Saskia Lindhoud

Salt-induced release of lipase from polyelectrolyte complex micelles

With the aim to gain insight into the possible applicability of protein-filled polyelectrolyte complex micelles under physiological salt conditions, we studied the behavior of these micelles as a function of salt concentration. The micelles form by electrostatically driven co-assembly from strong cationic block copolymers poly(2-methyl vinyl pyridinium)41-block- poly(ethylene oxide)205, weak anionic homopolymers poly(acrylic acid)139, and negatively charged lipase molecules. The formation and disintegration of these micelles were studied with dynamic light scattering (DLS), by means of composition and salt titrations, respectively. The latter measurements revealed differences between disintegration of lipase-filled and normal polyelectrolyte complex micelles. These data, together with small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements provide indications that lipase is gradually released with increasing salt concentration. From the SANS data a linear relation between the intensity at q = 0 and the volume of the cores of the micelles at different salt concentrations was derived, indicating a loss of volume of the micelles due to the release of lipase molecules. It was estimated that beyond 0.12 M NaCl all lipase molecules are released.

Reversibility and Relaxation Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelle Formation

In this study, the formation and disintegration of polyelectrolyte complex micelles is studied by dynamic light scattering titrations with the aim to assess the extent to which these complexes equilibrate. Also, the time evolution of samples at fixed (electroneutral) composition was followed to obtain information about the relaxation time of the complex formation. We find that, in 3.5 mM phosphate buffer with pH 7, polyelectrolyte complex micelles consisting of the positively charged homopolymer PDMAEMA(150), the negatively charged diblock copolymer PAA(42)-PAAm(417) (both having a pH-dependent charge), as well as the positively charged protein lysozyme slowly equilibrate with a relaxation time of about 2 days. The same structures were obtained, independent of the way the polymers and proteins had been mixed. In contrast, polyelectrolyte complex micelles (at the same pH) consisting of (pH-dependent) negatively charged homopolymer PAA(139), the pH-independent positively charged diblock copolymer P2MVP(41)-PEO(205), and the negatively charged protein alpha-lactalbumin did not equilibrate. The way in which solutions containing these macromolecules were mixed yielded different results that did not change over the period of at least a week.

Salt-Induced Disintegration of Lysozyme-Containing Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

The salt-induced disintegration of lysozyme-filled polyelectrolyte complex micelles, consisting of positively charged homopolymers (PDMAEMA150), negatively charged diblock copolymers (PAA42-PAAm417), and lysozyme, has been studied with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). These measurements show that, from 0 to 0.2 M NaCl, both the hydrodynamic radius (Rh) and the core radius (Rcore) decrease with increasing salt concentration. This suggests that the micellar structures rearrange. Moreover, from approximately 0.2 to 0.4 M NaCl the light-scattering intensity is constant. In this salt interval, the hydrodynamic radius increases, has a maximum at 0.3 M NaCl, and subsequently decreases. This behavior is observed in both a lysozyme-containing system and a system without lysozyme. The SANS measurements on the lysozyme-filled micelles do not show increased intensity or a larger core radius at 0.3 M NaCl. This indicates that from 0.2 to 0.4 M NaCl another structure is formed, consisting of just the diblock copolymer and the homopolymer, because at 0.12 M NaCl the lysozyme-PAA42-PAAm417 complex has disintegrated. One may expect that the driving force for the formation of the complex in this salt range is other than electrostatic.

Effects of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles and Their Components on the Enzymatic Activity of Lipase

The enzymatic activity of Hl-lipase embedded in complexes of poly-2-methylvinylpyridinium-co-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2MVP(41)-PEO(205)) and poly(acrylic acid)(PAA(139)) is studied as a function of the PAA(139) + P2MVP(41)-PEO(205) complex composition. The measurements revealed that there are several factors that influence the enzymatic activity. When incorporated in micelles, the activity of lipase is increased, which suggests that the micelles favor the active state. The activity may further increase because the substrate tends to accumulate to the micelles. It is found that the presence of PAA(139) alone also increases the enzymatic activity somewhat. Increasing of the ionic strength decreases the enzymatic activity in all systems. However, at ionic strengths where the micelles are disintegrated (>0.5 M), the activity of lipase in the presence of both polyelectrolytes is still higher than the activity of free lipase. At 0.7 M NaCl it was found that lipase in the presence of (just) P2MVP(41)-PEO(205) is more active than lipase without this additive.

Oligomers of Parkinson's Disease-Related α-Synuclein Mutants have Similar Structures but Distinctive Membrane Permeabilization Properties

Single-amino acid mutations in the human α-synuclein (αS) protein are related to early onset Parkinsons disease (PD). In addition to the well-known A30P, A53T, and E46K mutants, recently a number of new familial disease-related αS mutations have been discovered. How these mutations affect the putative physiological function of αS and the disease pathology is still unknown. Here we focus on the H50Q and G51D familial mutants and show that like wild-type αS, H50Q and G51D monomers bind to negatively charged membranes, form soluble partially folded oligomers with an aggregation number of ~30 monomers under specific conditions, and can aggregate into amyloid fibrils. We systematically studied the ability of these isolated oligomers to permeabilize membranes composed of anionic phospholipids (DOPG) and membranes mimicking the mitochondrial phospholipid composition (CL:POPE:POPC) using a calcein release assay. Small-angle X-ray scattering studies of isolated oligomers show that oligomers formed from wild-type αS and the A30P, E46K, H50Q, G51D, and A53T disease-related mutants are composed of a similar number of monomers. However, although the binding affinity of the monomeric protein and the aggregation number of the oligomers formed under our specific protocol are comparable for wild-type αS and H50Q and G51D αS, G51D oligomers cannot disrupt negatively charged and physiologically relevant model membranes. Replacement of the membrane-immersed glycine with a negatively charged aspartic acid at position 51 apparently abrogates membrane destabilization, whereas a mutation in the proximal but solvent-exposed part of the membrane-bound α-helix such as that found in the H50Q mutant has little effect on the bilayer disrupting properties of oligomers.

Formation of shear thinning gels from partially oxidised cellulose nanofibrils

Partially C(6) oxidised, dispersed cellulose nanofibres form shear thinning gels in the presence of moderate amounts of simple salts or surfactants providing a novel method to structure aqueous formulations, which may be of use in a substantial number of applications where it is desirable to enhance the viscosity of formulated materials using components from a renewable, sustainable source.

Accumulation of small protein molecules in a macroscopic complex coacervate

To obtain insight into the accumulation of proteins into macroscopic complex coacervate phases, the lysozyme concentration in complex coacervates containing the cationic polyelectrolyte poly-(N,N dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and the anionic polyelectrolyte polyacrylic acid was investigated as a function of the mixing ratio, protein concentration and ionic strength. Maximal protein enrichment of the complex coacervate phase was observed to require the presence of all three macromolecules. Under optimized conditions the protein concentrations in the complex coacervate were as high as 200 g L(-1). Such high concentrations are comparable to the protein concentration in the cytosol, suggesting that these interesting liquid phases may serve a suitable model system for the phase behavior of the cytosol and genesis and function of membrane-less organelles. The high stability of the complexes and the salt dependent uptake of protein suggest that complex coacervates may provide a way to store hydrated proteins at high concentrations and might therefore be of interest in the formulation of high protein foods.

Relaxation Phenomena During Polyelectrolyte Complex Formation

Polyelectrolyte complex formation is a well-studied subject in colloid science. Several types of complex formation have been studied, including PEMs, macroscopic polyelectrolyte complexes, soluble complexes and polyelectrolyte complex micelles. The chemical nature of the complex-forming polyelectrolytes and the environmental conditions (e.g., pH, ionic strength and temperature) influence the final structural properties of these complexes. This chapter deals with the kinetics of polyelectrolyte complex formation and discusses how ionic strength, charge density and pH influence the dynamics of the complexes, which can range from glass-like (solid) precipitates to liquid-like phases. The switching between the glass-like and liquid-like phase as a function of the ionic strength has a strong analogy to the phase behaviour of polymer melts as function of temperature.

From nanodroplets to continuous films: how the morphology of polyelectrolyte multilayers depends on the dielectric permittivity and the surface charge of the supporting substrate

Using atomic force microscopy, we investigated how the morphology of layer-by-layer deposited polyelectrolyte multilayers is influenced by the physical properties of the supporting substrate. The surface coverage of the assembly and its topography were found to be dependent on the dielectric permittivity of the substrate and the strength of the electrostatic interactions between polyanions and polycations. For poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PAH/PSS), a strongly interacting polyelectrolyte couple, no dependency of the surface morphology on the physical properties of the underlying substrate was observed. In contrast, the weakly interacting pair poly(L-lysine)/hyaluronic acid (PLL/HA) formed rapidly continuous, flat layers on substrates of low dielectric permittivity and inhomogeneous droplet-films on substrates of high dielectric permittivity. Variations in the dielectric permittivity account for changes in the image charges that are induced in the substrate. These changes influence the balance between repulsive electrostatic forces (and image forces) and attractive van der Waals interactions, and thus cause the differences in surface morphology. Differences in surface charge did not influence the morphology of the polyelectrolyte multilayers, but higher surface charge resulted in more polymeric material adsorbed on the surface. A comparison between (PLL/HA) multilayers with and without an initial layer of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) supports this hypothesis.

Oligonucleotide Length-Dependent Formation of Virus-Like Particles

Understanding the assembly pathway of viruses can contribute to creating monodisperse virus-based materials. In this study, the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) is used to determine the interactions between the capsid proteins of viruses and their cargo. The assembly of the capsid proteins in the presence of different lengths of short, single-stranded (ss) DNA is studied at neutral pH, at which the protein-protein interactions are weak. Chromatography, electrophoresis, microscopy, and light scattering data show that the assembly efficiency and speed of the particles increase with increasing length of oligonucleotides. The minimal length required for assembly under the conditions used herein is 14 nucleotides. Assembly of particles containing such short strands of ssDNA can take almost a month. This slow assembly process enabled the study of intermediate states, which confirmed a low cooperative assembly for CCMV and allowed for further expansion of current assembly theories.