Kinetics of Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Reactions within Sol-Gel Silica Glass Doped with Zinc Cytochrome c. Study of Electrostatic Effects in Confined Liquids

Immobilization of Allantoinase for the Development of an Optical Biosensor of Oxidative Stress States

Allantoin, the natural end product of purine catabolism in mammals, is non-enzymatically produced from the scavenging of reactive oxygen species through the degradation of uric acid. Levels of allantoin in biological fluids are sensitively influenced by the presence of free radicals, making this molecule a candidate marker of acute oxidative stress in clinical analyses. With this aim, we exploited allantoinase—the enzyme responsible for allantoin hydrolization in plants and lower organisms—for the development of a biosensor exploiting a fast enzymatic-chemical assay for allantoin quantification. Recombinant allantoinase was entrapped in a wet nanoporous silica gel matrix and its structural properties, function, and stability were characterized through fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism measurements, and compared to the soluble enzyme. Physical immobilization in silica gel minimally influences the structure and the catalytic efficiency of entrapped allantoinase, which can be reused several times and stored for several months with good activity retention. These results, together with the relative ease of the sol-gel preparation and handling, make the encapsulated allantoinase a good candidate for the development of an allantoin biosensor.

Spectroscopic Characterization of Structural Changes in Membrane Scaffold Proteins Entrapped within Mesoporous Silica Gel Monoliths

The changes in the orientation and conformation of three different membrane scaffold proteins (MSPs) upon entrapment in sol-gel-derived mesoporous silica monoliths were investigated. MSPs were examined in either a lipid-free or a lipid-bound conformation, where the proteins were associated with lipids to form nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs). NLPs are water-soluble, disk-shaped patches of a lipid bilayer that have amphiphilic MSPs shielding the hydrophobic lipid tails. The NLPs in this work had an average thickness of 5 nm and diameters of 9.2, 9.7, and 14.8 nm. We have previously demonstrated that NLPs are more suitable lipid-based structures for silica gel entrapment than liposomes because of their size compatibility with the mesoporous network (2-50 nm) and minimally altered structure after encapsulation. Here we further elaborate on that work by using a variety of spectroscopic techniques to elucidate whether or not different MSPs maintain their protein-lipid interactions after encapsulation. Fluorescence spectroscopy and quenching of the tryptophan residues with acrylamide, 5-DOXYL-stearic acid, and 16-DOXYL-stearic acid were used to determine the MSP orientation. We also utilized fluorescence anisotropy of tryptophans to measure the relative size of the NLPs and MSP aggregates after entrapment. Finally, circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to examine the secondary structure of the MSPs. Our results showed that, after entrapment, all of the lipid-bound MSPs maintained orientations that were minimally changed and indicative of association with lipids in NLPs. The tryptophan residues appeared to remain buried within the hydrophobic core of the lipid tails in the NLPs and appropriately spaced from the bilayer center. Also, after entrapment, lipid-bound MSPs maintained a high degree of α-helical content, a secondary structure associated with protein-lipid interactions. These findings demonstrate that NLPs are capable of serving as viable hosts for functional integral membrane proteins in the synthesis of sol-gel-derived bioinorganic hybrid nanomaterials.

Modulation of the silica sol-gel composition for the promotion of direct electron transfer to encapsulated cytochrome c

The direct electron transfer between indium-tin oxide electrodes (ITO) and cytochrome c encapsulated in different sol-gel silica networks was studied. Cyt c@silica modified electrodes were synthesized by a two-step encapsulation method mixing a phosphate buffer solution with dissolved cytochrome c and a silica sol prepared by the alcohol-free sol-gel route. These modified electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis spectroscopy, and in situ UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry. The electrochemical response of encapsulated protein is influenced by the terminal groups of the silica pores. Cyt c does not present electrochemical response in conventional silica (hydroxyl terminated) or phenyl terminated silica. Direct electron transfer to encapsulated cytochrome c and ITO electrodes only takes place when the protein is encapsulated in methyl modified silica networks.

Analysis of lipid phase behavior and protein conformational changes in nanolipoprotein particles upon entrapment in sol-gel-derived silica

The entrapment of nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) and liposomes in transparent, nanoporous silica gel derived from the precursor tetramethylorthosilicate was investigated. NLPs are discoidal patches of lipid bilayer that are belted by amphiphilic scaffold proteins and have an average thickness of 5 nm. The NLPs in this work had a diameter of roughly 15 nm and utilized membrane scaffold protein (MSP), a genetically altered variant of apolipoprotein A-I. Liposomes have previously been examined inside of silica sol-gels and have been shown to exhibit instability. This is attributed to their size (∼150 nm) and altered structure and constrained lipid dynamics upon entrapment within the nanometer-scale pores (5-50 nm) of the silica gel. By contrast, the dimensional match of NLPs with the intrinsic pore sizes of silica gel opens the possibility for their entrapment without disruption. Here we demonstrate that NLPs are more compatible with the nanometer-scale size of the porous environment by analysis of lipid phase behavior via fluorescence anisotropy and analysis of scaffold protein secondary structure via circular dichroism spectroscopy. Our results showed that the lipid phase behavior of NLPs entrapped inside of silica gel display closer resemblance to its solution behavior, more so than liposomes, and that the MSP in the NLPs maintain the high degree of α-helix secondary structure associated with functional protein-lipid interactions after entrapment. We also examined the effects of residual methanol on lipid phase behavior and the size of NLPs and found that it exerts different influences in solution and in silica gel; unlike in free solution, silica entrapment may be inhibiting NLP size increase and/or aggregation. These findings set precedence for a bioinorganic hybrid nanomaterial that could incorporate functional integral membrane proteins.

Role of histidine 148 in stability and dynamics of a highly fluorescent GFP variant

The armory of GFP mutants available to biochemists and molecular biologists is huge. Design and selection of mutants are usually driven by tailored spectroscopic properties, but some key aspects of stability, folding and dynamics of selected GFP variants still need to be elucidated. We have prepared, expressed and characterized three H148 mutants of the highly fluorescent variant GFPmut2. H148 is known to be involved in the H-bonding network surrounding the chromophore, and all the three mutants, H148G, H148R and H148K, show increased pKa values of the chromophore. Only H148G GFPmut2 (Mut2G) gave good expression and purification yields, indicating that position 148 is critical for efficient folding in vivo. The chemical denaturation of Mut2G was monitored by fluorescence emission, absorbance and far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy. The mutation has little effect on the spectroscopic properties of the protein and on its stability in solution. However, the unfolding kinetics of the protein encapsulated in wet nanoporous silica gels, a system that allows to stabilize conformations that are poorly or only transiently populated in solution, indicate that the unfolding pathway of Mut2G is markedly different from the parent molecule. In particular, encapsulation allowed to identify an unfolding intermediate that retains a native-like secondary structure despite a destructured chromophore environment. Thus, H148 is a critical residue not only for the chromophoric and photodynamic properties, but also for the correct folding of GFP, and its substitution has great impact on expression yields and stability of the mature protein.

Simplified procedure for encapsulating cytochrome c in silica aerogel nanoarchitectures while retaining gas-phase bioactivity

Cytochrome c (cyt. c) has been encapsulated in silica sol-gels and processed to form bioaerogels with gas-phase activity for nitric oxide through a simplified synthetic procedure. Previous reports demonstrated a need to adsorb cyt. c to metal nanoparticles prior to silica sol-gel encapsulation and processing to form aerogels. We report that cyt. c can be encapsulated in aerogels without added nanoparticles and retain structural stability and gas-phase activity for nitric oxide. While the UV-visible Soret absorbance and nitric oxide response indicate that cyt. c encapsulated with nanoparticles in aerogels remains slightly more stable and functional than cyt. c encapsulated alone, these properties are not very different in the two types of aerogels. From UV-visible and Soret circular dichroism results, we infer that cyt. c encapsulated alone self-organizes to reduce contact with the silica gel in a way that may bear at least some resemblance to the way cyt. c self-organizes into superstructures of protein within aerogels when nanoparticles are present. Both the buffer concentration and the cyt. c concentration of solutions used to synthesize the bioaerogels affect the structural integrity of the protein encapsulated alone within the dried aerogels. Optimized bioaerogels are formed when cyt. c is encapsulated from 40 mM phosphate buffered solutions, and when the loaded cyt. c concentration in the aerogel is in the range of 5 to 15 μM. Increased viability of cyt. c in aerogels is also observed when supercritical fluid used to produce aerogels is vented over relatively long times.

Biofriendly sol-gel processing for the entrapment of soluble and membrane-bound proteins: toward novel solid-phase assays for high-throughput screening

The last decade has seen a revolution in the area of sol-gel-derived biomaterials since the demonstration that these materials can be used to encapsulate biological species such as enzymes, antibodies, and other proteins in a functional state. In particular, recent years have seen tremendous progress in the development of more "protein-friendly" sol-gel processing methods and their use for immobilization of delicate proteins, including key drug targets such as kinases and membrane-bound receptors. The latter example is particularly impressive, given the inherently low stability of membrane receptors and the need to stabilize an amphiphilic bilayer lipid membrane to maintain receptor function. In this Account, we provide an overview of the advances in biofriendly sol-gel processing methods developed in our research group and others and highlight recent accomplishments in the immobilization of both soluble and membrane-bound proteins, with particular emphasis on enzymes and membrane receptors that are drug targets. Emerging applications of sol-gel-entrapped proteins, focusing on the development platforms for high-throughput screening of small molecules, are also described.

Use of organofunctionalized nanoporous silica gel to improve the lifetime of carbon paste electrode for determination of copper(II) ions

A new functionalized nanoporous silica gel with dipyridyl group (DPNSG) was synthesized. Then, the potentiometric response of the copper(II) ion was investigated at a carbon paste electrode chemically modified with this newly designed functionalized nanoporous silica gel. The electrodes with DPNSG proportions of 15.0% (w/w) demonstrated very stable potentials. Calibration plots with Nernstian slopes for Cu2+ were observed, 28.4 (+/-1.0) mV decade(-1), over a wide linear concentration range (1.0x10(-7) to 1.0x10(-2) M). The electrode exhibited a detection limit of 8.0x10(-8) M. Moreover, the selectivity coefficients measured by the match potential method in acetate buffer, pH 5.5, were investigated. The electrode presented a response time of approximately 50s, high performance, high sensitivity in a wide range of cation activities and good long-term stability (more than 9 months). The method was satisfactory and was used to determine the copper ion concentration in waste waters, contaminated by this metal.

Preparation and characterization of urease-encapsulated biosensors in poly(vinyl alcohol)-modified silica sol-gel materials

The microenvironments of the sol-gel-derived urease biosensors in terms of elemental ratio, surface morphology, specific surface area and pore size were investigated to characterize the physicochemical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-modified sol-gel materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and surface area analyzer were used to identify the surface species, topography and pore distribution of the organically doped sol-gel network. XPS results showed that stoichiometric ratios of oxygen-to-silicon in sol-gel materials were in the range 2.08-2.11. The sol-gel materials were partially dried and negatively charged, which retained 6-8% water content to maintain urease activity. The surface morphology of the sol-gel altered obviously when macromolecules were encapsulated, resulting in the increase in surface mean roughness from 0.207 to 2.636 nm. The specific surface area decreased dramatically after the immobilization of biomolecules and organic additives, which clearly depicts that PVA and urease were co-encapsulated into the sol-gel network. However, there still exist enough pore volumes for analytes to mass transport. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant value (Km) of the encapsulated urease was similar to that in solution and the overall catalytic efficiency in PVA-doped sol-gel-derived glasses only decreased by a factor of 3.2 relative to the value in solution. In addition, the analytical performance of the entrapped urease in PVA-doped sol-gel materials was examined by determining the Cu(II) concentration in aqueous solution. The analytical range of Cu(II) was in the range 2x10(-6) to 2x10(-2) M with a detection limit of 1.5 microg L(-1). Results obtained in this study demonstrate a strategy for maintaining urease activity for biomedical and environmental applications.

Unfolding time distribution of GFP by single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy

We have studied the unfolding of single molecules of GFP-mut2 mutant trapped in wet silica gels in a wide range of GuHCl concentration. After the addition of denaturant, the number of fluorescent molecules decreases with unfolding rates (of the order of 0.01 min(-1)) that are in very good agreement with bulk fluorescence and circular dichroism data. Unexpectedly, single molecule experiments show rare fluctuations in the number of fluorescent proteins at equilibrium. On the other hand, although a first approximate description of the number decays can be reasonably performed by single exponential functions, the distributions of the single molecule unfolding times show a maximum at times congruent with 50-100 min up to the denaturation midpoint concentration of [GuHCl] congruent with 2.5 M. A theoretical analysis of the distributions indicates that this feature is a fingerprint of the competition between unfolding and refolding processes when the protein is very far from the midpoint denaturant concentration.

Effect of sol–gel encapsulation on the unfolding of ferric horse heart cytochrome c

Electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectra of ferric cytochrome c embedded in wet silica gels, in the presence of guanidine HCl as unfolding agent, between pH 0.35 and 7.0 are presented. The data clearly show that the ferric form of the protein encapsulated in sol-gel preserves its active site conformation. However, the spectra of the unfolded embedded protein are different from the corresponding spectra in solution suggesting that a strong interaction between the protein and the sol-gel takes place upon unfolding. The unfolding process mainly depends on the interaction between the exposed positive charges of the unfolded protein and the negatively charged functional groups of the silica surfaces. While this interaction partially stabilizes the protein in its native structure even at very acidic pH, in the presence of denaturants it has the opposite effect, causing mainly the weakening of both the heme-protein and the heme-ligand interactions.

Pre-Unfolding Resonant Oscillations of Single Green Fluorescent Protein Molecules

Fluorescence spectroscopy of a green fluorescent protein mutant at single-molecule resolution has revealed a remarkable oscillatory behavior that can also be driven by applied fields. We show that immediately before unfolding, several periodic oscillations among the chemical substates of the protein chromophore occur. We also show that applied alternating electric or acoustic fields, when tuned to the protein characteristic frequencies, give rise to strong resonance effects.

Tracking unfolding and refolding of single GFPmut2 molecules

The unfolding and refolding kinetics of >600 single GFPmut2 molecules, entrapped in wet nanoporous silica gels, were followed by monitoring simultaneously the fluorescence emission of the anionic and neutral state of the chromophore, primed by two-photon excitation. The rate of unfolding, induced by guanidinium chloride, was determined by counting the number of single molecules that disappear in fluorescence images, under conditions that do not cause bleaching or photoinduced conversion between chromophore protonation states. The unfolding rate is of the order of 0.01 min(-1), and its dependence on denaturant concentration is very similar to that previously reported for high protein load gels. Upon rinsing the gels with denaturant-free buffer, the GFPmut2 molecules refold with rates >10 min(-1), with an apparently random distribution between neutral and anionic states, that can be very different from the preunfolding equilibrium. A subsequent very slow (lifetime of approximately 70 min) relaxation leads to the equilibrium distribution of the protonation states. This mechanism, involving one or more native-like refolding intermediates, is likely rate limited by conformational rearrangements that are undetectable in circular dichroism experiments. Several unfolding/refolding cycles can be followed on the same molecules, indicating full reversibility of the process and, noticeably, a bias of denaturated molecules toward refolding in the original protonation state.

Confinement and crowding effects on tryptophan synthase alpha2beta2 complex

Biological molecules experience in vivo a highly crowded environment. The investigation of the functional properties of the tryptophan synthase alpha(2)beta(2) complex either entrapped in wet nanoporous silica gels or in the presence of the crowding agents dextran 70 and ficoll 70 indicates that the rates of the conformational transitions associated to catalysis and regulation are reduced, and an open and less catalytically active conformation is stabilized.

Unfolding of Green Fluorescent Protein mut2 in wet nanoporous silica gels

Many of the effects exerted on protein structure, stability, and dynamics by molecular crowding and confinement in the cellular environment can be mimicked by encapsulation in polymeric matrices. We have compared the stability and unfolding kinetics of a highly fluorescent mutant of Green Fluorescent Protein, GFPmut2, in solution and in wet, nanoporous silica gels. In the absence of denaturant, encapsulation does not induce any observable change in the circular dichroism and fluorescence emission spectra of GFPmut2. In solution, the unfolding induced by guanidinium chloride is well described by a thermodynamic and kinetic two-state process. In the gel, biphasic unfolding kinetics reveal that at least two alternative conformations of the native protein are significantly populated. The relative rates for the unfolding of each conformer differ by almost two orders of magnitude. The slower rate, once extrapolated to native solvent conditions, superimposes to that of the single unfolding phase observed in solution. Differences in the dependence on denaturant concentration are consistent with restrictions opposed by the gel to possibly expanded transition states and to the conformational entropy of the denatured ensemble. The observed behavior highlights the significance of investigating protein function and stability in different environments to uncover structural and dynamic properties that can escape detection in dilute solution, but might be relevant for proteins in vivo.

Highly active horseradish peroxidase immobilized in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate room-temperature ionic liquid based sol-gel host materials

Dramatically enhanced activity and excellent thermal stability of horseradish peroxidase were obtained by immobilizing it in a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate room-temperature ionic liquid based sol-gel matrix.

Protein-Doped Monolithic Silica Columns for Capillary Liquid Chromatography Prepared by the Sol−Gel Method: Applications to Frontal Affinity Chromatography

The development of bioaffinity chromatography columns that are based on the entrapment of biomolecules within the pores of sol-gel-derived monolithic silica is reported. Monolithic nanoflow columns are formed by mixing the protein-compatible silica precursor diglycerylsilane with a buffered aqueous solution containing poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, MW 10,000) and the protein of interest and then loading this mixture into a fused-silica capillary (150-250-microm i.d.). Spinodal decomposition of the PEO-doped sol into two distinct phases prior to the gelation of the silica results in a bimodal pore distribution that produces large macropores (>0.1 microm), to allow good flow of eluent with minimal back pressure, and mesopores (approximately 3-5-nm diameter) that retain a significant fraction of the entrapped protein. Addition of low levels of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane is shown to minimize nonselective interactions of analytes with the column material, resulting in a column that is able to retain small molecules by virtue of their interaction with the entrapped biomolecules. Such columns are shown to be suitable for pressure-driven liquid chromatography and can be operated at relatively high flow rates (up to 500 microL x min(-1)) or with low back pressures (<100 psi) when used at flow rates of 5-10 microL x min(-1). The clinically relevant enzyme dihydrofolate reductase was entrapped within the bioaffinity columns and was used to screen mixtures of small molecules using frontal affinity chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Inhibitors present in compound mixtures were retained via bioaffinity interactions, with the retention time being dependent on both the ligand concentration and the affinity of the ligand for the protein. The results suggest that such columns may find use in high-throughput screening of compound mixtures.

Screening of inhibitors using enzymes entrapped in sol-gel-derived materials

In recent years, a number of new methods have been reported that make use of immobilized enzymes either on microarrays or in bioaffinity columns for high-throughput screening of compound libraries. A key question that arises in such methods is whether immobilization may alter the intrinsic catalytic and inhibition constants of the enzyme. Herein, we examine how immobilization within sol-gel-derived materials affects the catalytic constant (kcat), Michaelis constant (KM), and inhibition constant (KI) of the clinically relevant enzymes Factor Xa, dihydrofolate reductase, cyclooxygenase-2, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. These enzymes were encapsulated into sol-gel-derived glasses produced from either tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) or the newly developed silica precursor diglyceryl silane (DGS). It was found that the catalytic efficiency and long-term stability of all enzymes were improved upon entrapment into DGS-derived materials relative to entrapment in TEOS-based glasses, likely owing to the liberation of the biocompatible reagent glycerol from DGS. The KM values of enzymes entrapped in DGS-derived materials were typically higher than those in solution, whereas upon entrapment, kcat values were generally lowered by a factor of 1.5-7 relative to the value in solution, indicating that substrate turnover was limited by partitioning effects or diffusion through the silica matrix. Nonetheless, the apparent KI value for the entrapped enzyme was in most cases within error of the value in solution, and even in the worst case, the values differed by no more than a factor of 3. The implications of these findings for high-throughput screening are discussed.

Use of silicate sol-gels to trap the R and T quaternary conformational states of pig kidney fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Encapsulation of the homotetrameric pig kidney fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) in tetramethyl orthosilicate sol-gels was used to dramatically reduce the rate of the allosteric transition of the enzyme between the T and R allosteric states. When assayed in the absence of the allosteric inhibitor AMP, the enzyme encapsulated in the T-state exhibited little activity. The enzyme encapsulated in the R-state exhibited a 4-fold lower k(cat) and V(max) than the enzyme in solution, and the apparent K(m) for this enzyme was 350-fold higher than the corresponding value for the enzyme in solution. The [Mg(2+)](0.5) for the encapsulated enzyme was only 0.1 mM, compared to 0.54 mM for the normal enzyme. Magnesium activation, under both sets of conditions, was cooperative with a Hill coefficient of approximately 2. The activity of enzyme encapsulated in the R-state decreased to about 70% of initial activity within 1 min of adding AMP, it then decreased slowly to about 40% of initial activity over the following 7 h. Under the conditions tested, the encapsulated enzyme never became completely inactivated and AMP inhibition was no longer cooperative. For enzyme encapsulated in the T-state, activity was restored over approximately 7 h after removal of the AMP. The biphasic and slow responses to changing AMP levels suggest that encapsulated enzyme can be used to study the effects of local conformational changes distinct from the global quaternary conformational changes by slowing down the ability of the enzyme to carry out global rotations. The response to AMP exhibited by the encapsulated enzyme is consistent with the ability of AMP, at least partially, to directly influence the activity of the active site within each subunit.

Probing trace phenols based on mediator-free alumina sol--gel-derived tyrosinase biosensor

A novel tyrosinase biosensor has been developed for the subnanomolar detection of phenols, based on the immobilization of tyrosinase in a positively charged Al2O3 sol-gel membrane on a glassy carbon electrode. It has been found that Al2O3 sol-gel is perfectly beneficial to the immobilization of tyrosinase, because it not only possesses the general advantages of sol-gel but it also is an effective promoter of the biosensor. The large microscopic surface area, porous morphology, and hydrophilic property of the sol-gel matrix result in high enzyme loading, and the enzyme entrapped in this matrix retains its activity to a large extent. The Al2O3 sol-gel-containing surface also displays an intrinsic electrocatalytic o-quinone response and, hence, offers a high-sensitivity (127 microA mM(-1)) monitoring of phenols. The detection limit is 0.2 nM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, the response time is less than 4 s reaching 95% of the steady-state value, and 70% of the activity is retained after 3 months.

Bioencapsulation within synthetic polymers (Part 1): sol-gel encapsulated biologicals

Since its inception a decade ago, sol-gel encapsulation has opened up an intriguing new way to immobilize biological materials. An array of substances, including catalytic antibodies, DNA, RNA, antigens, live bacterial, fungal, plant and animal cells and whole protozoa, have been encapsulated in silica, metal-oxide, organosiloxane and hybrid sol-gel polymers. The advantages of these 'living ceramics' might give them applications as optical and electrochemical sensors, diagnostic devices, catalysts, and even bioartificial organs. With rapid advances in sol-gel precursors, nanoengineered polymers, encapsulation protocols and fabrication methods, this technology promises to revolutionize bioimmobilization.

Temperature dependent quaternary state relaxation in sol-gel encapsulated hemoglobin

Samples of human adult hemoglobin (HbA) encapsulated in a wet porous sol-gel are prepared under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Resonance Raman spectroscopy is used to compare equilibrium deoxyHbA to the nonequilibrium deoxy species generated by deoxygenating an encapsulated oxyHbA sample. The spectra of the deoxygenated samples as a function of delay subsequent to deoxygenation reveal a marked slow down by the gel of the two phases of relaxation: the tertiary relaxation associated with the transition from the liganded R to deoxy R conformations and the quaternary relaxation associated with the deoxy R to deoxy T transition. The temperature dependence (4-80 degrees C) of the relaxation indicates that the internal viscosity of the gel is greatly enhanced at the lower temperatures. At 80 degrees C the tertiary and quaternary relaxations occur over minutes to hours, respectively, whereas at 4 degrees C both relaxations are essentially frozen. These results demonstrate the impressive potential of using sol-gel encapsulation as a means of studying substrate binding induced conformational changes in proteins.

T state hemoglobin binds oxygen noncooperatively with allosteric effects of protons, inositol hexaphosphate, and chloride

Hemoglobin is the paradigm of allosteric proteins. Over the years, cooperative oxygen binding has been explained by different models predicting that the T state of hemoglobin binds oxygen either noncooperatively or with some degree of cooperativity or with strong cooperativity. Therefore, a critical test that discriminates among models is to determine the oxygen binding by the T state of hemoglobin. Fixation of hemoglobin in the T state has been achieved either by crystallization from polyethylene glycol solutions or by encapsulation in wet porous silica gels. Hemoglobin crystals bind oxygen noncooperatively with reduced affinity compared with solution, with no Bohr effect and with no influence of other allosteric effectors. In this study, we have determined accurate oxygen-binding curves to the T state of hemoglobin in silica gels with the same microspectrophotometric apparatus and multiwavelengths analysis used in crystal experiments. The T state of hemoglobin in silica gels binds oxygen noncooperatively with an affinity and a Bohr effect similar to those observed in solution for the binding of the first oxygen molecule. Other allosteric effectors such as inositol hexaphosphate, bezafibrate, and chloride significantly affect oxygen affinity. Therefore, T state hemoglobins that are characterized by strikingly different functional properties share the absence of cooperativity in the binding of oxygen. These findings are fully consistent with the Monod, Wyman, and Changeux model and with most features of Perutz's stereochemical model, but they are not consistent with models of both Koshland and Ackers.