Reversible dissociation and unfolding of aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli: characterization of a monomeric intermediate

The unfolding and dissociation of the dimeric enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (D) from Escherichia coli by guanidine hydrochloride have been investigated at equilibrium. The overall process was reversible, as judged from almost complete recovery of enzymic activity after dialysis of 0.7 mg of denatured protein/mL against buffer. Unfolding and dissociation were monitored by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy and occurred in three separate phases: D in equilibrium 2M in equilibrium 2M* in equilibrium 2U. The first transition at about 0.5 M guanidine hydrochloride coincided with loss of enzyme activity. It was displaced toward higher denaturant concentrations by the presence of either pyridoxal 5'-phosphate or pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate and toward lower denaturant concentrations by decreasing the protein concentration. Therefore, bound coenzyme stabilizes the dimeric state, and the monomer (M) is inactive because the shared active sites are destroyed by dissociation of the dimer. M was converted to M* and then to the fully unfolded monomer (U) in two subsequent transitions. M* was stable between 0.9 and 1.1 M guanidine hydrochloride and had the hydrodynamic radius, circular dichroism, and fluorescence of a monomeric, compact "molten globule" state.     

Kinetics of actin unfolding induced by guanidine hydrochloride.

The kinetics of actin unfolding induced by guanidine hydrochloride has been studied. On the basis of obtained experimental data a new kinetic pathway of actin unfolding was proposed. We have shown that the transition from native to inactivated actin induced by guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) passes through essential unfolding of the protein. This means that inactivated actin should be considered as the off-pathway species rather than an intermediate conformation between native and completely unfolded states of actin, as has been assumed earlier. The rate constants of the transitions that give rise to the inactivated actin were determined. At 1.0-2.0 M GdnHCl the value of the rate constant of the transition from native to essentially unfolded actin exceeds that of the following step of inactivated actin formation. It leads to the accumulation of essentially unfolded macromolecules early in the unfolding process, which in turn causes the minimum in the time dependencies of tryptophan fluorescence intensity, parameter A, characterizing the intrinsic fluorescence spectrum position, and tryptophan fluorescence anisotropy.     

Denaturation of beef liver glutamate dehydrogenase under the action of guanidine hydrochloride and a study of the possibility of the enzyme renaturation]

It was shown that denaturation of beef liver glutamate dehydrogenase under the action of guanidine hydrochloride results in a diplacement of the protein fluorescence maximum from 332 to 349 nm, in a decrease of optical rotation of the protein at 233 nm and in an appearance of negative bands in the difference absorbance spectrum with extrema at 279 and 287 nm. The transition of native enzyme into a denaturated state is observed within a narrow interval of guanidine hydrochloride concentrations. The middle point of the transition corresponds to approximately 2,2 M guanidine hydrochloride. The inactivation kinetics for glutamate dehydrogenase coincide with those of the enzyme spectral properties alterations due to denaturation. The attempts at renaturation of glutamate dehydrogenase by diluting the denaturated enzyme solution or by a dialysis against a buffer solution were unsuccessful.     

Subunit dissociation and unfolding of rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase by guanidine by hydrochloride.

The denaturation of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphofructokinase by guanidine hydrochloride has been studied using fluorescence, light scattering, and enzyme activity measurements. The transition from fully active tetramer (0.1 M potassium phosphate (pH 8.0) at 10 and 23 degrees) to unfolded polypeptide chains occurs in two phases as measured by changes in the fluorescence spectrum and light scattering of the protein: dissociation to monomers at low guanidine hydrochloride concentrations (similar to 0.8 M) followed by an unfolding of the polypeptide chains, which presumably results in a random coil state, at high concentrations of denaturant (greater than 3.5 M). The initial transition can be further divided into two distinct stages. The native enzyme is rapidly dissociated to inactive monomers which then undergo a much slower conformational change that alters the fluorescence spectrum of the protein. The dissociation is complete within 2 min and is reversible, but the conformational change requires about 2 hr for completion and is not reversible under a variety of conditions, including the presence of substrates and allosteric effectors. The conformationally altered protomer reaggregates to form a precipitate at 23 degrees, but is stable below 10 degrees. The second major phase of the denaturation is fully reversible. A simple mechanism is proposed to account for the results, and its implications for the corresponding renaturation process are discussed.     

Guanidine-induced unfolding of the Sso7d protein from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

The unfolding induced by guanidine hydrochloride of the small protein Sso7d from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus has been investigated by means of circular dichroism and fluorescence measurements. At neutral pH and room temperature the midpoint of the transition occurred at 4M guanidine hydrochloride. Thermodynamic information was obtained by means of both the linear extrapolation model and the denaturant binding model, in the assumption of a two-state N<==>D transition. A comparison with thermodynamic data determined from the thermal unfolding of Sso7d indicated that the denaturant binding model has to be preferred. Finally, it is shown that Sso7d is the most stable against both temperature and guanidine hydrochloride among a set of globular proteins possessing a very similar 3D structure.     

Intrinsic viscosity of ovomucoid in random coil conformation.

Ovomucoid is denatured by concentrated solutions of guanidine hydrochloride. The intrinsic viscosities of the glycoprotein in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride in the absence and presence of beta-mercaptoethanol were found to be 8.1 and 16.0 ml/g, respectively. Ovomucoid with disulphide bonds reduced exists in linear random coil conformation. However, the intrinsic viscosity of the randomly coiled protein was less than that predicted from the empirical equations describing the molecular weight dependence of intrinsic viscosities of random coil proteins in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. On excluding the carbohydrate content of the protein, which is theoretically justified, the calculated intrinsic viscosity interestingly became closer to the measured one. The temperature dependence of the intrinsic viscosity of ovomucoid in linear random coil conformation was studied in the temperature range, 25-55 degrees. The features of the intrinsic viscosity-temperature profile are not comparable with those exhibited by other linear random coil proteins in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride.     

Denaturation behavior of phaseolin in urea, guanidine hydrochloride, and sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions

The denaturation behavior of phaseolin in urea, guanidine hydrochloride, and sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions was examined by monitoring changes in the intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan and tyrosyl residues. Changes in various fluorescence parameters, such as quantum yield, emission maximum, spectral half-width, fluorescence depolarization, and fluorescence quenching by acrylamide, have indicated that while phaseolin is relatively stable up to 8 M urea, it is completely destabilized in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and 6 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. Furthermore, while the denaturation of phaseolin in urea solutions followed a two-step process, that in guanidine hydrochloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate followed a single-step process. While the accessibility of tryptophan residues to the nonionic acrylamide quencher is almost 100% in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and 6 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, only about 72% was accessible in 8 M urea compared to 52% in native phaseolin. The results presented here suggest that the protomeric structure of phaseolin is quite stable to changes in the environment. This structural stability may be partly responsible for its resistance to proteolysis by various proteinases.     

An acid induced conformational transition of denatured cytochrome c in urea and guanidine hydrochloride solutions.

Previous work has shown that at neutral pH ferricytochrome c (horse heart) retains certain residual structures in concentrated solutions of urea or guanidine hydrochloride (Tsong, T. Y. (1974), J. Biol. Chem. 249, 1988). Present studies reveal that cooperative unfolding of these residual structures can be achieved by acidification of the protein to pH 4 in 9 M urea but can only be partially achieved in a 6 M guanidine hydrochloride solution. The evidence that the residual structures unfold in 9 M urea upon acidification is twofold. (1) Further uncoupling of the Trp-59-heme interaction occurs; this is reflected in the intensification of the tryptophan fluorescence from 55 to 90 percent relative to that of free tryptophan in the same solvent. (2) The intrinsic viscosity of the protein solution increases from 15.0 to 21 ml/g. The acidification also induces a spin-state transformation of the heme group at pH 5 both in urea and in guanidine hydrochloride. Acidic titration of the protein in urea and guanidine hydrochloride indicates that the unfolding involves the absorption of a single proton. However, the kinetics of the spin-state transformation are triphasic. These results suggest that the displacement of the ligand His-18 by a solvent molecule and the subsequent disintegration of the residual structures are complex processes and involve at least three kinetic steps. The ineffectiveness of guanidine hydrochloride as a denaturant for ferricytochrome c is shown to be due to the presence of the high concentration of Cl minus which can stabilize certain elements of the protein structure.     

The pH dependence of the reversible unfolding of ovalbumin A1 by guanidine hydrochloride.

The pH dependence of the reversible guanidine hydrochloride denaturation of the major fraction of ovalbumin (ovalbumin A1) was studied by a viscometric method in the pH range 1-7, at 25 degrees C and at six different denaturant concentrations (1.5-2.6 M). At any denaturant concentrationa reduction in pH favoured the transition from the native to the denatured state. The latter was essentially 'structureless', as revealed by the fact that the reduced viscosity of the acid and guanidine hydrochloride denatured state of ovalbumin A1 (obtained at different denaturant concentrations in acidic solutions) was measured (at a protein concentration of 3.8 mg/ml) to be 29.2 ml/g which is identical to that found in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride wherein the protein behaves as a cross-linked random coil. A quantitative analysis of the results on the pH dependence of the equilibrium constant for the denaturation process showed that on denaturation the intrinsic pK of two carboxyl groups in ovalbumin A1 went up from 3.1 in the native state to 4.4 in the denatured state of the protein.     

Effects of ammonium sulfate on the unfolding and refolding of the variable and constant fragments of an immunoglobulin light chain

The equilibria and kinetics of unfolding and refolding by guanidine hydrochloride of the VL and CL fragments of a type kappa immunoglobulin light chain were studied in the presence of ammonium sulfate using circular dichroism and tryptophyl fluorescence at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C. The unfolding equilibria of the VL and CL fragments were described in terms of the two-state transition. The midpoints of unfolding in the absence of ammonium sulfate were at 0.9 and 1.2 M guanidine hydrochloride for the CL and VL fragments respectively. The transition curves were shifted to higher concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride by 1.4 and 1.6 M for the CL and VL fragments, respectively, per mole of ammonium sulfate. Unfolding reactions of the VL and CL fragments in 3 M guanidine hydrochloride followed first-order kinetics, and the rate constants for the two proteins were both greatly decreased by the presence of ammonium sulfate. The refolding reaction of the CL fragment in 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride consisted of two phases, and the rate constants were increased a little by the presence of ammonium sulfate. The refolding reaction of the VL fragment in 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride followed first-order kinetics, and the rate was not affected by the presence of ammonium sulfate. These results showed that ammonium sulfate stabilizes the CL and VL fragments mainly by decreasing the unfolding rate.     

Equilibrium unfolding of kinetically stable serine protease milin: the presence of various active and inactive dimeric intermediates

Kinetically stable homodimeric serine protease milin reveals high conformational stability against temperature, pH and chaotrope [urea, guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) and guanidine isothiocynate (GuSCN)] denaturation as probed by circular dichroism, fluorescence, differential scanning calorimetry and activity measurements. GuSCN induces complete unfolding in milin, whereas temperature, urea and GuHCl induce only partial unfolding even at low pH, through several intermediates with distinct characteristics. Some of these intermediates are partially active (viz. in urea and 2 M GuHCl at pH 7.0), and some exhibited strong ANS binding as well. All three tryptophans in the protein seem to be buried in a rigid, compact core as evident from intrinsic fluorescence measurements coupled to equilibrium unfolding experiments. The protein unfolds as a dimer, where the unfolding event precedes dimer dissociation as confirmed by hydrodynamic studies. The solution studies performed here along with previous biochemical characterization indicate that the protein has α-helix and β-sheet rich regions or structural domains that unfold independently, and the monomer association is isologous. The complex unfolding pathway of milin and the intermediates has been characterized. The physical, physiological and probable therapeutic importance of the results has been discussed.     

Fluorescence emission properties of S-Layer enhanced green fluorescent fusion protein as a function of temperature, pH conditions, and guanidine hydrochloride concentration

The fluorescent properties of the S-layer enhanced green fluorescent fusion protein (rSbpA31-1068/EGFP) were investigated as a function of temperature, pH conditions, and guanidine hydrochloride concentration. These results were compared to the fluorescent properties of the recombinant enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and an equimolar mixture of the S-layer protein rSbpA and EGFP. The intensity of the fluorescence emission of the EGFP at 510 nm, after excitation at 490 nm, is not affected by the presence of rSbpA, either as a fusion partner or as a free protein in solution. In each of the three protein systems, the emission intensity at 510 nm reaches its maximum value between pH 7 and 9 at 20 degrees C and at 0 M guanidine hydrochloride. No fluorescence could be measured at pH 4 and 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. These results show that the S-layer fusion protein (rSbpA31-1068/EGFP) is a suitable candidate for future applications in nanobiotechonology at a wide range of pH, temperature, and guanidine hydrochloride concentrations.     

Conformational and activity changes during guanidine denaturation of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Changes in intrinsic protein fluorescence of lobster muscle D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate: NAD+ oxidoreductase (phosphorylating), EC 1.2.1.12) have been compared with inactivation of the enzyme during denaturation in guanidine solutions. The holoenzyme is completely inactivated at guanidine concentrations less than 0.5 M and this is accompanied by a red shift of the emission maximum at 335 nm and a marked decrease in intensity of the intrinsic fluorescence. At 0.5 M guanidine, the inactivation is a slow process, with a first-order rate constant of 2.4 X 10(-3) s-1. A further red shift in the emission maximum and a decrease in intensity occur at guanidine concentrations higher than 1.5 M. The emission peak at 410 nm of the fluorescent NAD derivative introduced at the active site of this enzyme (Tsou, C.L. et al. (1983) Biochem. Soc. Trans. 11, 425-429) shows both a red shift and a marked decrease in intensity at the same guanidine concentration required to bring about the inactivation and the initial changes in the intrinsic fluorescence of the holoenzyme. It appears that treatment by low guanidine concentrations leads to both complete inactivation and perturbation of the active site conformation and that a tryptophan residue is situated at or near the active site.     

Static and dynamic quenching of protein fluorescence. II. lysozyme.

The fluorescence parameters—lifetime, relative quantum yield, wavelength of maximum fluorescence intensity, half-width, and polarization—of 0.01% lysozyme were measured at 15°C in aqueous solution, in glycerol–water mixtures (0–90% v/v glycerol), in aqueous urea (0–8M) solutions, and in aqueous guanidine hydrochloride (0–6.4M) solutions. The changes in the static and dynamic quenching of lysozyme fluorescence, monitored by the quantum yield and lifetime measurements, were correlated with the other fluorescence parameters and compared with our earlier results with bovine serum albumin. The results were interpreted in terms of induced conformational changes. The various perturbants altered the fluorescence parameters of lysozyme and bovine serum albumin very differently. The differences were shown to be entirely consistent with our earlier conclusion that bovine serum albumin fluorophores are nonsurface residues and with the conclusion of others that lysozyme fluorophores are surface residues. Unlike their effects on bovine serum albumin, urea and guanidine hydrochloride affect lysozyme structure quite differently, both in nature and degree. We have suggested that the affect of urea on lysozyme fluorescence is an indirect result of reduction in the size of the cleft brought about by the structure-breaking action of urea on water in the cleft. 4M Urea is sufficient for this reaction. Large decreases in the polarization of the fluorescence of lysozyme in the 0.8–1.6M and 3.2–4.8M guanidine hydrochloride ranges demonstrated two guanidine hydrochloride-induced conformation changes. A red shift of the fluorescence maximum to 354 nm indicated that the second transition completely exposes all fluorescing tryptophan residues of lysozyme to mobile solvent water. However, even 6.4M guanidine hydrochloride did not completely unravel the lysozyme molecule at 15°C, as evidenced by its failure to cause any of the tyrosine residues to become fluorescent.     

Domain unfolding and the stability of thermolysin in guanidine hydrochloride

Equilibrium and kinetic studies of the unfolding and autolysis of the two domain protein thermolysin in guanidine hydrochloride are described. Enzyme activity, circular dichroism, fluorescence, sedimentation, size exclusion chromatography, and viscosity measurements were used to monitor conformational transitions and characterize the native and denatured states. The observation of biphasic transitions for the unfolding of apothermolysin and the spectroscopic changes associated with each phase of the overall unfolding process suggest unfolding of the N-terminal domain at less than 1 M guanidine hydrochloride, followed by the unfolding of the C-terminal domain, with the transition midpoint at 3 M guanidine hydrochloride. The refolding of the C-terminal domain is reversible; however, refolding of the N-terminal domain could not be demonstrated owing to protein aggregation. A quantitative analysis of the two transitions suggest that the unfolding of the two structural domains of thermolysin is not completely independent. Attempts to measure the unfolding of holothermolysin were hampered by autolysis. However, it was possible to show that at least three calcium ions serve to stabilize thermolysin against autolysis or unfolding in guanidine hydrochloride. Similar stabilization was observed for thermolysin with a single terbium ion bound at calcium site S(1). This result is consistent with our earlier findings, which suggest that calcium bound at sites S(1)-S(2) are located at a critical point on the unfolding pathway of thermolysin and serve to act as an interdomain lock.     

Folding of Escherichia coli DsbC: characterization of a monomeric folding intermediate

The homodimeric protein DsbC is a disulfide isomerase and a chaperone located in the periplasm of Escherichia coli. We have studied the guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced unfolding and refolding of DsbC using mutagenesis, intrinsic fluorescence, circular dichroism spectra, size-exclusion chromatography, and sedimentation velocity analysis. The equilibrium refolding and unfolding of DsbC was thermodynamically reversible. The equilibrium folding profile measured by fluorescence excited at 280 nm exhibited a three-state transition profile with a stable folding intermediate formed at 0-2.0 M GdnHCl followed by a second transition at higher GdnHCl concentrations. Sedimentation velocity data revealed dissociation of the dimer to the monomer over the concentration range of the first transition (0-2.0 M). In contrast, fluorescence emission data for DsbC excited at 295 nm showed a single two-state transition. Fluorescence emission data for the equilibrium unfolding of the monomeric G49R mutant, excited at either 295 or 280 nm, indicated a single two-state transition. Data obtained for the dimeric Y52W mutant indicated a strong protein concentration dependence of the first transition but no dependence of the second transition in equilibrium unfolding. This suggests that the fluorescence of Y52W sensitively reports conformational changes caused by dissociation of the dimer. Thus, the folding of DsbC follows a three-state transition model with a monomeric folding intermediate formed in 0-2.0 M GdnHCl. The folding of DsbC in the presence of DTT indicates an important role for the non-active site disulfide bond in stabilizing the conformation of the molecule. Dimerization ensures the performance of chaperone and isomerase functions of DsbC.     

Guanidine hydrochloride induced equilibrium unfolding studies of colicin B and its channel-forming fragment

The conformational stabilities of full-length colicin B and its isolated C-terminal domain were studied by guanidine hydrochloride induced unfolding. The unfolding/refolding was monitored by far-UV CD and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopies. At pH 7.4, the disruption of the secondary structure of full-length colicin B is monophasic, while changes in tertiary structure occur in two separate transitions. The intermediate species, which is well-populated around 2.2 M guanidine hydrochloride, exhibits secondary and tertiary structures distinct from both native and unfolded states. Whereas the domain structure of native full-length colicin B is reflected in its DSC profile, the folding intermediate of the same protein exhibits a single unresolved peak. These observations have led us to propose an unfolding model for full-length colicin B where the first transition between 0 and 2.5 M GuHCl with an associated free energy of 3 kcal/mol correlates with the partial unfolding of the R/T domain. The stability of full-length colicin B is weakened due to the presence of the R/T domain in both the native [Ortega, A., Lambotte, S., and Bechinger, B. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276 (17), 13563-13572] and the intermediate states. The second transition between 2.5 and 5 M GuHCl involves unfolding of the C-terminal domain (Delta = 7 kcal/mol). The isolated colicin B C-terminal domain consists of two subdomains, and the two parts of this protein fragment unfold sequentially through the formation of at least one intermediate. The significance of these results for membrane insertion of colicin B is discussed.     

Subunit structure and hybrid formation of bovine pyruvate kinases

After denaturing either type M or L pyruvate kinase by guanidine hydrochloride, urea, or low pH, enzymatic activity and quaternary structure can be recovered by diluting the enzyme into buffer containing beta-mercaptoethanol. After denaturation of type M pyruvate kinase by guanidine hydrochloride, the yield and polarization of the intrinsic protein fluorescence, as well as most of the circular dichroism characteristic of the native enzyme, were regained very rapidly, while enzymatic activity was recovered much more slowly. Under the conditions used, about 50% of the original M and 30-50% of the original type L activity were typically recovered. Average half-times for recovery of enzymatic activity were 37 min for type M and 104 min for type L but depended somewhat on the renaturation buffer and on protein concentrations in the renaturation medium. If types M and L pyruvate kinases are renatured together, an approximately random recombination of the two subunits types results in a five-membered hybrid set. We have used this hybridizability to determine the kinetics of reformation of the native tetramer by denaturing each isozyme and beginning its renaturation separately at various times mixing the two isozymes and continuing their renaturation together. These studies indicate that reformation of stable tetramers occurs relatively slowly, qualitatively paralleling the regain of enzymatic activity, and that tetramer formation may be necessary for enzymatic activity. Using a similar technique to test for spontaneous dissociation of the native isozymes in buffer, we find that type L, but not type M, reversibly dissociates into dimers and monomers in buffer solutions. This dissociation is decreased by the presence of the substrate, phosphoenolpyruvate, by Mg2+ ions, or by the allosteric effector, fructose bisphosphate.     

Luminescence analysis of the structure of human alpha-1-microglobulin

Absorption, fluorescence, and fluorescence excitation spectra in UV and visible regions are studied for alpha-1-microglobulin preparations isolated from human urine by gel chromatography and immunoaffinity chromatography with charcoal adsorption. The possible nature of low-molecular-weight compounds that impart yellow-brown color to alpha-1-microglobulin preparations and their role in the stabilization of the structure of protein globule is discussed. The effect of urea (1–10 M) and guanidine hydrochloride (0.25–6 M) on the conformational state and fast internal dynamics of alpha-1-microglobulin is studied by tryptophan fluorescence. The unfolding of the protein under the action of denaturants is attended with pronounced activation of its nanosecond internal dynamics. Alpha-1-microglobulin can regain the initial conformation and internal dynamics typical of native protein after denaturation unfolding of the globule with 10 M urea or 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Alpha-1-microglobulin isolated by gel chromatography can exist in a partially folded thermodynamically stable state in 4–6 M urea.     

Physicochemical properties of thiol proteinase inhibitor isolated from goat pancreas

Thiol proteinase inhibitors are crucial to proper functioning of all living tissues consequent to their cathepsin regulatory and myriad important biologic properties. Equilibrium denaturation of dimeric goat pancreas thiol proteinase inhibitor (PTPI), a cystatin superfamily variant has been studied by monitoring changes in the protein's spectroscopic and functional characteristics. Denaturation of PTPI in guanidine hydrochloride and urea resulted in altered intrinsic fluorescence emission spectrum, diminished negative circular dichroism, and loss of its papain inhibitory potential. Native like spectroscopic properties and inhibitory activity are only partially restored when denaturant is diluted from guanidine hydrochloride unfolded samples demonstrating that process is partially reversible. Coincidence of transition curves and dependence of transition midpoint (3.2M) on protein concentration in guanidine hydrochloride‐induced denaturation are consistent with a two‐state model involving a native like dimer and denatured monomer. On the contrary, urea‐induced unfolding of PTPI is a multiphasic process with indiscernible intermediates. The studies demonstrate that functional conformation and stability are governed by both ionic and hydrophobic interactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 93: 708–717, 2010. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com