Electroviscous effect of lysozyme in aqueous solutions

Reduced viscosity of a dilute aqueous solution of hen egg white lysozyme is measured in the pH range from 1.4 to 12.7 for various NaCI concentrations. The viscosity decreases with increasing pH below the isoelectric point (pH 11) on account of diminution in the electroviscous effect, reaches a minimum at pH 11, and then increases at high pH's because of coagulation. The electroviscous effect is depressed by the increase in the small ion concentration. The dependence of reduced viscosity on small ion concentration and pH is discussed on the basis of Booth's theory and a partial agreement between theory and experiment is obtained. The discrepancy between theory and experiment is attributed to non-spherical distribution of charges in the protein. The volume of lysozyme obtained through Einstein's equation by extrapolating the reduced viscosity to a sufficiently high ion concentration compares well with the molecular volume in the crystal.     

Effects of surfactants on emulsification and secondary structure of lysozyme in aqueous solutions

This paper reports our investigations on the secondary structure of lysozyme in aqueous solution with D₂O and comparing systems emulsified with ionic and non-ionic amphiphiles, respectively. The opposite effect of concentration of surfactants on the lysozyme aqueous system was studied and the activity of lysozyme by the turbidimetric assay with different kinds of surfactant was compared. The effect of different surfactants on emulsification volume formed was observed and discussed. The different interactive patterns between lysozyme and ionic and non-ionic surfactants, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and Triton-X100 (Isooctoylphenoxypolyethoxy ethanol), respectively, was studied with FTIR. A simple relationship between the secondary structure and denaturation of protein is given for the emulsification of lysozyme in aqueous solutions. It is important for understanding the stabilization and avoiding the emulsions in the extraction process that the interactions between the proteins and surfactants which leads to the formation of such complexes are characterized. The utility of surfactants as a de-emulsifying agent for the commercial process to extract penicillin G from the filtrate of fermentation broth was consistent with these results.     

Dielectric behavior of lysozyme and ferricytochrome-c in water/ethylene-glycol solutions

This work deals with a dielectric study at radio frequencies of the influence at room temperature of two organic molecules, known as cryo-protectants, ethylene-glycol and glycerol, on conformational and dynamic properties of two model proteins, lysozyme (lys) from chicken egg-white and ferricytochrome-c (cyt-c) from horse heart. Cyt-c is a compact globular protein whereas lys is composed of two structural domains, separated by the active site cleft. Measurements were carried out at the fixed temperature of 20 degrees C varying the concentration of the cosolvent up to 90% w/w. From the analysis of the dielectric relaxation of the protein solution, the effective hydrodynamic radius and the electric dipole moment of the protein were calculated as a function of the cosolvent concentration. The data show that glycerol does not modify significantly the conformation of both proteins and cyt-c is also stable in the presence of ethylene-glycol. On the contrary ethylene-glycol strongly affects the dielectric response of lysozyme denoting a specific effect on its conformation and dynamics. The data are coherently interpreted hypothesizing that glycol molecule wedges between and separates the two domains of lys making them rotationally independent.     

Multiple conformational transitions of hen egg-white lysozyme in aqueous acetic acid solutions

Circular dichroism measurements revealed that hen egg-white lysozyme underwent multiple conformational transitions upon the addition of acetic acid. The transitions were reversible as judged from complete recoveries of enzymatic activity, electrophoretic mobility in SDS-polyacrylamide gel, and of ellipticity. Two transitions, with the mid-concentrations of 26 and 38% (v/v), were observed with the CD spectra in the amide absorption region. The two transitions were essentially athermal in the temperature ranges, 0 to 25 degrees C for the former and -10 to 10 degrees C for the latter. The trough ellipticity for the product of the transition at the higher acetic acid concentration (DII form) very closely approached the value for the synthetic polypeptides in the beta-conformation as the temperature was lowered. Molecular weight measurements by sedimentation equilibrium indicated that the products were both monomeric. Measurements of CD spectra in the aromatic absorption region showed another transition, whose mid-concentration varied with temperature from 26% (v/v) (at about 25 degrees C) to 38% (v/v) (at -10 degrees C). A change in the hydrodynamic volume detectable by exclusion chromatography was associated with this transition only.     

Oxidation of tryptophan in lysozyme by ozone in aqueous solution.

A tryptophan residue in hen's egg-white lysozyme [EC 3.2.1.17] was modified by ozone in an aqueous solution. One of the six tryptophan residues in the enzyme was oxidized to N'-formylkynurenine with concomitant loss of the enzymatic activity. Physicochemical studies of this modified enzyme (OL-I) revealed that the ozonization of lysozyme in aqueous media resulted in little change of the gross molecular conformation. It was deduced that the modified tryptophan residue in OL-I was possibly located in position 62 (or 63) of the protein.     

The role of water in the thermodynamics of dilute aqueous solutions

Water plays a role in the thermodynamics of dilute aqueous solutions that is unusual in two ways. First, knowledge of hydration equilibrium constants of species is not required in calculations of thermodynamic properties of biochemical reactants and reactions at specified pH. Second, since solvent provides an essentially infinite source of oxygen atoms in a reaction system where water is a reactant, oxygen atoms are not conserved in the reaction system in dilute aqueous solutions. This is related to the fact that H₂O is omitted in equilibrium expressions for dilute aqueous solutions. Calculations of the standard transformed Gibbs energies of formation of total carbon dioxide and total ammonia at specified pH are discussed, and the average bindings of hydrogen ions by these reactants are calculated by differentiation. Since both of these reactants are involved in the urease reaction, the apparent equilibrium constants and changes in the numbers of hydrogen ions bound are calculated for this reaction as functions of pH.     

Diffusion in immobilized-cell agar layers: influence of bacterial growth on the diffusivity of potassium chloride

Summary The diffusitivity of potassium chloride in composite agar slab/microporous membrane structures loaded with various amounts of Escherichia coli whole cells was determined using both time-lag and steady-state methods. The diffusion coefficient of KCl decreased linearly with the logarithm of the immobilized-cells content. The effect exerted by bacterial growth inside the immobilization matrices on KCl diffusivity was then investigated. The diffusion coefficient of KCl obtained by time-lag analysis decreased during incubation of the immobilized-cell structures, whereas less consitent results arose from the steady-state method. An apparent doubling time for immobilized E. coli, increasing with the initial cell content of the gel, was obtained from the calibration relationship between KCl diffusivity and the number of organisms in agar. Offprint requests to: G.-A. Junter     

Effects of osmolytes on solvent features of water in aqueous solutions

The solvatochromic solvent features of water (dipolarity/polarizability, π*, hydrogen bond donor acidity, α, and hydrogen bond acceptor basicity, β) of water have been determined in aqueous solutions of erythritol, glucose, inositol, sarcosine, xylitol and urea with concentrations from 0 to ~3 M and higher. The concentration effects of the osmolytes on the solvent features of water were characterized and compared with those reported previously for sorbitol, sucrose, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and trehalose. The solvent features of water in solutions of all osmolytes except TMAO and sarcosine were established to be linearly interrelated. It is shown that the concentration effects of essentially all nonionic osmolytes depend on osmolytes’ lipophilicity, molecular polarizability, and polar surface area. It is demonstrated that solubility of various compounds in aqueous solutions of glucose, sucrose, sorbitol, and urea of varied concentrations may be described in terms of solvent dipolarity/polarizability of water in these solutions. Surface tension of aqueous solutions of sucrose and sorbitol may also be described in the same terms. The relative permittivity of aqueous solutions of glucose and sucrose may be described in terms of the solvent hydrogen bond donor acidity of water. It is suggested that the effects of nonionic osmolytes on behavior of proteins and nucleic acids in aqueous media may be considered in terms of the altered solvent features of water instead of “nano-molecular crowding” effect.     

Aggregation of tyrocidine in aqueous solutions.

The formation of aggregates of tyrocidine B at 4°C and 20°C in aqueous solutions was studied by means of light scattering and fluorescent techniques. The apparent weight molecular weight of tyrocidine B aggregates was found to be 36,000 at 4°C and 28,800 at 20°C. Fluorescence titration experiments with dansyl-chloride resulted in an aggregational number of 31 (4°) and 28 (20°) indicating that one molecule of dye is bound per monomer of molecular weight 1,200. From a Scatchard plot apparent association constants of 1.22 × 10⁵ M (4°) and 0.95 × 10⁵ M (20°) were calculated. From the angular dependence of scattered intensity the radii of gyration were determined to be 60 Å and 58 Å, respectively.     

Nucleation rates of ice in undercooled water and aqueous solutions of polyethylene glycol

Differential calorimetry has been employed in two different instrumental modes to measure ice nucleation rates in undercooled water and aqueous solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a function of temperature. The results are consistent with the classical theory of homogeneous nucleation kinetics. It appears that the inhibition of ice nucleation by PEG results mainly from a marked perturbation of the diffusional freedom of water molecules by the polymer.     

Non-polar solutes in water and in aqueous solutions of protein denaturants. Modeling of solution and transfer processes

A simple molecular model for the thermodynamic behavior of non-polar solutes in water and in aqueous solutions of protein denaturants is presented. Three contributions are considered: (i) combinatorial arising from the mixing process, (ii) interactional characterizing the molecular interactions occurring in the mixture and (iii) a contribution originating from the structural changes occurring in the first shell of water molecules around the solute. The latter is modeled assuming that water molecules in contact with the solute are involved in a chemical equilibrium between two states. The model describes well the temperature and denaturant concentration dependences of the Gibbs energies of solution and transfer for benzene, toluene and alkanes in water and aqueous solutions of urea and guanidine hydrochloride. Model parameters are physically meaningful, allowing a discussion of the molecular interactions involved. A preferential solvation of the solute by the denaturant is found. However, the non-polar solute-denaturant interaction is not specific, i.e. leading to a distinct chemical entity. Urea and guanidine hydrochloride are non-polar solubilizing agents because their interactions with the solute are less unfavorable than those between water and the solute.     

On the stabilizing action of protein denaturants: acetonitrile effect on stability of lysozyme in aqueous solutions

Stability of hen lysozyme in the presence of acetonitrile (MeCN) at different pH values of the medium was studied by scanning microcalorimetry with a special emphasis on determination of reliable values of the denaturational heat capacity change. It was found that the temperature of denaturation decreases on addition of MeCN. However, the free energy extrapolation showed that below room temperature the thermodynamic stability increases at low concentrations of MeCN in spite of the general destabilizing effect at higher concentrations and temperatures. Charge-induced contribution to this stabilization was shown to be negligible (no pH-dependence was found); therefore, the most probable cause for the phenomenon is an increase of hydrophobic interactions at low temperatures in aqueous solutions containing small amounts of the organic additive. The difference in preferential solvation of native and denatured states of lysozyme was calculated from the stabilization free energy data. It was found that the change in preferential solvation strongly depends on the temperature in the water-rich region. At the higher MeCN content this dependence decreases until, at 0.06 mole fractions of MeCN, the difference in the preferential solvation between native and denatured lysozyme becomes independent of the temperature over a range of 60 K. The importance of taking into account non-ideality of a mixed solution, when analyzing preferential solvation phenomena was emphasized.