High-Throughput Screening of Protein Surface Activity via Flow Injection Analysis-pH Gradient-Dynamic Surface Tension Detection

Protein-protein interactions at high concentrations: Effects of ArgHCl and NaCl on the stability, viscosity and aggregation mechanisms of protein solution

The aim of this work was to use the diffusion coefficient ration (D_m/D_line) as a parameter to characterize the stability of protein at high concentration, to compare the effects of ArgHCl and NaCl on the interaction of highly concentrated proteins under different pH conditions, and to explore the correlation with protein stability. For this purpose, a high-concentration bovine serum albumin solution (BSA) was selected as the model system, and the diffusion coefficient, aggregation degree, conformational stability, and solution viscosity of the protein were studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and spectral detection techniques. The result showed that there was a significant correlation between the D_m/D_line and the protein aggregation. The D_m/D_line of the protein was minimum at pH 7.4, which corresponded to the maximum degree of aggregation and the highest solution viscosity. At pH 7.4, the hydrophobic interactions and the increased conformational stability of ArgHCl maximized the stability of the protein and reduced the viscosity of the solution by 69.3%. At pH 3.0, the strong charge shielding effect of ArgHCl and NaCl and the decreased conformational stability induced protein aggregation and the gel formation. These findings provided valuable insights into the mechanism of protein aggregation and the diffusion coefficient ration (D_m/D_line) could be a potential tool for the pre-formulation studies.

Loading of halloysite nanotubes with BSA, α-Lac and β-Lg: a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic and thermogravimetric study

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are considered as ideal materials for biotechnological and medical applications. An important feature of halloysite is that it has a different surface chemistry on the inner and outer sides of the tubes. This property means that negatively-charged molecules can be selectively loaded inside the halloysite nanoscale its lumen. Loaded HNTs can be used for the controlled or sustained release of proteins, drugs, bioactive molecules and other agents. We studied the interaction between HNTs and bovine serum albumin, α lactalbumin and β -lactoglobulin loaded into HTNs using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. These techniques enabled us to study the protein conformation and thermal stability, respectively, and to estimate the amount of protein loaded into the HNTs. TEM images confirmed the loading of proteins into HTNs.

Flow injection analysis with diode array absorbance detection and dynamic surface tension detection for studying denaturation and surface activity of globular proteins

In this article, a multidimensional dynamic surface tension detector (DSTD), in a parallel configuration with a UV-visible diode array absorbance detector, is presented in a novel flow injection analysis (FIA) application to study the effects of chemical denaturants urea, guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmHCl), and guanidinium thyocyanate (GdmSCN) on the surface activity of globular proteins at the liquid-air interface. The DSTD signal is obtained by measuring the changing pressure across the liquid-air interface of 4-mul drops repeatedly forming at the end of a capillary using FIA. The sensitivity and selectivity of the DSTD signal is related to the surface-active protein concentration in aqueous solution combined with the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein interaction at a liquid-air drop interface. Rapid on-line calibration and measurement of dynamic surface tension is applied, with the surface tension converted into surface pressure results. Continuous surface tension measurement throughout the entire drop growth is achieved, providing insight into kinetic behavior of protein interactive processes at the liquid-air drop interface. Specifically, chemical denaturation of 12 commercial globular proteins-chicken egg albumin, bovine serum albumin, human serum albumin, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-Lac), myoglobin, cytochrome c, hemoglobin, carbonic anhydrase, alpha-chymotrypsinogen A, beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG), lysozyme, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase-is studied in terms of surface pressure (i.e., surface activity) after treatment with increasing concentrations of urea, GdmHCl, and GdmSCN in the 0-8, 0-6, and 0-5 M ranges, respectively. For several of these proteins, the spectroscopic absorbance changes are monitored simultaneously to provide additional information prior to drop formation. Results show that surface pressure of proteins generally increases as the denaturant concentration increases and that effectiveness is GdmSCN > GdmHCl > urea. Protein unfolding curves obtained by plotting surface pressure as a function of denaturant concentration are presented and compared with respect to unfolding curves obtained by using UV absorbance and literature data. Kinetic information relative to the protein adsorption to the air-liquid interface of two proteins, alpha-Lac and beta-LG (chosen as representative proteins for comparison), denatured by the three denaturants is also studied and discussed.