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Urea denaturation by stronger dispersion interactions with proteins than water implies a 2-stage unfolding.

ABSTRACT: The mechanism of denaturation of proteins by urea is explored by using all-atom microseconds molecular dynamics simulations of hen lysozyme generated on BlueGene/L. Accumulation of urea around lysozyme shows that water molecules are expelled from the first hydration shell of the protein. We observe a 2-stage penetration of the protein, with urea penetrating the hydrophobic core before water, forming a "dry globule." The direct dispersion interaction between urea and the protein backbone and side chains is stronger than for water, which gives rise to the intrusion of urea into the protein interior and to urea's preferential binding to all regions of the protein. This is augmented by preferential hydrogen bond formation between the urea carbonyl and the backbone amides that contributes to the breaking of intrabackbone hydrogen bonds. Our study supports the "direct interaction mechanism" whereby urea has a stronger dispersion interaction with protein than water.

SUBMITTER: Hua L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2579355 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Urea denaturation by stronger dispersion interactions with proteins than water implies a 2-stage unfolding.

Hua Lan L Zhou Ruhong R Thirumalai D D Berne B J BJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20081028 44

The mechanism of denaturation of proteins by urea is explored by using all-atom microseconds molecular dynamics simulations of hen lysozyme generated on BlueGene/L. Accumulation of urea around lysozyme shows that water molecules are expelled from the first hydration shell of the protein. We observe a 2-stage penetration of the protein, with urea penetrating the hydrophobic core before water, forming a "dry globule." The direct dispersion interaction between urea and the protein backbone and side ...[more]

PMID: 18957546

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Project description:Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme with a typical alpha/beta hydrolase fold. The conformational stability of the human placental alkaline phosphatase was examined with the chemical denaturant urea. The red shifts of fluorescence spectra show a complex unfolding process involving multiple equilibrium intermediates indicating differential stability of the subdomains of the enzyme. None of these unfolding intermediates were observed in the presence of 83 mM NaCl, indicating the importance of ionic interactions in the stabilization of the unfolding intermediates. Guanidinium chloride, on the other hand, could stabilize one of the unfolding intermediates, which is not a salt effect. Some of the unfolding intermediates were also observed in circular dichroism spectroscopy, which clearly indicates steady loss of helical structure during unfolding, but very little change was observed for the beta strand content until the late stage of the unfolding process. The enzyme does not lose its phosphate-binding ability after substantial tertiary structure changes, suggesting that the substrate-binding region is more resistant to chemical denaturant than the other structural domains. Global analysis of the fluorescence spectral change demonstrated the following folding-unfolding process of the enzyme: N <--> I(1) <--> I(2) <--> I(3) <--> I(4) <--> I(5) <--> D. These discrete intermediates are stable at urea concentrations of 2.6, 4.1, 4.7, 5.5, 6.6, and 7.7 M, respectively. These intermediates are further characterized by acrylamide and/or potassium iodide quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of the enzyme and by the hydrophobic probes, 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid and 4,4'-dianilino-1,1'-binaphthyl-5,5'-disulfonic acid. The stepwise unfolding process was interpreted by the folding energy landscape in terms of the unique structure of the enzyme. The rigid central beta-strand domain is surrounded by the peripheral alpha-helical and coil structures, which are marginally stable toward a chemical denaturant.

Dataset Information

Urea denaturation by stronger dispersion interactions with proteins than water implies a 2-stage unfolding.

Publications

Urea denaturation by stronger dispersion interactions with proteins than water implies a 2-stage unfolding.

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