Submitted Bsa Scattering
Submitted Bsa Scattering
Submitted Bsa Scattering
THEORY:
Proteins are large macromolecules consisting of a single or multiple chains of amino acids.
Proteins have a diverse functional role to play in biological systems , ranging from physical
support, to pH regulation, to nutrient transport, to regulation of entry of substances in and out of
the cell, to cellular compartmentalization, cell communication, signaling, metabolic inter-
conversion, enzymatic catalysis and many other functions. As such, protein function is almost
wholly dependent on its structure. Protein structure
occurs at four levels of organization, and the process
by which the protein moves from a lower order of
assembly to a higher order of assembly, forming a
more stable and functional molecule, is known as
protein folding. It is a cooperative process and goes
through several energetic intermediates, now known
as molten globule states, and by using denaturing
agents such as urea we can disrupt this folding
process at different stages, obtaining intermediates
with differing degrees of aggregation. The aggregates
cause an increase in scattering, which can be
observed fluorimetrically. The protein that we have Fig. 1 Ribbon Diagram of BSA, showing -helices
worked with in this experiment is bovine serum and strands
albumin (BSA).
Denaturation of a protein:
Denaturation is a process wherein a protein loses its tertiary structure and unfolds, under the
influence of a chemical reagent that disrupts the bonding forces that stabilise its tertiary
structure, or under the influence of a physical agent like heat. Chemical reagents that destabilise
the bonding interactions that hold a proteins tertiary structure together are known as
denaturants. To understand how a denaturant works, we need to remember the forces that
stabilise the tertiary structure of a protein. These are:-
a. Hydrogen bonding;
b. Hydrophobic interactions;
c. Disulfide linkages;
e. London forces;
f. Dipole-induced-dipole interactions.
Hydrogen bonding is perhaps the most important of the non-covalent interactions that stabilise
the tertiary structure and the native folded state of the protein. Hydrogen bonding requires that a
hydrogen atom be bonded to an electronegative atom and be held in the proximity of another
electronegative element. For a protein, the N-H bond interacts with a carbonyl O atom on a
different amino acid residue that is spatially proximal to it, but not necessarily close to it in the
amino acid sequence of the protein. Urea is an extremely good denaturing agent, as it does not
chemically affect the protein sequence but simply dissociates the hydrogen-bonding interactions
that stabilise the tertiary structure of the protein. It does so because of its structure-dependent
chemical properties - hydrogen bonding occurs when a hydrogen atom is proximal to two
electronegative elements, to one of which it is bonded. This causes the electron distribution
across the X-H bond (where X refers to an electronegative heteroatom typically N or O) to be
perturbed and drawn slightly to the other, non-bonded electronegative atom. This is why
hydrogen bonding is classified under non-bonding interactions. The electronegative atom to
which H is bonded serves as the H-bond donor, while the other serves as a H-bond acceptor. In
case of urea (NH2CONH2), the nitrogen atoms can serve as excellent H-bond donors, and the
carbonyl O atom can serve as an excellent H-bond acceptor. Thus, urea substitutes the H-
bonding function performed by the amino acid side chain residues on a particular secondary
structural motif and as a result, the tertiary structure disassembles, resulting in secondary
structural aggregates that led to an increase in scattering. Thus, differing concentrations of urea
were used with a standard BSA solution and the increase in scattering was plotted
fluorimetrically.
The mode of scattering that we have studied is Rayleigh scattering, which is elastic in nature,
and as a result, excitation of the sample and fluorimetric analysis was conducted at the same
wavelength (400 nm). This is a deviation from standard fluorimetric protocol, which typically
excites the sample at a lower wavelength and then observes the fluorescence spectra over a
range of wavelengths greater than the wavelength at which excitation took place. However,
since those relaxations commonly observed as fluorescence are non-elastic, in this experiment
we are not concerned with them, and analysis of intensity was observed over a time period at
400 nm for samples containing different concentrations of urea.
1M 170 830 1 1 2
2M 340 660 1 1 2
3M 510 490 1 1 2
4M 680 320 1 1 2
5M 850 150 1 1 2
6M 1000 0 1 1 2
4. The data and graphs for the series of samples were taken and plotted using Origin.
DATA:
1. Intensity versus time graph for samples containing different concentrations of urea.
2. Mean Intensities of each sample against concentration of denaturing agent (urea)
3. Mean Intensities of each sample against concentration of denaturing agent (urea) with
error bars.
Discussion of Results:
Urea breaks the hydrogen bonds between the supersecondary motifs in the tertiary structure of
bovine serum albumin. As a result, the secondary structures like -helices and -sheets are
exposed to the aqueous environment the compactness of the protein molecule is
compromised, causing an increase in the macromolecular size, which has direct implications on
scattering.
Biologically, misfolded proteins are extremely significant in the presentation of disorders like
Alzheimers disease (caused by an accumulation of -amyloid plaques in the CSF lining of the
dura mater), Parkinsons disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow disease),
scrapie infection (caused by prion proteins), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) [also known
as Lou Gehrings Syndrome] and Huntingtons chorea. Denaturation studies of protein
unfolding are clinically useful in measuring in-vivo concentrations and tolerance thresholds of
naturally occurring or dietary denaturing agents, such as curcumin (present in turmeric).
INFERENCE: