Circular dichroism of bovine plasma albumin--dye complexes

Binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to bovine serum albumin and albumin fragments obtained after proteolytic hydrolysis. Localization and nature of the primary PLP binding site

The binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) to bovine serum albumin (BSA), and to large BSA fragments obtained after proteolytic hydrolysis, was investigated in order to study the structure of these fragments in relation to the albumin structure itself, and to get information about the PLP binding sites on albumin. From absorbance and circular dichroism spectra, combined with peptide mapping of the tryptic digests of the reduced PLP-protein complexes, it could be concluded that the primary binding site is localized with the NH2-terminal part of the albumin molecule. The COOH-terminal part contains one or more secondary sites. It appeared that in albumin and in the largest NH2-terminal fragment, the environment of the primary binding site is rather apolar in character. However, in the smallest NH2-terminal fragment this site is more exposed to the solvent. This suggests that the part of the peptide chain which is not common in both fragments has a stabilizing effect on the structure around the primary binding site.

Spectroscopic studies on the complex formation of suramin with bovine and human serum albumin

The binding of suramin to bovine and human serum albumin was investigated by gel filtration and spectroscopic measurements. Besides some low-affinity binding sites suramin has, on the bovine serum albumin molecule one and on the human serum albumin molecule two, high-affinity binding sites. Spectroscopic measurements reveal that there are large differences between the albumins in the mechanism of binding to the high-affinity binding sites. Further, it is suggested that high concentrations of suramin provoke an unfolding of the albumin moleculse. In order to explain the unusual behaviour of suramin in connection with the displacement of other ligands from the albumin binding the fluorescence probe 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) was employed as a reporter group molecule for fluorescence as well as circular dichroism measurements. By these measurements it could be shown that suramin greatly influences the microorganization of both albumin molecules. In the case of these measurements large differences between bovine and human serum albumin were also found.

Interaction of 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-(acetatomercuri)-fluorescein with DNAs of different base composition

The changes in absorption spectra in the visible region observed on adding different naturally occurring and synthetic DNA duplexes to solutions of 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-(acetatomercuri)-fluorescein indicate that the mercurial reacts with polynucleotides of this type. The reaction is reversible as proved by adding excess of KCN which restores the original spectra of the free dye. The interaction is characterised also by quenching of the fluorescence of the dye and the induction of optical activity in it. The extent of these spectral effects depends strongly on the (A+T) content of the complexed DNA and decreased in the order: poly [d(A-T)], Clostridium perfringens DAN, Escherichia coli DNA, Micrococcus luteus DNA and poly(dC). From equilibrium-dialysis experiments the same order in affinity is obtained when these poly-nucleotides are at equilibrium with the same concentration of 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-(acetatomercuri)-fluorescein. From the changes produced by different mercurials in the ORD spectra and viscosity of a DNA solution it has been concluded that 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di(acetatomercuri)-fluorescein does not cause any drastic alteration of the secondary structure of DNA.