title: Structure and stability of a rat odorant-binding protein: another brick in the wall.
abstract: The effect of temperature on the structure of the rat odorant-binding protein was investigated by spectroscopic and in silico methodologies. In particular, in this work, we examined the structural features of the rat OBP-1F by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics investigations. The obtained spectroscopic results were analyzed using the following three different methods based on the unexchanged amide hydrogens of the protein sample: (1) the analysis of difference spectra; (2) the generalized 2D-IR correlation spectroscopy; (3) the phase diagram method. The three methods indicated that at high temperatures the rOBP-1F structure undergoes a relaxation process involving the protein tertiary organization before undergoing the denaturation and aggregation processes, suggesting the presence of an intermediate state such as a molten globule-like state. Importantly, the proposed analyses represent a general approach that could be applied to the study of protein stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biology, and Genetics, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scirè
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marabotti
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Staiano
authors.forename: Loic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varriale
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertoli
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanfani
authors.forename: Sabato
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Auria
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017510:Protein Folding; D055550:Protein Stability; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D051381:Rats; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000737:chemistry*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C045648:odorant-binding protein