Scanning tunnelling microscopy observation of cytochrome-c denaturation induced by bromopyrogal red on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.
The denaturation of cytochrome-c (cyt-c) induced by bromopyrogal red (BPR) was studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) on the electrochemically pretreated highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface. STM images reveal that denatured cyt-c molecules exist in variable states including aggregates, globular compact, partially unfolded and combined with BPR molecule. The apparently low image contrast of denatured cyt-c observed in this experiment comparing to that of native cyt-c molecules, and the relative low image contrast of the unfolded part comparing with the compact globular part, are ascribed to the unfavourable tunnelling paths for the conformational variations of denatured cyt-c molecules.
Zhang
B
B
Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China.
Zhu
Y
Y
Dong
S
S
Wang
E
E
D000818:Animals; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006108:Graphite; D006736:Horses; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D011748:Pyrogallol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D013499:Surface Properties
D004396:Coloring Agents; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; C109304:bromopyrogal red; D011748:Pyrogallol; C058731:pyrogallol sulfonphthalein; D006108:Graphite