title: Thermodynamics of ribonuclease T1 denaturation.
abstract: Differential scanning calorimetry has been used to investigate the thermodynamics of denaturation of ribonuclease T1 as a function of pH over the pH range 2-10, and as a function of NaCl and MgCl2 concentration. At pH 7 in 30 mM PIPES buffer, the thermodynamic parameters are as follows: melting temperature, T1/2 = 48.9 +/- 0.1 degrees C; enthalpy change, delta H = 95.5 +/- 0.9 kcal mol-1; heat capacity change, delta Cp = 1.59 kcal mol-1 K-1; free energy change at 25 degrees C, delta G degrees (25 degrees C) = 5.6 kcal mol-1. Both T1/2 = 56.5 degrees C and delta H = 106.1 kcal mol-1 are maximal near pH 5. The conformational stability of ribonuclease T1 is increased by 3.0 kcal/mol in the presence of 0.6 M NaCl or 0.3 M MgCl2. This stabilization results mainly from the preferential binding of cations to the folded conformation of the protein. The estimates of the conformational stability of ribonuclease T1 from differential scanning calorimetry are shown to be in remarkably good agreement with estimates derived from an analysis of urea denaturation curves.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
authors.forename: C Q
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sturtevant
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Pace
mesh_terms: D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D006163:Ribonuclease T1 / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D006163:Ribonuclease T1