give similar protection against H/D exchange for all of the observable amide protons (i.e., water seems not to efficiently penetrate the interior of the molten globule). (3) At high protein concentrations, the molten globule can form large aggregates, which are not detectable by solution-state NMR methods. (4) The unfolded state (U), present at GuHCl concentrations above 2 M, is composed of an ensemble of conformations having residual structures with different stabilities.     

Denaturant mediated unfolding of both native and molten globule states of maltose binding protein are accompanied by large deltaCp's.

Maltose binding protein (MBP) is a large, monomeric two domain protein containing 370 amino acids. In the absence of denaturant at neutral pH, the protein is in the native state, while at pH 3.0 it forms a molten globule. The molten globule lacks a tertiary circular dichroism signal but has secondary structure similar to that of the native state. The molten globule binds 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS). The unfolding thermodynamics of MBP at both pHs were measured by carrying out a series of isothermal urea melts at temperatures ranging from 274-329 K. At 298 K, values of deltaGdegrees , deltaCp, and Cm were 3.1+/-0.2 kcal mol(-1), 5.9+/-0.8 kcal mol(-1) K(-1) (15.9 cal (mol-residue)(-1) K(-1)), and 0.8 M, respectively, at pH 3.0 and 14.5+/-0.4 kcal mol(-1), 8.3+/-0.7 kcal mol(-1) K(-1) (22.4 kcal (mol-residue)(-1) K(-1)), and 3.3 M, respectively, at pH 7.1. Guanidine hydrochloride denaturation at pH 7.1 gave values of deltaGdegrees and deltaCp similar to those obtained with urea. The m values for denaturation are strongly temperature dependent, in contrast to what has been previously observed for small globular proteins. The value of deltaCp per mol-residue for the molten globule is comparable to corresponding values of deltaCp for the unfolding of typical globular proteins and suggests that it is a highly ordered structure, unlike molten globules of many small proteins. The value of deltaCp per mol-residue for the unfolding of the native state is among the highest currently known for any protein.     

Two partially unfolded states of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase.

Chemical modification with sulfhydryl reagents of the single, nonconserved cysteine residue Cys231 in each subunit of a disulfide-linked dimer of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase produces a partially unfolded inactive state. Another partially unfolded state can be obtained by exposure of the enzyme to 1-2 M guanidine hydrochloride. Both these states display several important features of a molten globule, but differ in their spectroscopic (CD, intrinsic fluorescence) and hydrodynamic (Stokes radii) characteristics. With reversal of chemical modification of the former state or removal of denaturant from the latter, both states retain their physiochemical characteristics. Thus, acetylcholinesterase can exist in two molten globule states, both of which are long-lived under physiologic conditions without aggregating, and without either intraconverting or reverting to the native state. Both states undergo spontaneous intramolecular thioldisulfide exchange, implying that they are flexible. As revealed by differential scanning calorimetry, the state produced by chemical modification lacks any heat capacity peak, presumably due to aggregation during scanning, whereas the state produced by guanidine hydrochloride unfolds as a single cooperative unit, thermal transition being completely reversible. Sucrose gradient centrifugation reveals that reduction of the interchain disulfide of the native acetylcholinesterase dimer converts it to monomers, whereas, after such reduction, the two subunits remain completely associated in the partially unfolded state generated by guanidine hydrochloride, and partially associated in that produced by chemical modification. It is suggested that a novel hydrophobic core, generated across the subunit interfaces, is responsible for this noncovalent association. Transition from the unfolded state generated by chemical modification to that produced by guanidine hydrochloride is observed only in the presence of the denaturant, yielding, on extrapolation to zero guanidine hydrochloride, a high free energy barrier (ca. 23.8 kcal/mol) separating these two flexible, partially unfolded states.     

Thermal unfolding of tetrameric melittin: comparison with the molten globule state of cytochrome c.

Whereas melittin at micromolar concentrations is unfolded under conditions of low salt at neutral pH, it transforms to a tetrameric alpha-helical structure under several conditions, such as high peptide concentration, high anion concentration, or alkaline pH. The anion- and pH-dependent stabilization of the tetrameric structure is similar to that of the molten globule state of several acid-denatured proteins, suggesting that tetrameric melittin might be a state similar to the molten globule state. To test this possibility, we studied the thermal unfolding of tetrameric melittin using far-UV CD and differential scanning calorimetry. The latter technique revealed a broad but distinct heat absorption peak. The heat absorption curves were consistent with the unfolding transition observed by CD and were explainable by a 2-state transition mechanism between the tetrameric alpha-helical state and the monomeric unfolded state. From the peptide or salt-concentration dependence of unfolding, the heat capacity change upon unfolding was estimated to be 5 kJ (mol of tetramer)-1 K-1 at 30 degrees C and decreased with increasing temperature. The observed change in heat capacity was much smaller than that predicted from the crystallographic structure (9.2 kJ (mol of tetramer)-1 K-1), suggesting that the hydrophobic residues of tetrameric melittin in solution are exposed in comparison with the crystallographic structure. However, the results also indicate that the structure is more ordered than that of a typical molten globule state. We consider that the conformation is intermediate between the molten globule state and the native state of globular proteins.     

Irreversible thermal denaturation of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase.

Thermal denaturation of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase, a disulfide-linked homodimer with 537 amino acids in each subunit, was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It displays a single calorimetric peak that is completely irreversible, the shape and temperature maximum depending on the scan rate. Thus, thermal denaturation of acetylcholinesterase is an irreversible process, under kinetic control, which is described well by the two-state kinetic scheme N-->D, with activation energy 131 +/- 8 kcal/mol. Analysis of the kinetics of denaturation in the thermal transition temperature range, by monitoring loss of enzymic activity, yields activation energy of 121 +/- 20 kcal/mol, similar to the value obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. Thermally denatured acetylcholinesterase displays spectroscopic characteristics typical of a molten globule state, similar to those of partially unfolded enzyme obtained by modification with thiol-specific reagents. Evidence is presented that the partially unfolded states produced by the two different treatments are thermodynamically favored relative to the native state.     

Structural energetics of the molten globule state

Certain partly ordered protein conformations, commonly called “moltenglobule states,” are widely believed to represent protein folding intermediates. Recentstructural studies of molten globule states ofdifferent proteins have revealed features whichappear to be general in scope. The emergingconsensus is that these partly ordered forms exhibit a high content of secondary structure, considerable compactness, nonspecific tertiary structure, and significant structural flexibility. These characteristics may be used to define ageneral state of protein folding called “the molten globule state,” which is structurally andthermodynamically distinct from both the native state and the denatured state. Despite exaatensive knowledge of structural features of afew molten globule states, a cogent thermodynamic argument for their stability has not yetbeen advanced. The prevailing opinion of thelast decade was that there is little or no enthalpy difference or heat capacity differencebetween the molten globule state and the unfolded state. This view, however, appears to beat variance with the existing database of protein structural energetics and with recent estimates of the energetics of denaturation of α-lactalbumin, cytochrome c, apomyoglobin, and T4 lysozyme. We discuss these four proteins at length. The results of structural studies, together with the existing thermodynamic values for fundamental interactions in proteins, provide the foundation for a structural thermodynamic framework which can account for the observed behavior of molten globule states. Within this framework, we analyze the physical basis for both the high stability of several molten globule states and the low probability of other protential folding intermediates. Additionally, we consider, in terms of reduced enthalpy changes and disrupted cooperative interactions, the thermodynamic basis for the apparent absence of a thermally induced, cooperative unfolding transition for some molten globule states. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Conformational and thermodynamic characterization of the molten globule state occurring during unfolding of cytochromes-c by weak salt denaturants

The denaturation of bovine and horse cytochromes-c by weak salt denaturants (LiCl and CaCl(2)) was measured at 25 degrees C by observing changes in molar absorbance at 400 nm (Delta epsilon(400)) and circular dichroism (CD) at 222 and 409 nm. Measurements of Delta epsilon(400) and mean residue ellipticity at 409 nm ([theta](409)) gave a biphasic transition for both modes of denaturation of cytochromes-c. It has been observed that the first denaturation phase, N (native) conformation <--> X (intermediate) conformation and the second denaturation phase, X conformation <--> D (denatured) conformation are reversible. Conformational characterization of the X state by the far-UV CD, 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) binding, and intrinsic viscosity measurements led us to conclude that the X state is a molten globule state. Analysis of denaturation transition curves for the stability of different states in terms of Gibbs energy change at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees C led us to conclude that the N state is more stable than the X state by 9.55 +/- 0.32 kcal mol(-1), whereas the X state is more stable than the D state by only 1.40 +/- 0.25 kcal mol(-1). We have also studied the effect of temperature on the equilibria, N conformation <--> X conformation and X conformation <--> D conformation in the presence of different denaturant concentrations using two different optical probes, namely, [theta](222) and Delta epsilon(400). These measurements yielded T(m), (midpoint of denaturation) and Delta H(m) (enthalpy change) at T(m) as a function of denaturant concentration. A plot of Delta H(m) versus corresponding T(m) was used to determine the constant-pressure heat capacity change, Delta C(p) (= ( partial differential Delta H(m)/ partial differential T(m))(p)). Values of Delta C(p) for N conformation <--> X conformation and X conformation <--> D conformation is 0.92 +/- 0.02 kcal mol(-1) K(-1) and 0.41 +/- 0.01 kcal mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. These measurements suggested that about 30% of the hydrophobic groups in the molten globule state are not accessible to the water.     

Intermediate studies on refolding of arginine kinase denatured by guanidine hydrochloride.

The refolding course and intermediate of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl)-denatured arginine kinase (AK) were studied in terms of enzymatic activity, intrinsic fluorescence, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonte (ANS) fluorescence, and far-UV circular dichroism (CD). During AK refolding, the fluorescence intensity increased with a significantly blue shift of the emission maximum. The molar ellipticity of CD increased to close to that of native AK, as compared with the fully unfolded AK. In the AK refolding process, 2 refolding intermediates were observed at the concentration ranges of 0.8-1.0 mol/L and 0.3-0.5 mol GuHCl/L. The peak position of the fluorescence emission and the secondary structure of these conformation states remained roughly unchanged. The tryptophan fluorescence intensity increased a little. However, the ANS fluorescence intensity significantly increased, as compared with both the native and the fully unfolded states. The first refolding intermediate at the range of 0.8-1.0 mol GuHCl/L concentration represented a typical "pre-molten globule state structure" with inactivity. The second one, at the range of 0.3-0.5 mol GuHCl/L concentration, shared many structural characteristics of native AK, including its secondary and tertiary structure, and regained its catalytic function, although its activity was lower than that of native AK. The present results suggest that during the refolding of GuHCl-denatured AK there are at least 2 refolding intermediates; as well, the results provide direct evidence for the hierarchical mechanism of protein folding.     

Reshaping the folding energy landscape by chloride salt: impact on molten-globule formation and aggregation behavior of carbonic anhydrase

During chemical denaturation different intermediate states are populated or suppressed due to the nature of the denaturant used. Chemical denaturation by guanidine-HCl (GuHCl) of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) leads to a three-state unfolding process (Cm,NI=1.0 and Cm,IU=1.9 M GuHCl) with formation of an equilibrium molten-globule intermediate that is stable at moderate concentrations of the denaturant (1-2 M) with a maximum at 1.5 M GuHCl. On the contrary, urea denaturation gives rise to an apparent two-state unfolding transition (Cm=4.4 M urea). However, 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) binding and decreased refolding capacity revealed the presence of the molten globule in the middle of the unfolding transition zone, although to a lesser extent than in GuHCl. Cross-linking studies showed the formation of moderate oligomer sized (300 kDa) and large soluble aggregates (>1000 kDa). Inclusion of 1.5 M NaCl to the urea denaturant to mimic the ionic character of GuHCl leads to a three-state unfolding behavior (Cm,NI=3.0 and Cm,IU=6.4 M urea) with a significantly stabilized molten-globule intermediate by the chloride salt. Comparisons between NaCl and LiCl of the impact on the stability of the various states of HCA II in urea showed that the effects followed what could be expected from the Hofmeister series, where Li+ is a chaotropic ion leading to decreased stability of the native state. Salt addition to the completely urea unfolded HCA II also led to an aggregation prone unfolded state, that has not been observed before for carbonic anhydrase. Refolding from this state only provided low recoveries of native enzyme.     

Studies of the unfolding of an unstable mutant of staphylococcal nuclease: Evidence for low temperature unfolding and compactness of the high temperature unfolded state

Fluorescence and circular dichroism data as a function of temperature were obtained to characterize the unfolding of nuclease A and two of its less stable mutants. These spectroscopic data were obtained with a modified instrument that enables the nearly simultaneous detection of both fluorescence and CD data on the same sample. A global analysis of these multiple datasets yielded an excellent fit of a model that includes a change in the heat capacity change, ΔC_p, between the unfolded and native states. This analysis gives a ΔC_p of 2.2 kcal/mol/·K for thermal unfolding of the WT protein and 1.3 and 1.8 kcal/mol/K for the two mutants. These ΔC_p values are consistent with significant population of the cold unfolded state at ∼0°C. Independent evidence for the existence of a cold unfolded state is the observation of a separately migrating peak in size exclusion chromatography. The new chromatographic peak is seen near 0°C, has a partition coefficient corresponding to a larger hydrodynamic radius, and shows a red-shifted fluorescence spectrum, as compared to the native protein. Data also indicate that the high-temperature unfolded form of mutant nuclease is relatively compact. Size exclusion chromatography shows the high temperature unfolded form to have a hydrodynamic radius that is larger than that for the native form, but smaller than that for the urea or pH-induced unfolded forms. Addition of chemical denaturants to the high-temperature unfolded form causes a further unfolding of the protein, as indicated by an increase in the apparent hydrodynamic radius and a decrease in the rotational correlation time for Trp140 (as determined by fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements). Proteins 28:227–240, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.     

Unfolding of ubiquitin studied by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence of the tyrosine residue

The photophysics of the single tyrosine in bovine ubiquitin (UBQ) was studied by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, as a function of pH and along thermal and chemical unfolding, with the following results: First, at room temperature (25 degrees C) and below pH 1.5, native UBQ shows single-exponential decays. From pH 2 to 7, triple-exponential decays were observed and the three decay times were attributed to the presence of tyrosine, a tyrosine-carboxylate hydrogen-bonded complex, and excited-state tyrosinate. Second, at pH 1.5, the water-exposed tyrosine of either thermally or chemically unfolded UBQ decays as a sum of two exponentials. The double-exponential decays were interpreted and analyzed in terms of excited-state intramolecular electron transfer from the phenol to the amide moiety, occurring in one of the three rotamers of tyrosine in UBQ. The values of the rate constants indicate the presence of different unfolded states and an increase in the mobility of the tyrosine residue during unfolding. Finally, from the pre-exponential coefficients of the fluorescence decays, the unfolding equilibrium constants (KU) were calculated, as a function of temperature or denaturant concentration. Despite the presence of different unfolded states, both thermal and chemical unfolding data of UBQ could be fitted to a two-state model. The thermodynamic parameters Tm = 54.6 degrees C, DeltaHTm = 56.5 kcal/mol, and DeltaCp = 890 cal/mol//K, were determined from the unfolding equilibrium constants calculated accordingly, and compared to values obtained by differential scanning calorimetry also under the assumption of a two-state transition, Tm = 57.0 degrees C, DeltaHm= 51.4 kcal/mol, and DeltaCp = 730 cal/mol//K.     

pH-induced denaturation of proteins: a single salt bridge contributes 3-5 kcal/mol to the free energy of folding of T4 lysozyme

The energetics of a salt bridge formed between the side chains of aspartic acid 70 (Asp70) and histidine 31 (His31) of T4 lysozyme have been examined by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The pKa values of the residues in the native state are perturbed from their values in the unfolded protein such that His31 has a pKa value of 9.1 in the native state and 6.8 in the unfolded state at 10 degrees C in moderate salt. Similarly, the aspartate pKa is shifted to a value of about 0.5 in the native state from its value of 3.5-4.0 in the unfolded state. These shifts in pKa show that the salt bridge is stabilized 3-5 kcal/mol. This implies that the salt bridge stabilizes the native state by 3-5 kcal/mol as compared to the unfolded state. This is reflected in the thermodynamic stability of mutants of the protein in which Asp70, His31, or both are replaced by asparagine. These observations and consideration of the thermodynamic coupling of protonation state to folding of proteins suggest a mechanism of acid denaturation in which the unfolded state is progressively stabilized by protonation of its acid residues as pH is lowered below pH 4. The unfolded state is stabilized only if acidic groups in the folded state have lower pKa values than in the unfolded state. When the pH is sufficiently low, the acid groups of both the native and unfolded states are fully protonated, and the apparent unfolding equilibrium constant becomes pH independent. Similar arguments apply to base-induced unfolding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Unfolding a folding disease: folding, misfolding and aggregation of the marble brain syndrome-associated mutant H107Y of human carbonic anhydrase II

Most loss-of-function diseases are caused by aberrant folding of important proteins. These proteins often misfold due to mutations. The disease marble brain syndrome (MBS), known also as carbonic anhydrase II deficiency syndrome (CADS), can manifest in carriers of point mutations in the human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) gene. One mutation associated with MBS entails the His107Tyr substitution. Here, we demonstrate that this mutation is a remarkably destabilizing folding mutation. The loss-of-function is clearly a folding defect, since the mutant shows 64% of CO(2) hydration activity compared to that of the wild-type at low temperature where the mutant is folded. On the contrary, its stability towards thermal and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) denaturation is highly compromised. Using activity assays, CD, fluorescence, NMR, cross-linking, aggregation measurements and molecular modeling, we have mapped the properties of this remarkable mutant. Loss of enzymatic activity had a midpoint temperature of denaturation (T(m)) of 16 degrees C for the mutant compared to 55 degrees C for the wild-type protein. GuHCl-denaturation (at 4 degrees C) showed that the native state of the mutant was destabilized by 9.2kcal/mol. The mutant unfolds through at least two equilibrium intermediates; one novel intermediate that we have termed the molten globule light state and, after further denaturation, the classical molten globule state is populated. Under physiological conditions (neutral pH; 37 degrees C), the His107Tyr mutant will populate the molten globule light state, likely due to novel interactions between Tyr107 and the surroundings of the critical residue Ser29 that destabilize the native conformation. This intermediate binds the hydrophobic dye 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) but not as strong as the molten globule state, and near-UV CD reveals the presence of significant tertiary structure. Notably, this intermediate is not as prone to aggregation as the classical molten globule. As a proof of concept for an intervention strategy with small molecules, we showed that binding of the CA inhibitor acetazolamide increases the stability of the native state of the mutant by 2.9kcal/mol in accordance with its strong affinity. Acetazolamide shifts the T(m) to 34 degrees C that protects from misfolding and will enable a substantial fraction of the enzyme pool to survive physiological conditions.