title: Studies on the acid induced unfolding of human serum albumin.
abstract: The acid induced unfolding of HSA (Human Serum Albumin) was studied using UV-difference spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and far-UV CD spectroscopy. In UV-difference spectroscopy, the molar extinction coefficient decreased from N state to F state. Partially buried Tyr residues are transferred from a medium of high polarizability (native N state) to a medium of low polarizability (F state). This is followed by loss of two electrostatic interactions Lys 205-Glu 465 and Arg218-Asp451 or one electrostatic interaction Lys205-Glu 465/Arg218-Asp451 and one buried carboxyl group of acidic amino acid. Similarly, UV-difference spectroscopy showed a decrease in absorbance in F<-->E transition due to exposure of completely buried tyrosine residues from medium of high polarizability (F state) to a medium of low polarizability (E state). This is also followed by loss of one electrostatic interaction out of three electrostatic interactions namely, Asp187-Lys432, Asp187-Lys521 and Lys190-Glu425. The tryptophanyl fluorescence spectra showed that the N<-->F transition is accompanied by a decrease in fluorescence intensity. This implies that there is partial exposure of Trp214 to aqueous environment. Consequently, there is a loss of two electrostatic interactions Lys 205-Glu 465 and Arg218-Asp451 or one electrostatic interaction Lys205-Glu 465/Arg218-Asp451 and one buried carboxyl group of acidic amino acid in N<-->F transition. The tryptophanyl fluorescence spectroscopy also showed that partially exposed Trp214 residue becomes nearly completely exposed in F<-->E transition. This is also followed by loss of two electrostatic interactions out of three Asp 187-Lys432,Asp187-Arg521 and Lys190-Glu425 in F<-->E transition. Taken together, these results showed that in N<-->F and F<-->E transitions a different number of electrostatic interaction is detected by different techniques. Secondly, in both N<-->F and F<-->E transitions, chromophoric groups are exposed first to aqueous environment and this is followed by loss of electrostatic interactions.
authors.affiliation: DISC, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit. A.M.U. Aligarh 202002, India. parveen_salahuddin@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Parveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salahuddin
mesh_terms: D002942:Circular Dichroism; D006801:Humans; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid