The effect of aliphatic alcohols on the thermal stability of tropocollagen under acidic conditions

Mass Spectrometry Methods for Measuring Protein Stability

Mass spectrometry is a central technology in the life sciences, providing our most comprehensive account of the molecular inventory of the cell. In parallel with developments in mass spectrometry technologies targeting such assessments of cellular composition, mass spectrometry tools have emerged as versatile probes of biomolecular stability. In this review, we cover recent advancements in this branch of mass spectrometry that target proteins, a centrally important class of macromolecules that accounts for most biochemical functions and drug targets. Our efforts cover tools such as hydrogen-deuterium exchange, chemical cross-linking, ion mobility, collision induced unfolding, and other techniques capable of stability assessments on a proteomic scale. In addition, we focus on a range of application areas where mass spectrometry-driven protein stability measurements have made notable impacts, including studies of membrane proteins, heat shock proteins, amyloidogenic proteins, and biotherapeutics. We conclude by briefly discussing the future of this vibrant and fast-moving area of research.

Profiling of drug crystallization in the skin

BACKGROUND

Drug crystallization following application of transdermal and topical formulations may potentially compromise the delivery of drugs to the skin. This phenomenon was found to be limited to the superficial layers of the stratum corneum (~7 µm) in our recent reports and tape stripping of the skin samples was necessary. It remains a significant challenge to profile drug crystallization in situ without damaging the skin samples.

METHODS

This work reports the application of an X-ray microbeam via synchrotron SAXS/WAXS analysis to monitor drug crystallization in the skin, especially in the deeper skin layers. Confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) was employed to examine drug distribution in the skin to complement the detection of drug crystallization using SAXS/WAXS analysis.

RESULTS

Following application of saturated drug solutions (ibuprofen, diclofenac acid, and salts), CRS depth profiles confirmed that the drugs generally were delivered to a depth of ~15 - 20 µm in the skin. This was compared with the WAXS profiles that measured drug crystal diffraction at a depth of up to ~25 µm of the skin.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the potential of synchrotron SAXS/WAXS analysis for profiling of drug crystallization in situ in the deeper skin layers without pre-treatment for the skin samples. [Figure: see text].

Conformation-dependent side reactions in interstrand-disulfide bridging of trimeric collagenous peptides by regioselective cysteine chemistry

Conversion of single-chain or disulfide-bridged dimeric collagenous peptides into Cys(Npys) derivatives as activated species for subsequent regioselective thiol/disulfide exchange reactions leads to side products whose origin and nature was determined by HPLC and ESI-MS. In both cases the high tendency of the educts to self-associate into triple-helical homotrimers, as assessed by their dichroic properties in the reaction media, is responsible for the failure of this well established cysteine chemistry. Only by optimizing the synthetic strategy or by exploiting a kinetic control of the reaction, could these conformation-dependent limitations be more or less efficiently bypassed for the regioselective assembly of heterotrimeric collagen model peptides crosslinked with artificial cystine knots.

Solvent environment modulates effects of glutaraldehyde crosslinking on tissue-derived biomaterials

Bioprosthetic materials utilized in the construction of heart valves and vascular grafts possess limited performance and viability in vivo. This is due (in part) to the failure of these materials to mimic the mechanical properties of the host tissue they replace. If bioprosthetic materials could be engineered to meet the mechanical performance required in vivo, the functional lifetime of implants would be increased. In this study, glutaraldehyde/solvent solutions of decreasing dielectric constant (polarity) were utilized to modify the properties of crosslinked collagen in whole bovine pericardial tissue. Solvents included phosphate buffer, methanol, 95% (w/w) ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol. Exogenous crosslinking was verified in collagen by thermal denaturation tests and amino acid analyses. Tensile mechanical behavior of collagenous pericardial samples was found to depend upon the dielectric constant (polarity) of the glutaraldehyde/solvent solutions employed; however, treatment in the solvents alone had little, if any, effect. As the dielectric constant of the solvents decreased, three mechanical properties were systematically altered: plastic strain fell from a mean of 8.9 +/- 1.5% (buffer) to 1.6 +/- 0.4% (n-butanol); strain at fracture increased from 32.2 +/- 2.6% (buffer) to 55.6 +/- 4.6% (n-butanol); and percent stress remaining after 1000-s stress relaxation from an 80-g initial load fell from 86.3 +/- 1.1% (buffer) to 76.9 +/- 1.0% (n-butanol). Crosslinking using a glutaraldehyde/n-butanol solution produced materials with tensile mechanical behavior that was very close to that of fresh tissue; however, the flexural properties of the treated tissue were different from those of fresh tissue. This decoupling of the flexural and tensile mechanical behaviors of crosslinked bioprosthetic materials is unique to this form of treatment. The observed phenomena may be the results of conformational changes in collagen facilitated by polar/nonpolar interactions with the solvent that are "locked in" by the action of glutaraldehyde. This technique may aid in the "customized" design of mechanical properties in tissue-derived biomaterials.

Effect of pressure on the sol-gel transition of gelatin

The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the sol-gel transition of gelatins were studied in the concentration range 1.5-12.5% under high pressures up to 300 MPa. The gelatin gels were stabilized by pressure: the pressure-induced elevation of melting temperature, (dT/dP)m, was 3.89 x 10(-2), 3.17 x 10(-2) and 2.92 x 10(-2) K/MPa for gelatins of Bloom No. 60, 225 and 304, respectively. The enthalpy, entropy and volume changes accompanying the gel formation were calculated from the Eldridge-Ferry plots and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The volume changes of gelation were estimated to be -25.7, -20.8 and -18.3 ml/mol of cross-links for gelatins of Bloom No. 60, 225 and 304, respectively, which were almost independent of pressure. The kinetic process of gelation was suppressed under high pressure, indicating the positive activation volume of gelation. These volume changes were discussed in terms of the characteristic hydration modes of cross-linking junctions of gelatin gels, comparing them with those of native collagen.

Destabilization of collagen structure by amides and detergents in solution

The effects of amides and detergents on collagen to gelatin transition have been studied at neutral pH. Simple amides denature the protein. The substitution of H-atoms by the alkyl groups at the nonpolar end of amide increases the effectiveness of the compounds in destabilizing the collagen structure whereas substitution of the H-atom at the polar amide end shows marginal effects on the collagen transition. The capabilities of these reagents to denature collagen are much less pronounced than their effects on denaturing globular proteins. Anionic detergents are found to destabilize collagen at very low concentrations (below their cmc values). In this respect, the effects of the detergents on collagen are comparable to the denaturing effects of the detergents on globular proteins. The effect of detergents increases with the increase in the length of the alkyl chain. The structure of the anion in the detergent is also important as seen from the lower potency of the sulfonate containing detergent compared to the sulfate containing detergent in denaturing collagen. Cationic and nonionic detergents do not denature collagen.

Alcohol induced conformational transitions of proteins and polypeptides. Thermodynamic studies of some model compounds

Integral enthalpies of solution of diglycine in tert.-butyl alcohol + water and of diglycine and beta-alanine in ethanol + water mixtures were measured at 298.15 K as a function of alcohol concentration. Enthalpies of transfer of the solutes from water to aqueous alcohol mixtures were evaluated from these data. Entropies of transfer of a peptide backbone unit (CH2CONH) and peptide group (CONH) from water to aqueous ethanol solutions were derived from the enthalpy of transfer data and the free energies of transfer of glycine, alpha-alanine, beta-alanine and diglycine. The thermodynamic transfer functions are discussed in terms of "water structure" mediated solute-solute interactions. The observed trends in the thermodynamic transfer functions have also been utilized to rationalize the effect of alcohols on the conformational stability of proteins and polypeptides in aqueous solutions.

Effect of alcohols on the collagen-phosphatidylcholine interaction

The interaction of phosphatidylcholine dispersions with acid soluble collagen separated from the skin of one month-old swine was studied to define the conditions facilitating the association of the collagen with lipids. When acid soluble collagen and phosphatidylcholine dispersions were incubated in 75 mM citrate buffer of pH 3.7 at 25 degrees C, the reisolated collagen fibrils did not contain appreciable amounts of phosphatidylcholine. However, the presence of n-propanol greatly promoted the retention of phosphatidylcholine, the amount of phosphatidylcholine associated being nearly 30% of collagen on a weight basis under optimal conditions. In contrast, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and n-butanol did not appreciably enhance the association of phosphatidylcholine with collagen. A limited inhibition of phosphatidylcholine retention was observed upon addition of sodium chloride to the propanol medium. The interaction of phosphatidylcholine with acid soluble collagen decreased sharply when temperature was increased above 30 degrees C; almost no phosphatidylcholine-collagen association occured at 40 degrees C. It appears that the enhanced association in the presence of n-propanol is due to a looseing of the collagen triple helix that exposes hydrophobic sites necessary for the interaction. However, the conversion of the triple helical structure to the random coil conformation by heating prevents the association of phosphatidylcholine with acid soluble collagen.

The mechanisms of glutaraldehyde-fixed sarcoma 180 ascites cell aggregation

Sediment height analysis was employed to investigate the mechanisms of cell aggregation by glutaraldehyde-fixed sarcoma 180 ascites cells. The aggregation of these cells proceeds by a polymer bridging mechanism in which the surface molecules of one cell associate directly with the surface molecules of adjacent cells by nonbonding interactions. The ability of adhesive surface macromolecules to serve as polymer bridges is regulated by hydrophobic and coulombic interactions. Hydrophobic interactions are not significantly involved in polymer bridging per se, but instead appear to operate either intramolecularly or between adjacent molecules of the same cell surface, and regulate the conformation and ability of such molecules to form stable intermolecular associations with the surface adhesive molecules of a nearby cell. A disruption of these intrasurface hydrophobic interactions generally promotes cell aggregation. Coulombic forces generated by the fixed charges of surface molecules inhibit aggregation; their diminution by charge neutralization promotes aggregation. It is likely that coulombic repulsive forces regulate intramolecular associations, interactions between adjacent molecules arising from the same cell surface, and interactions between macromolecules arising from different cell surfaces. The actual forces which serve to aggregate two fixed cells are not hydrophobic, but have characteristics commonly attributed to hydrogen bonding. Ion-pairing does not seem to play a role in the aggregation of fixed cells under physiological electrolyte conditions, nor does disulfide bridging.

Differential anion effects on thermal stability of collagen in the dispersed and aggregated states

The effects of KCNS and KI on thermal transition temperatures of calf skin collagen molecules in dilute acid solution and precipitated collagen fibrils from the same source were compared as a function of salt concentration and pH. The two salts produced qualitatively similar effects on each collagen form, but the response shown by single collagen molecules in dilute solution differed from that observed for molecular aggregates present in native-type fibrils.

Effect of alcohols and neutral salt on the thermal stability of soluble and precipitated acid-soluble collagen

The effects of mono- and poly-hydric alcohols in the presence of KCl on the intrinsic stability of collagen molecules in dilute acid solution were compared with corresponding solvent and salt effects on the increased stability of the aggregated molecules in salt-precipitated fibrils. Salt addition decreased solubility and increased the thermal stability of fibrils, but progressively decreased the stability of collagen molecules in solution. In contrast, the alcohols enhanced solubility and decreased fibril stability, the effects increasing with solvent hydrocarbon chain length and with decreasing hydroxyl/methylene-group ratio. Molar destabilization of dissolved collagen by alcohols was lower than for fibrils, and at low salt concentration, both ethylene glycol and glycerol were structural stabilizers. Electron-micrograph studies indicated that salt-precipitated fibrils tended to adopt the native aggregation mode, and qualitatively similar solvent effects were observed in insoluble collagens. Implications of the experimental findings are discussed in terms of a model in which electrostatic and apolar interactions mainly govern the excess of stability in collagen fibrils whereas intrinsic stability of single molecules is a function of polar interactions and polypeptide-chain rigidity.

The effects of certain glycols, substituted glycols and related organic solvents on the thermal stability of soluble collagen

The effects of a number of related diols, substituted diols and glycerol on the thermal stability of acid-soluble calf skin collagen were investigated. Thermal transition temperatures were determined by optical rotation measurement. Short-chain diols with terminal hydroxyl groups, i.e. ethylene glycol and propane-1,3-diol, stabilized the protein at all accessible concentrations. Stabilization was also observed with glycerol and diethylene glycol. Higher homologues in the diol series produced various effects, as did hydroxyl-group positional isomerism. Monoalkyl substitution of diols progressively lowered the denaturation temperature of collagen. Results are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms of perturbant action.