ISSN:
1573-4943
Keywords:
Cytochrome c
;
hemoprotein
;
glycerol
;
protein stabilization
;
redox potential
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Abstract The effect of glycerol on the structure and redox properties of horse heart cytochrome c was investigated by absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and dc cyclic voltammetry techniques. The results show that the organic solvent increases the α-helix structure of the protein and induces slight changes at the active-site environment; however, the overall tertiary structure does not appear to be significantly perturbed. Glycerol stabilizes cytochrome c, the free energy of denaturation (ΔG 0) being approximately 0.7 kcal/mol larger than that determined in phosphate buffer under the same conditions, and influences the heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics at a chemically modified gold electrode; on the other hand, the redox potential of the protein is unaltered. On the whole, the results obtained indicate that glycerol acts as a suitable stabilizing agent of cytochrome c, which is of interest for application in biotechnology; the organic solvent does not alter the tertiary structure significantly or the redox properties of the protein. This has to be interpreted not only in terms of the glycerol-induced solvent ordering around the protein surface, but also as due to the specific features of the protein matrix.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01886742
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