Denaturant- or ligand-induced changes in protein volume by pressure shift assay

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2022 Jul 21;24(28):17279-17288. doi: 10.1039/d2cp01046a.

Abstract

A complete thermodynamic description of protein-ligand binding includes parameters related to pressure and temperature. The changes in the protein volume and compressibility upon binding a ligand are pressure-related parameters that are often neglected due to the lack of routine methods for their determination. Fluorescent pressure shift assay (FPSA) is based on pressure-induced protein unfolding and its stabilization by a ligand and offers a universal approach to determine protein-ligand binding volumes. Extremely high pressures are required to unfold most proteins and protein-ligand complexes. Thus, guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmHCl) is used as a protein-destabilizing agent. We determined that GdmHCl unfolds carbonic anhydrase isoforms in a different pathway, but the destabilization effect is linear in a particular concentration range. We developed a concept for the FPSA experiment, where both - the ligand and GdmHCl - concentrations are varied. This approach enabled us to determine protein-ligand binding volumes that otherwise would be impossible due to the equipment-unreachable pressures of protein unfolding.

MeSH terms

  • Guanidine / chemistry
  • Ligands
  • Protein Denaturation
  • Protein Unfolding*
  • Proteins*
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Proteins
  • Guanidine