Langmuir films of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine grafted poly(ethylene glycol). In-situ evidence of surface aggregation at the air-water interface

The role of water in reactions catalysed by hydrolases under conditions of molecular crowding

Under macromolecular crowding (MC) conditions such as cellular, extracellular, food and other environments of biotechnological interest, the thermodynamic activity of the different macromolecules present in the system is several orders of magnitude higher than in dilute solutions. In this state, the diffusion rates are affected by the volume exclusion induced by the crowders. Immiscible liquid phases, which may arise in MC by liquid-liquid phase separation, may induce a dynamic confinement of reactants, products and/or enzymes, tuning reaction rates. In cellular environments and other crowding conditions, membranes and macromolecules provide, on the whole, large surfaces that can perturb the solvent, causing its immobilisation by adsorption in the short range and also affecting the solvent viscosity in the long range. The latter phenomenon can affect the conformation of a protein and/or the degree of association of its protomers and, consequently, its activity. Changes in the water structure can also alter the enzyme-substrate interaction, and, in the case of hydrolytic enzymes, where water is one of the substrates, it also affects the reaction mechanism. Here, we review the evidence for how macromolecular crowding affects the catalysis induced by hydrolytic enzymes, focusing on the structure and dynamics of water.

Sensing molecular organizational changes through the catalytic activity of acetylcholinesterase from erythrocyte membranes in Langmuir-Blodgett films

Langmuir films prepared from bovine erythrocyte membranes (LF_BEM) were studied and transferred to alkylated glasses (Langmuir-Blodgett films, LB_BEM) in order to assess the effects of membrane molecular packing on Bovine Erythrocyte Acetylcholinesterase (BEA) catalytic activity. Surface pressure (π) vs Area isotherms showed three 2D-transitions at ~7, ~18 and ~44 mN/m and a collapse pressure at π_c = 49 mN/m. The 0-12-0 mN/m compression-decompression cycles resulted reversible while those 0-40-0 mN/m exhibited a significant hysteresis. Taken together, EFM, BAM and AFM images and the stability of the film after 3C-D cycles, we can suggest that over the air-water interface as well as over the silanized glass substrate the surface is mostly covered by a monolayer with a few particles dispersed. Acetylthiocholine hydrolysis was assayed with BEA in bovine erythrocyte membrane suspensions (S_BEM) and in LB_BEM packed at 10 (LB_BEM,10) and 35 mN/m (LB_BEM,35), which gave the following kinetic parameters: V_max = 3.41 ± 0.15, 0.021 ± 0.002 and 0.030 ± 0.003 nmol.min^-1·μg prot^-1 and K_M = 0.11 ± 0.02, 0.047 ± 0.017 and 0.026 ± 0.017 mM, respectively. Although from S_BEM to LB_BEM we lost active enzyme, the catalytic efficiency (V_max/K_M) increased ~750 times. Eugenol and 1,8-cineol inhibited BEA catalytic activity in LB_BEM,35. Our results demonstrate the transmission of information between the membrane and the environment within the subphase immediately below the membrane, where anchored proteins are hosted. This was reflected by the membrane packing-induced modulation of BEA catalytic activity. Furthermore, LB_BEM provides a proof of concept for the development of biosensors to screen new green pesticides acting through BEA interaction.

Structure–property relations of amphiphilic poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers at the air–water interface

Structure–property relations of poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers at the air–water interface are studied with a Langmuir film balance.

Molecular features of nonionic detergents involved in the binding kinetics and solubilization efficiency, as studied in model (Langmuir films) and biological (Erythrocytes) membranes

The effect of the nonionic detergents Brij-98 and Brij-58 over human erythrocytes was studied through quantitative hemolysis and in Langmuir films. Hemolytic tests revealed that Brijs are stronger membrane solubilizers than Triton X-100 (TX-100), with effective detergent/lipid ratios of 0.18 and 0.37 for Brij-98 and Brij-58, respectively. Experiments with Langmuir films provided significant information on the kinetics and thermodynamics of detergent-membrane interaction. The adsorption (k_a) and desorption (k_d) rate constants of Brijs were lower than those of TX-100. In the case of k_a, that is probably due to their larger hydrophilic head (with twice (20) the oxyethylene units of TX-100). As for the thermodynamic binding constant, the linear and longer hydrophobic acyl chains of Brijs favor their stabilization in-between the lipids, through London van der Waals forces. Consequently, K_b,m values of Brij-98 (12,500 M^-1) and Brij-58 (19,300 M^-1) resulted higher than TX-100 (7500 M^-1), in agreement with results from the hemolytic tests. Furthermore, Brij-58 binds with higher affinity than Brij-98 to bilayers and monolayers, despite its shorter (palmitic) hydrocarbon chain, showing that unsaturation restrains the detergent insertion into these environments. Our results provide significant information about the mechanism of interaction between Brijs and membranes, supporting their distinct solubilization effect.