THE OPTICAL ROTATORY DISPERSION OF SIMPLE POLYPEPTIDES. I

Studies of the denaturation and partial renaturation of ovalbumin

1. The denaturation of ovalbumin by the reagents sodium dodecyl sulphate and guanidinium chloride was investigated, by following the changes in sedimentation velocity, optical rotatory dispersion and viscosity as a function of denaturant concentration. 2. With sodium dodecyl sulphate both the optical-rotatory-dispersion parameters a(0) and b(0) become more negative, the sedimentation coefficient decreases and the viscosity increases; significant differences in the denaturation profiles are observed. The change in each parameter is indicative of only limited denaturation. 3. With guanidinium chloride the transition occurs over the concentration range 1-4m: more extensive changes occur in all the physical parameters than with sodium dodecyl sulphate. The values of a(0) and b(0) are indicative of complete denaturation. Reduction by mercaptoethanol produces only minor further changes. 4. Renaturation was attempted from both denaturants, the removal of reagent being accomplished reversibly by controlled slow dialysis. Partial renaturation was observed, but aggregated or insoluble material was produced in both cases at relatively low concentrations of denaturant. Similar behaviour was observed with fully reduced protein in guanidinium chloride-mercaptoethanol; complete renaturation could not be brought about even at very low protein concentrations.

Thio reduction of human 2 -macroglobulin. The subunit structure

1. Human alpha(2)-macroglobulin was prepared from a fraction obtained during the large-scale separation of normal human plasma proteins for clinical use. 2. Sedimentation-equilibrium measurements indicated a molecular weight of 725000. A value of 18.1S was obtained for s(0) (20,w). 3. The dissociation that occurs in the pH range 4.5-2.5 and in the region of neutrality in urea-containing solutions is consistent with a dimeric structure of the molecule. 4. The effects of the thiol reagents mercaptoethanol, mercaptoethylamine and N-acetylcysteine were investigated over a range of experimental conditions. Distinct components having sedimentation coefficients of 15, 12 and 8.5S were identified. 5. Conditions were found under which limited reduction with thiol liberated a subunit with a molecular weight approximately one-quarter of that of the intact molecule. This subunit retains the serological specificity of the whole molecule.

Physical properties and subunit structure of L-asparaginase isolated from Erwinia carotovora

1. l-Asparaginases from Erwinia carotovora and Escherichia coli (EC2 enzyme) are both capable of inhibiting and eliminating certain types of tumour cells. The Er. carotovora enzyme is a more basic protein, however, and in contrast with the EC2 enzyme it contains neither tryptophan nor cystine, and disulphide bonds are therefore absent. The molecule is very stable in solution from pH3.0 to about pH12.0, and is somewhat more stable at alkaline pH than is the Esch. coli enzyme. Calculations based on a s(0) (20,w) 7.43S and a sedimentation-equilibrium molecular weight of 135000+/-10000 give a frictional ratio (f/f(0)) of 1.08. The molecular conformation is therefore very compact in solution, and the electron microscope shows the negatively stained molecules as almost spherical particles with a diameter of 7.2+/-0.7nm. 2. Sedimentation-velocity and equilibrium ultracentrifugation, in 5-8m solutions of urea and guanidinium chloride, and also electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel, reveal a dissociation of the native protein molecule into four subunits of similar molecular weight in the range 32500-38000. The enzymically inactive subunits can be physically reassembled into an active tetramer when urea is removed by dialysis. Although the subunit structures of the Er. carotovora enzyme and the Esch. coli enzyme molecules are similar, the secondary bonding forces holding the subunits together in the tetramer are somewhat stronger in the Er. carotovora enzyme. 3. The optical-rotatory-dispersion (o.r.d.) parameters that characterize the Cotton effects arising from ordered structure in the molecule are [m'](233)=-3522+/-74 degrees and [m'](200)=9096+/-1700 degrees . These show very marked changes as the secondary structure is disrupted and the molecule dissociates into subunits. A correlation pathway was traced on the basis of o.r.d. parameters and enzyme activity as the polypeptide chains were denatured and renatured (and reconstituted) into active molecules after the dilution of solutions in urea. Subunits resulting from treatment with sodium dodecyl sulphate do not show the typically disordered o.r.d. profile, but nevertheless they are inactive.

Change in the structure of Shope papilloma virus-induced arginase associated with mutation of the virus

The change in the state of the virus-induced enzyme associated with a mutation in the virus provides additional evidence that the enzyme is synthesized from virus rather than rabbit genetic information. This change in structure results in differences in stability of polymerization, degree of optical rotary dispersion (ORD) specific rotation, change in elution characteristics from carboxymethyl cellulose, and a reduction in specific activity of the arginase. Liver arginase differs markedly in ORD characteristics from the virus-induced enzyme. In contrast to the virus-induced enzyme, it showed no negative Cotton effect at 233 nm until it was activated with manganese. Manganese had no influence on the ORD spectrum of virus-induced arginase. In addition, liver arginase is denatured by 4 M urea, while the virus-induced enzyme requires 10 M urea for denaturation.

pH-dependent conformational changes of concanavalin A

The pH dependence of the conformation of concanavalin A has been studied by means of optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism spectroscopy. At pH 2.9, 5.0, and 7.0, the major contribution to organized structure appears to be the beta conformation. At pH 9.1, the conformation of concanavalin A approaches the random coil or unordered form. No evidence could be found for the presence of any significant amount of alpha helix. The pH of maximum precipitin-like activity of concanavalin A is paralleled by the pH dependence of the parameter b(0) in the Moffitt equation.

Location of aromatic amino acids and belix content in Escherichia coli ribonucleic acid polymerase

1. The perturbing effect of glycerol on the direct spectrum of Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase has been studied. 2. By comparison with model compounds and with the unfolded polymerase in 3.8m-urea it was possible to determine the ratio of tyrosine and tryptophan residues present. On reduction of the urea-treated enzyme with 2-mercaptoethanol, no further change in the difference spectrum occurred. 3. The amino acid composition of the enzyme is given. 4. In the intact protein approx. 30% of the tryptophan and 54% of the tyrosine residues were exposed. In conjunction with the extinction value and molecular weight this corresponded to 7 tryptophan residues and 57 tyrosine residues on the surface and 16 tryptophan residues and 48 tyrosine residues ;buried'. 5. The optical rotatory dispersion of the enzyme was unaffected by 20% glycerol. 6. The helix content calculated from Moffit plots over 560-300nm was 13%, and from the 233nm trough 13%.