title: Effects of chaotropic and kosmotropic cosolvents on the pressure-induced unfolding and denaturation of proteins: an FT-IR study on staphylococcal nuclease.
abstract: FT-IR spectroscopy was used to study the effects of various chaotropic and kosmotropic cosolvents (glycerol, sucrose, sorbitol, K(2)SO(4), CaCl(2), and urea) on the secondary structure and thermodynamic properties upon unfolding and denaturation of staphylococcal nuclease (Snase). The data show that the different cosolvents have a profound effect on the denaturation pressure and the Gibbs free energy (DeltaG(o)) and volume (DeltaV(o) change of unfolding. Moreover, by analysis of the amide I' infrared bands, conformational changes of the protein upon unfolding in the different cosolvents have been determined. An increase, a reduction, or an independence of the volume change of unfolding is observed, depending on the type of cosolvent, which can at least in part be attributed to the formation of a different unfolded state structure of the protein. The data are compared with the corresponding thermodynamic values of DeltaV(o) for the temperature-induced unfolding process of Snase as obtained by pressure perturbation calorimetry, and significant differences are observed and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry I, Department of Chemistry, University of Dortmund, Otto-Hahn Strasse 6, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herberhold
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winter
mesh_terms: D002021:Buffers; D002122:Calcium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry; D008836:Micrococcal Nuclease / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry; D013431:Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D012997:Solvents; D013431:Sulfates; C031512:potassium sulfate; D013012:Sorbitol; D013395:Sucrose; D008836:Micrococcal Nuclease; D002122:Calcium Chloride; D005990:Glycerol