Xiunan Li

Cooperative effects of urea and L-arginine on protein refolding

The use of low concentrations of urea, guanidinium chloride or arginine has been reported in the literature to increase protein refolding and yield of active proteins by suppressing aggregate formation. However, no studies have yet examined whether these substances can exert synergistic or cooperative effects when used in combination. In this work, a comparative study was carried out on refolding of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in the presence of different concentrations of urea, guanidinium chloride or arginine. All three folding aids could inhibit the formation of insoluble aggregates of rhG-CSF but with different efficacies. A low concentration of guanidinium chloride was found to denature protein, so that rhG-CSF was not fully or correctly folded even if concentration was reduced to 1M. Low concentration of urea (2M) or arginine (0.5M) did not cause rhG-CSF denaturation, but urea was unable to suppress the formation of soluble oligomers, which persisted at a level of about 30% in refolded soluble rhG-CSF. Arginine, in contrast, could inhibit formation of all soluble oligomers. Based on these phenomena, we tested rhG-CSF folding in a mixture of 2M urea and 0.5M arginine. Kinetic analysis indicated that urea aided in suppressing insoluble precipitates, while arginine prevented formation of soluble oligomers produced by hydrophobic interaction. With this combination system, the refolding yield of rhG-CSF could be increased 2-fold.

Improving stability of virus-like particles by ion-exchange chromatographic supports with large pore size: Advantages of gigaporous media beyond enhanced binding capacity

Limited binding capacity and low recovery of large size multi-subunits virus-like particles (VLPs) in conventional agarose-gel based chromatographic supports with small pores have long been a bottleneck limiting the large scale purification and application of VLPs. In this study, four anion exchange media including DEAE-Sepharose FF (DEAE-FF), DEAE-Capto, gigaporous DEAE-AP-120nm and DEAE-AP-280nm with average pore diameters of 32nm, 20nm, 120nm and 280nm, respectively, were applied for purification of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) VLPs. Pore size effects of media on the VLPs adsorption equilibrium, adsorption kinetics, dynamic binding capacity (DBC), and recovery were investigated in detail. According to the confocal laser scanning microscopy observation, adsorption of the VLPs in DEAE-FF and DEAE-Capto was mostly confined to a thin shell on the outer surface of the beads, leaving the underlying pore space and the binding sites inaccessibly, while the large pores in gigaporous media enabled the VLPs to access to the interior pore spaces by diffusion transport efficiently. Compared to the most widely used DEAE-FF, gigaporous media DEAE-AP-280nm gained about 12.9 times increase in static adsorption capacity, 8.0 times increase in DBC, and 11.4 times increase in effective pore diffusivity. Beyond increasing the binding capacity and enhancing the mass transfer, the gigaporous structure also significantly improved the stability of the VLPs during intensive adsorption-desorption process by lowing the multi-point interaction between the VLPs and binding sites in the pores. At 2.0mg/mL-media loading quantity, about 85.5% VLPs were correctly self-assembled after the chromatography with DEAE-AP-280nm media; oppositely about 85.2% VLPs lost their normal assembly with DEAE-FF due to irreversible disassembly. Comparative investigation was made to study the purifying performance of these four chromatographic media for actual VLPs purification from recombinant Hansenula polymorpha. DEAE-AP-280nm media were demonstrated the best results showing the highest recovery of 68.33% and purification fold of 3.47, at 2.98mg protein/mL-media loading quantity and a flow rate of 240cm/h.

Potential toxicity and affinity of triphenylmethane dye malachite green to lysozyme

Malachite green is a triphenylmethane dye that is used extensively in many industrial and aquacultural processes, generating environmental concerns and health problems to human being. In this contribution, the complexation between lysozyme and malachite green was verified by means of computer-aided molecular modeling, steady state and time-resolved fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) approaches. The precise binding patch of malachite green in lysozyme has been identified from molecular modeling and ANS displacement, Trp-62, Trp-63, and Trp-108 residues of lysozyme were earmarked to possess high-affinity for this dye, the principal forces in the lysozyme-malachite green adduct are hydrophobic and π-π interactions. Steady state fluorescence proclaimed the complex of malachite green with lysozyme yields quenching through static type, which substantiates time-resolved fluorescence measurements that lysozyme-malachite green conjugation formation has an affinity of 10(3)M(-1). Moreover, via molecular modeling and also CD data, we can safely arrive at a conclusion that the polypeptide chain of lysozyme partially destabilized upon complexation with malachite green. The data emerged here will help to further understand the toxicological action of malachite green in human body.

Human serum albumin stability and toxicity of anthraquinone dye alizarin complexone: An albumin-dye model

The complexation between the primary vector of ligands in blood plasma, human serum albumin (HSA) and a toxic anthraquinone dye alizarin complexone, was unmasked by means of circular dichroism (CD), molecular modeling, steady state and time-resolved fluorescence, and UV/vis absorption measurements. The structural investigation of the complexed HSA through far-UV CD, three-dimensional and synchronous fluorescence shown the polypeptide chain of HSA partially destabilizing with a reduction of α-helix upon conjugation. From molecular modeling and competitive ligand binding results, Sudlows site I, which was the same as that of warfarin-azapropazone site, was appointed to retain high-affinity for alizarin complexone. Moreover, steady state fluorescence displayed that static type and Förster energy transfer is the operational mechanism for the vanish in the tryptophan (Trp)-214 fluorescence, this corroborates time-resolved fluorescence that HSA-alizarin complexone adduct formation has an affinity of 10(5) M(-1), and the driving forces were found to be chiefly π-π, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonds, associated with an exothermic free energy change. These data should be utilized to illustrate the mechanism by which the toxicological action of anthraquinone dyes is mitigated by transporter HSA.

Features of the complex of food additive hesperidin to hemoglobin

The purpose of the current work was to examine the complexation of a mammalian protein, hemoglobin (Hb) with a food additive hesperidin at physiological conditions. Molecular modeling, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) methods were exploited to analyze the binding domain, affinity, and the effects of hesperidin conjugation on Hb spatial structure. From molecular modeling, central cavity of Hb was assigned to retain high-affinity for hesperidin, this corroborates the steady state fluorescence and hydrophobic ANS probe results. The association of hesperidin with Hb emerges fluorescence quenching via static type, this phenomenon display that the ground state complex formation with an affinity of 10(4)M(-1), and hypsochromic effect transpires. Additionally, the alterations of synchronous fluorescence, CD, and three-dimensional fluorescence suggest that the polypeptide chain of Hb partially folding after conjugation with hesperidin. The above data suggest that Hb plays a significant role in the plasma distribution and transportation of hesperidin and related dietary flavonoids.

Pore size analysis from low field NMR spin–spin relaxation measurements of porous microspheres

Abstract The porous structure characteristics of twenty-one porous microspheres with agarose framework were investigated based on the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR) relaxation time (T2) distribution measurements. The feasibility of the technique was confirmed by direct relationship between T2 and the mean pore size of the polymer networks (Rh) of agarose hydrogel which was established using the “Fiber-Cell” model. The expected pore radius distribution curve was obtained and the reliability was validated by comparing them with the results obtained by inverse size-exclusion chromatography. Thereafter, the technique was applied to characterize the pore size distribution (PSD) of soft microspheres and the pore size transformation of microspheres with or without grafted polymers in the process of protein adsorption. All of these results strongly support LF NMR as a promising, rapid and nondestructive technique for the determination of PSDs in many kinds of soft porous microspheres.

Isolation and characterization of a novel transcriptional repressor GmERF6 from soybean

A new ethylene response factor (ERF), GmERF6, was isolated from soybean. Protein sequence alignment of GmERF6 revealed an AP2/ERF domain, two putative nuclear localization signals (NLSs) and an ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the expression of GmERF6 was differentially induced in soybean seedlings by drought, salt, cold, salicylic acid, ethylene, abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate. Transient expression experiments demonstrated that GmERF6 functions as a transcriptional repressor to downregulate the transcriptional levels of the reporter gene and repress the activated ability of other transcriptional activator. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines constitutively expressing GmERF6 showed an increased tolerance to drought compared to wild-type plants.

An automatic system for multidimensional integrated protein chromatography.

An automatic system for multidimensional integrated protein chromatography was designed for simultaneous separation of multiple proteins from complex mixtures, such as human plasma and tissue lysates. This computer-controlled system integrates several chromatographic columns that work independently or cooperatively with one another to achieve efficient high throughputs. The pipelines can be automatically switched either to another column or to a collection container for each UV-detected elution fraction. Environmental contamination is avoided due to the closed fluid paths and elimination of manual column change. This novel system was successfully used for simultaneous preparation of five proteins from the precipitate of human plasma fraction IV (fraction IV). The system involved gel filtration, ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and heparin affinity chromatography. Human serum albumin (HSA), transferrin (Tf), antithrombin-III (AT-III), alpha 1-antitrypsin (α1-AT), and haptoglobin (Hp) were purified within 3 h. The following recovery and purity were achieved: 95% (RSD, 2.8%) and 95% for HSA, 80% (RSD, 2.0%) and 99% for Tf, 70% (RSD, 2.1%) and 99% for AT-III, 65% (RSD, 2.0%) and 94% for α1-AT, and 50% (RSD, 1.0%) and 90% for Hp. The results demonstrate that this novel multidimensional integrated chromatography system is capable of simultaneously separating multiple protein products from the same raw material with high yield and purity and it has the potential for a wide range of multi-step chromatography separation processes.

Chiral recognition of metalaxyl enantiomers by human serum albumin: evidence from molecular modeling and photophysical approach.

Metalaxyl is an acylamine fungicide, belonging to the most widely known member of the amide group. This task is aimed to scrutinize binding region and spatial structural change of principal vector human serum albumin (HSA) complex with (R)-/(S)-metalaxyl by exploiting molecular modeling, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) approaches. According to molecular modeling, (R)-metalaxyl is situated within subdomains IIA and IIIA and the affinity of site I with (R)-metalaxyl is greater than site II, whereas (S)-metalaxyl is only located at subdomain IIA and the affinity of (S)-metalaxyl with site I is superior compared with that with (R)-metalaxyl. This coincides with the competitive ligand binding, guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding of protein, and hydrophobic 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid experiments; the acting forces between (R)-/(S)-metalaxyl and HSA are hydrophobic, π-π interactions, and hydrogen bonds, as derived from molecular modeling. Fluorescence emission manifested that the complex of (R)-/(S)-metalaxyl to HSA is the formation of adduct with an affinity of 10(4) M(-1), which corroborates the time-resolved fluorescence that the static type was operated. Furthermore, the changes of far-UV CD spectra evidence the polypeptide chain of HSA partially unfolded after conjugation with (R)-/(S)-metalaxyl. Through this work, we envisage that it can offer central clues on the biodistribution, absorption, and bioaccumulation of (R)-/(S)-metalaxyl.

A rapid, non-invasive and non-destructive method for studying swelling behavior and microstructure variations of hydrogels.

A new method for studying swelling behavior of hydrogels was developed based on low field NMR (LF-NMR). This method is established on these facts: firstly, internal water (water trapped in hydrogel) and external water (water outside of hydrogel) correspond to different components of transverse relaxation time (T2); secondly, T2 component amplitude is proportional to relative water content; and finally, T2 value is closely related to mesh size of hydrogel network, the main effect being due to the overall concentration (degree of swelling). This method was successfully applied to swelling ratio determination of chitosan/glutaraldehyde (CS/GA) hydrogels in situ, and the results had better accuracy and repeatability compared with that of weighing method. Furthermore, swelling kinetics at different pH and microstructure of CS/GA hydrogels was well elucidated based on T2. It is clearly showed that LF-NMR provides a powerful tool for probing processes related to water transport and microstructure variation of hydrogels.