Cold denaturation in the Schellman–Brandts model of globular proteins

Why small proteins tend to have high denaturation temperatures

Data indicate that small globular proteins (consisting of less than about 70 residues) tend to have high denaturation temperatures. This finding is analysed by comparing experimental denaturation enthalpy and entropy changes of a selected set of small proteins with values calculated on the basis of average and common properties of globular proteins. The conclusion is that the denaturation entropy change is smaller than expected, leading to an increase in denaturation temperature. The proposed molecular rationalization considers the existence of long-wavelength, low-frequency vibrational modes in the native state of small proteins due to their large surface-to-interior ratio. The effect of decreasing the conformational entropy gain associated with denaturation on thermal stability is directly verified by means of an already devised theoretical model [G. Graziano, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2010, 12, 14245-14252; 2014, 16, 21755-21767].

On the mechanism of cold denaturation

A theoretical rationalization of the occurrence of cold denaturation for globular proteins was devised, assuming that the effective size of water molecules depends upon temperature [G. Graziano, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 14245-14252]. In the present work, it is shown that the latter assumption is not necessary. By performing the same type of calculations in water, 40% (by weight) methanol, methanol, and carbon tetrachloride, it emerges that cold denaturation occurs only in water due to the special temperature dependence of its density and the small size of its molecules. These two coupled factors determine the magnitude and the temperature dependence of the stabilizing term that measures the gain in configurational/translational entropy of water molecules upon folding of the protein. This term has to be contrasted with the destabilizing contribution measuring the loss in conformational entropy of the polypeptide chain upon folding.

Competition for hydrogen-bond formation in the helix-coil transition and protein folding

The problem of the helix-coil transition of biopolymers in explicit solvents, such as water, with the ability for hydrogen bonding with a solvent is addressed analytically using a suitably modified version of the Generalized Model of Polypeptide Chains. Besides the regular helix-coil transition, an additional coil-helix or reentrant transition is also found at lower temperatures. The reentrant transition arises due to competition between polymer-polymer and polymer-water hydrogen bonds. The balance between the two types of hydrogen bonding can be shifted to either direction through changes not only in temperature, but also by pressure, mechanical force, osmotic stress, or other external influences. Both polypeptides and polynucleotides are considered within a unified formalism. Our approach provides an explanation of the experimental difficulty of observing the reentrant transition with pressure and underscores the advantage of pulling experiments for studies of DNA. Results are discussed and compared with those reported in a number of recent publications with which a significant level of agreement is obtained.

On the molecular origin of cold denaturation of globular proteins

A polypeptide chain can adopt very different conformations, a fundamental distinguishing feature of which is the water accessible surface area, WASA, that is a measure of the layer around the polypeptide chain where the center of water molecules cannot physically enter, generating a solvent-excluded volume effect. The large WASA decrease associated with the folding of a globular protein leads to a large decrease in the solvent-excluded volume, and so to a large increase in the configurational/translational freedom of water molecules. The latter is a quantity that depends upon temperature. Simple calculations over the -30 to 150 °C temperature range, where liquid water can exist at 1 atm, show that such a gain decreases significantly on lowering the temperature below 0 °C, paralleling the decrease in liquid water density. There will be a temperature where the destabilizing contribution of the polypeptide chain conformational entropy exactly matches the stabilizing contribution of the water configurational/translational entropy, leading to cold denaturation.