Stability of lysozyme in aqueous extremolyte solutions during heat shock and accelerated thermal conditions

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 23;9(1):e86244. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086244. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of lysozyme in aqueous solutions in the presence of various extremolytes (betaine, hydroxyectoine, trehalose, ectoine, and firoin) under different stress conditions. The stability of lysozyme was determined by Nile red Fluorescence Spectroscopy and a bioactivity assay. During heat shock (10 min at 70°C), betaine, trehalose, ectoin and firoin protected lysozyme against inactivation while hydroxyectoine, did not have a significant effect. During accelerated thermal conditions (4 weeks at 55°C), firoin also acted as a stabilizer. In contrast, betaine, hydroxyectoine, trehalose and ectoine destabilized lysozyme under this condition. These findings surprisingly indicate that some extremolytes can stabilize a protein under certain stress conditions but destabilize the same protein under other stress conditions. Therefore it is suggested that for the screening extremolytes to be used for protein stabilization, an appropriate storage conditions should also be taken into account.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids, Diamino / chemistry
  • Betaine / chemistry
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Glyceric Acids / chemistry
  • Hot Temperature
  • Mannose / analogs & derivatives
  • Mannose / chemistry
  • Muramidase / chemistry*
  • Protein Unfolding
  • Solutions
  • Trehalose / chemistry

Substances

  • Amino Acids, Diamino
  • Glyceric Acids
  • Solutions
  • hydroxyectoine
  • mannosylglycerate
  • Betaine
  • ectoine
  • Trehalose
  • Muramidase
  • Mannose

Grants and funding

This project has funded by the Top Institute Pharma The Netherlands Project Number D6-202; http://www.tipharma.com/pharmaceutical-research-projects/production-technologies/oxytocin-hot-medicines.html. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.