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Modulation of the phase transition behavior of phosphatidylethanolamine by cholesterol and oxysterols.

Cholesterol lowers the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition temperature of phosphatidylethanolamines up to a mole fraction of about 0.1. At cholesterol mole fractions above about 0.3, the effect of this sterol is to stabilize the bilayer phase. The relatively weak effects of cholesterol in altering the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition temperature can be explained on the basis of lateral phase separation. This is indicated by the horizontal liquidus line for the gel to liquid-crystalline transition in the phase diagram for mixtures of cholesterol with dielaidoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DEPE) as well as the fact that cholesterol does not greatly decrease the cooperativity of the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition. The enthalpy of this latter transition increased with increasing mole fractions of cholesterol. Two oxidation products of cholesterol are 5-cholesten-3 beta,7 alpha-diol and cholestan-3 beta,5 alpha,6 beta-triol. Compared with cholesterol, 5-cholesten-3 beta,7 alpha-diol had a greater effect in decreasing the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition temperature and broadening this transition. It is suggested that its effectiveness is due to its greater solubility in the DEPE. In contrast, cholestan-3 beta,5 alpha,6 beta-triol raises the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition temperature of DEPE. This is due to its larger and more hydrophilic head group. In addition, its length, being shorter than that of DEPE, would not allow it to pack efficiently in a hexagonal phase arrangement. We suggest that this same effect is responsible for cholesterol raising the bilayer to hexagonal phase transition temperature at higher mole fractions.

Cholesterol↗

Role of peptide structure in lipid-peptide interactions: high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry and electron spin resonance studies of the structural properties of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine membranes interacting with pentagastrin-related pentapeptides.

The effects of amino acid substitutions in the pentapeptide pentagastrin on the nature of its interactions with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) are assessed by differential scanning calorimetry and electron spin resonance. In two peptide analogues, the Asp at position 4 in pentagastrin (N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2) is replaced by Gly or Phe. These uncharged, more hydrophobic peptides have little effect on the transition temperature of DMPC, but they broaden the transition and lower the transition enthalpy as do integral membrane proteins. These peptides also mimic the behavior of integral membrane proteins in decreasing the order of a 5-doxylstearic acid spin probe below the transition temperature and in exhibiting a second immobilized lipid component using a 16-doxylstearic acid spin probe in DMPC. Three charged peptides were studied: pentagastrin, an analogue with positions 4 and 5 reversed (i.e., ending in Phe-Asp-NH2), and one with Asp replaced by Arg at position 4. All three of these charged peptides altered the phase transition behavior of DMPC to give two components, one above and one below the transition temperature of the pure lipid. With increasing peptide concentration, the higher melting transition became more prominent. The arginine-containing peptide produced the largest shifts in melting temperature followed by pentagastrin and then the "reversed" peptide. The arginine-containing peptide also increased the enthalpy of the transition. These peptides also increased the ordering of DMPC below the phase transition as measured with both 5- and 16-doxylstearic acid. The ordering effect was most pronounced with the arginine-containing peptide using the 5-doxylstearic acid probe. The results demonstrate that even the zwitterionic DMPC can interact more strongly with positively charged peptides than with negatively charged ones. In addition, peptide sequence as well as composition is important in determining the nature of peptide-lipid interactions. The markedly different effects of these pentagastrin peptides on the phase transition and motional properties of DMPC occur despite the similar depth of burial of these peptides with DMPC.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

Physical changes of low-density lipoprotein on oxidation.

Human LDL samples from different individuals were oxidized in three different ways. All oxidized LDL samples exhibited lower temperature of the thermotropic transition and lower content of the helical fraction of apoprotein B than the related native LDL. The observed decrease of the thermotropic transition temperature was up to 2 degrees C. The lowering of the transition temperature is qualitatively explained in terms of the 'impurity'-perturbed molecular field in the lipid core. The reduction of helicity of the apoprotein was drastic; in some samples the helicity was reduced by more than 50%.

Apoproteins↗

An overview of polylactides as packaging materials.

Polylactide polymers have gained enormous attention as a replacement for conventional synthetic packaging materials in the last decade. By being truly biodegradable, derived from renewable resources and by providing consumers with extra end-use benefits such as avoiding paying the "green tax" in Germany or meeting environmental regulations in Japan, polylactides (PLAs) are a growing alternative as a packaging material for demanding markets. The aim of this paper is to review the production techniques for PLAs, summarize the main properties of PLA and to delineate the main advantages and disadvantages of PLA as a polymeric packaging material. PLA films have better ultraviolet light barrier properties than low density polyethylene (LDPE), but they are slightly worse than those of cellophane, polystyrene (PS) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). PLA films have mechanical properties comparable to those of PET and better than those of PS. PLA also has lower melting and glass transition temperatures than PET and PS. The glass transition temperature of PLA changes with time. Humidity between 10 and 95% and storage temperatures of 5 to 40 degrees C do not have an effect on the transition temperature of PLA, which can be explained by its low water sorption values (i.e. <100 ppm at Aw = 1). PLA seals well at temperatures below the melting temperature but an appreciable shrinking of the films has been noted when the material is sealed near its melting temperature. Solubility parameter predictions indicate that PLA will interact with nitrogen compounds, anhydrides and some alcohols and that it will not interact with aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, sulfur compounds or water. The CO2, O2 and water permeability coefficients of PLA are lower than those of PS and higher than those of PET. Its barrier to ethyl acetate and D-limonene is comparable to PET. The amount of lactic acid and its derivatives that migrate to food simulant solutions from PLA is much lower than any of the current average dietary lactic acid intake values allowed by several governmental agencies. Thus, PLA is safe for use in fabricating articles for contact with food.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Chronic ethanol treatment affects synaptosomal membrane-bound enzymes.

A progressive increase in activity of some brain membrane-bound enzymes is shown after 2 and 4 weeks of ethanol administration. After 4 weeks the activities in brain homogenate of (Na+, K+) ATPase, Ca++ ATPase, 5'-nucleotidase, acetylcholinesterase and adenylate cyclase increased 150, 200, 140, 125 and 129 percent, respectively. Arrhenius plots of synaptosomal (Na+, K+) ATPase and acetylcholinesterase from alcohol-treated rats showed a lower transition temperature than control rats after two weeks, and this changed to a higher transition temperature after 4 and 8 weeks. Also, when ethanol was added in vitro to the control membranes, the transition temperature was lowered. However, if the alcohol was added to the membranes from alcohol-treated animals, the transition temperature was lowered to a value similar to that of controls. Fluorescence studies with l-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) demonstrate that ethanol induces a decrease in the fluorescence of ANS bound to brain synaptic membranes. This decrease in fluorescence is less than when these membranes are derived from chronically ethanol-treated rats. Also, when the synaptosomal enzymes were exposed to exogenous agents such as detergents, the enzyme obtained from alcohol-treated rats was more stable than that from control rats. These findings indicate a protein conformation change, probably due to the alteration of the physical properties of membrane lipids following chronic ethanol administration. These findings also demonstrate that there is a resistance to the effect of ethanol in membranes of animals habituated to ethanol that may be related to the adaptative modifications that underlie tolerance to and physical dependence on alcohol.

5'-Nucleotidase↗

Influence of curing on the adhesive and thermomechanical properties of an applied acrylic polymer.

The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between polymer adhesion and post-coating thermal treatment. A novel adhesion technique was used to quantify the adhesive properties of applied acrylic films. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the glass transition temperature of the applied polymer. Post-coating thermal treatment, or curing, was found to significantly influence the adhesive and thermomechanical properties of the applied film coating. Adhesion of triethyl citrate-plasticized films to tablets increased during storage at elevated temperatures, equilibrating within four hours. The glass transition temperature of the applied triethyl citrate-plasticized coatings also increased during curing. Equilibration of polymer properties was found to be dependent on the hydrophobicity of the plasticizer incorporated into the coating formulation, with longer curing times required for films containing the hydrophobic plasticizer tributyl citrate. The curing temperature was shown to influence polymer properties, with stronger film-tablet adhesion and higher glass transition temperatures resulting when the coated tablets were stored at higher temperatures. Substrate hydrophobicity was also found to influence the curing process, suggesting that the mechanisms involved in film formation and polymer-substrate adhesion may contribute to the internal stresses within the film.

Acrylic Resins↗

The application of capillary electrophoresis for monitoring effects of excipients on protein conformation.

Studies were conducted to assess the utility of free solution capillary electrophoresis (CE) for monitoring the effects of selected excipients on the thermal denaturation of a model protein (Ribonuclease A, RNase A) at low pH. Thermal denaturation/unfolding experiments were conducted via temperature-controlled CE using a run buffer of 20 mM citric acid in the pH range of 2.3-3.1, with a marker peptide incorporated to correct for temperature-induced changes in endoosmotic flow. The effects of selected excipients on the thermal unfolding of RNase A were then evaluated by adding either sorbitol, sucrose, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) or 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) to the electrophoretic run buffer (pH 2.3). Confirmatory denaturation experiments were conducted under the same solution conditions using circular dichroism (CD) spectropolarimetry. Using temperature-controlled CE, an increase in solution pH from 2.3 to 2.7 and 3.1 resulted in an increase in transition temperatures of RNase A by approximately 8 and 13 degrees C, respectively. Similar shifts in transition temperatures were observed when thermal denaturation transitions were monitored by far-UV CD. Sorbitol (0.55-1.1 M) and sucrose (0.55 M) each shifted the denaturation transition temperatures of RNase A to higher values, whereas PEG 400 and MPD had minimal effect on the unfolding transition midpoint at the concentrations evaluated (0.55 M for each). The observed changes in the transition temperatures for RNase A as a function of pH and selected excipients were similar when measured by either CE or far-UV CD. These results support the utility of CE for monitoring the effects of neutral excipients on the thermal denaturation of a model protein under selected conditions. The widespread utility of the technique may be limited by the narrow temperature range of most commercial CE instruments and the need to use extreme pH conditions to monitor the complete denaturation transition.

Buffers↗

Action of pancreatic phospholipase A2 on phosphatidylcholine bilayers in different physical states.

1. Saturated and unsaturated phosphatidylcholines, dispersed as liposomes in water, can be hydrolysed by phospholipase A2 from pig pancreas. A pure saturated phosphatidylcholine is hydrolysed only near its transition temperature. An unsaturated phosphatidylcholine is hydrolysed preferentially near its transition temperature, but hydrolysis can occur also above the transition temperature, albeit at a much lower rate. 2. An equimolar mixture of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, which shows cocrystallization of the paraffin chains, is hydrolyzed between 25 and 40 degrees C with a maximum at 32 degrees C, in agreement with the calorimetric scan of the phase transition. 3. An equimolar mixture of dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine and distearoyl phosphatidylcholine, which shows a monotectic behaviour, is hydrolysed at all temperatures. Hydrolysis is maximal at 0 and 40 degrees C, at which temperatures dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine and distearoyl phosphatidylcholine undergo their phase transition, respectively. 4. Both in the mixture showing cocrystallization and in the mixture in which phase separation occurs, the phosphatidylcholine species with the shorter fatty acid chains is hydrolysed at a higher rate than the longer chain fatty acid species. 5. Hydrolysis is inhibited by the presence of cholesterol in liposomes prepared of saturated phosphatidylcholine. Inhibition is complete at a cholesterol concentration of 35 mol %. Subsequent addition of filipin and amphotericin B to the mixed cholesterol-phosphatidylcholine liposomes overcomes the inhibitory effect of cholesterol.

Amphotericin B↗

Influence of structural modifications on the phase behavior of semi-synthetic cerebroside sulfate.

Cerebroside sulfate (galactosylceramide I3-sulfate) containing alpha-hydroxy lignoceric acid (C24:0h-CBS), nervonic acid (C24:1-CBS), or hexacosanoic acid (C26:0-CBS) was prepared by a semi-synthetic procedure and studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The phase behavior of these species in 2 M KCl was compared to that of shorter chain length hydroxy and non-hydroxy fatty acid species reported earlier. All three of the new lipids undergo metastable phase behavior similar but not identical to the other species. In addition, the metastable phase behavior of all of the non-hydroxy fatty acid species was found to be more complex than previously thought, with several phases of high transition temperatures and enthalpies possible. Fatty acid hydroxylation inhibits the transition from the metastable to some of the more stable phases. It also significantly increases the phase transition temperatures of both the metastable and stable phases indicating that it contributes to the hydrogen bonding network formed between the lipid molecules and helps overcome the lateral repulsive effect of the negatively charged sulfate. The C-15 cis double bond significantly lowers the temperature and enthalpy of the phase transition indicating that it increases the lateral separation of the lipid molecules and decreases the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. However, it does not prevent formation of a more stable phase. By comparing the effect of various structural modifications reported here and earlier it could be concluded that fatty acid chain length has little effect on the phase transition temperature and enthalpy. This suggests that the forces between the lipid molecules may be dominated by head group interactions rather than interactions between the lipid chains. However, fatty acid chain length has a significant effect on the tendency of the hydroxy fatty acid species to form the more stable phase. The ease of formation of the stable phase increases with increase in chain length. Thus an increase in chain length helps overcome the kinetic barrier to stable phase formation presented by hydroxylation of the fatty acid.

Animals↗

High-resolution phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of yeast phenylalanine transfer ribonucleic acid. Melting curves and relaxation effects.

In a continuation of our studies on structural effects on the 31P chemical shifts of nucleic acids, we present 31P NMR spectra of yeast phenylalanine tRNA in the presence and absence of Mg2+. Superconducting field (146 MHz) and 32-MHz 31P NMR spectra reveal approximately 15 nonhelical diester signals spread over approximately 7 ppm besides the downfield terminal 3'-phosphate monoester. In the presence of 10 mM Mg2+, most scattered and main cluster signals do not shift between 22--66 degrees C, thus supporting our earlier hypothesis that 31P chemical shifts are sensitive to phosphate ester torsional and bond angles. At 70 degrees C, all of the signals merge into a single random coil conformation signal. Similar effects are observed in the absence of Mg2+ except that the transition melting temperature is approximately 20 degrees C lower. Measured spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times reveal another lower temperature transition besides the thermal denaturation process. A number of the scattered peaks are shifted (0.2--1.7 ppm) and broadened between 22 and 66 degrees C in the presence of Mg2+ as a result of this conformational transition between two intact tertiary structures. The loss of the scattered peaks in the absence of Mg2+ occurs in the temperature range expected for melting of a tertiary structure. An attempt to simulate the 31P spectra of tRNA Phe based upon the X-ray crystallographically determined phosphate ester torsional agles supports the suggestion that the large shifts in the scattered peaks are due to bond angle distortions in the tertiary structure.

Kinetics↗

Reversible color changes in lamella hybrids of poly(diacetylenecarboxylates) incorporated in layered double hydroxide nanosheets.

The present study is an investigation of a reversible thermal color change induced in lamella hybrids of poly(diacetylenecarboxylates) incorporated in layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets. These poly-[m,n]/LDH hybrids prepared by the photo- or gamma-ray-induced polymerization of diacetylenecarboxylates, i.e., CH(3)(CH(2))(m)()(-)(1)CC-CC(CH(2))(n)()(-)(1)CO(2)(-) (mono-[m,n]), and intercalated in LDH lamella sheets, were observed to develop colors ranging from yellow to blue. The change in color was found to depend greatly on the alkyl carbon numbers of the mono-[m,n] (m,n = 10,11; 5,11; 10,5; 16,1) values. Moreover, the conformational alignment of the mono-[m,n] within the LDH was observed to be a crucial factor in color development, which was greatly affected by the intercalation degrees and extent of poly(ene-yne) linkage elongation of the polymers. For the poly-[m,n]/LDH hybrids investigated, a reversible color change was found to occur repeatedly and remarkably for the poly-[10,11]/LDH hybrid. This color change occurred at temperatures between ca. 20 and 80 degrees C back and forth from purple red to bright orange, in stark contrast to the irreversible color change for poly-[10,11] without LDH. Moreover, DSC and Raman spectroscopic studies of the LDH hybrids showed that the thermochromic temperature corresponded to the phase transition temperature of 80 degrees C. XRD analysis also indicated that the poly-[m,n]/LDH hybrid could retain its lamella structure during such thermochromic color changes, enabling conformational recovery in the polymer chains by a cooling down of the hybrids to temperatures lower than the transition temperature, while the nonhybrid poly-[10,11] powders exhibited an irreversible color change at 60 degrees C, above which the polymer powder turned amorphous.

Journal Article↗

Temperature dependence of dynamics of hydrated myoglobin. Comparison of force field calculations with neutron scattering data.

Molecular dynamics is used to probe the atomic motions of the carboxy-myoglobin protein as a function of temperature. Simulations of 150 picoseconds in length are carried out on the protein at 20, 60, 100, 180, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 320 and 340 K. The simulations attempt to mimic neutron scattering experiments very closely by including a partial hydration shell around the protein. Theoretical elastic, quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering data are derived from the trajectories and directly compared with experiment. Compared to experiment, the simulation-derived elastic scattering curves show a decrease in intensity as a function of the scattering wavevector, q2. The inelastic and quasielastic spectra show that the inelastic peak is shifted to lower frequency than the experimental value, while quasielastic behavior is in good agreement with experiment. This suggests that the theoretical model is too flexible in the harmonic limit (low temperature), but accurately reproduces high-temperature behavior. Time correlation functions of the intermediate scattering function are determined. At low temperature there is one fast decay process, and at high temperatures there is an additional slow relaxation process that is due to quasielastic scattering. The average atomic fluctuations show that the protein behaves harmonically at low temperatures. At approximately 210 K, a glass-like transition in atomic fluctuations is seen. Above the transition temperature, the atomic fluctuations exhibit both harmonic and anharmonic behavior. Comparison of protein mobility behavior with experiment indicate the fluctuations derived from simulations are larger in the harmonic region. However, the anharmonic region agrees very well with experiment. The anharmonicity is large at all temperatures, with a gradual monotonic increase from 0.5 at 20 K to greater than 0.7 at 340 K without a noticeable change at the glass transition temperature. Heavy-atom dihedral transitions are monitored as a function of temperature. Trends in the type of dihedral transitions that occur with temperature are clearly visible. Dihedral transitions involving backbone atoms occur only above the glass transition temperature. The overall protein behavior results suggest that at low temperatures there is purely vibrational motion with one fast decay process, and above the glass transition temperature there is more anharmonic motion with a fast and a slower relaxation process occurring simultaneously.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Computer Simulation↗

Intermembrane distance in multilamellar vesicles of phosphatidylcholine depends on the interaction free energy between solvents and the hydrophilic segments of the membrane surface.

To investigate the interaction of the surface of biomembranes with solvents systematically, we have studied the structure and phase behavior of multilamellar vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) in dimethylformamide (DMF)-water mixture by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The solubility of phosphorylcholine, which is the same molecular structure as the head-group of phosphatidylcholine (PC), decreased with an increase in DMF concentration. This result indicates that DMF is a poor solvent for the hydrophilic segments of the surface of the PC membrane, and interaction free energy of the hydrophilic segments of the membrane surface with solvents increases with an increase in DMF concentration. X-ray diffraction data indicated that DPPC-MLVs were in the bilayer gel phase from 0 to 80% (v/v) DMF, and that the spacing (lamellar repeat period) and intermembrane distance of DPPC-MLV decreased with an increase in DMF concentration. Main transition temperature and pre-transition temperature of DPPC-MLV increased with an increase in DMF concentration, and above 50% (v/v) DMF there was no pre-transition. In the interaction of POPC-MLV with DMF, X-ray diffraction data indicated that POPC-MLVs were in L(alpha) phase (liquid-crystalline phase) from 0 to 80% (v/v) DMF, and that the spacing and intermembrane distance of POPC-MLV decreased with an increase in DMF concentration. These results are discussed by the change of the interaction free energy between the hydrophilic segments of the membrane surface and solvents. As DMF concentration increases, this interaction free energy may increase, resulting in the decrease of the intermembrane distance of PC-MLVs.

Journal Article↗

Protein-mediated lipid transfer. The effects of lipid-phase transition and of charged lipids.

The protein-mediated phospholipid exchange between small unilamellar vesicles was investigated by fluorescence polarization measurements with diphenylhexatriene as optical probe. Thermotropic phase-transition measurements were taken after mixing two vesicle preparations of distinct and different phase-transition temperatures or having different states of charge. From the heights of each phase-transition step, we were able to follow the lipid-exchange process in the presence, as well as in the absence (natural exchange), of so-called transfer protein isolated from beef liver. A strong enhancement of the lipid transfer was observed at the corresponding lipid-phase-transition temperature, which is explained by the presence of fluctuating fluid and ordered domains co-existing at the lipid-phase-transition temperature. A unidirectional lipid transfer of the neutral component was observed between negatively charged phosphatidic acid and neutral phosphatidylcholine vesicles. Fluorescence polarization measurements showed the disappearance of the phosphatidylcholine phase transition, whereas the phosphatidic acid phase transition broadened and its phase transition temperature became lower.

Androgen-Binding Protein↗

Effects of anisotropy on a quantum Heisenberg spin glass on a three-dimensional hierarchical lattice.

We study the anisotropic Heisenberg spin-glass model on a three-dimensional hierarchical lattice (designed to approximate the cubic lattice), within a real-space renormalization-group approach. Two different initial probability distributions for the exchange interaction (Jij), Gaussian and uniform, are used, with zero mean and width J. The (kT/J) x Delta0 phase diagram is obtained, where T is the temperature, Delta0 is the first moment of the probability distribution for the uniaxial anisotropy, and k is the Boltzmann constant. For the Ising model (Delta0 = 1), there is a spin-glass phase at low temperatures (high J) and a paramagnetic phase at high temperatures (low J). For the isotropic Heisenberg model (Delta0 = 0), our results indicate no spin-glass phase at finite temperatures. The transition temperature between the spin-glass and paramagnetic phase decreases with Delta0, as expected, but goes to zero at a finite value of the anisotropy parameter, namely Delta0 = Deltac approximately 0.59. Our results indicate that the whole transition line, between the paramagnetic and the spin-glass phases, for Deltac < Delta0 < 1, belongs to the same universality class as the transition for the Ising spin glass.

Journal Article↗

Change in volume magnetic susceptibility at the phase transition of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.

We have observed a change at 41 degrees C in the relative volume magnetic susceptibility of an aqueous dispersion containing 13 wt% multilamellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles. The magnitude of the change is consistent with the known density change of the phospholipid bilayer and the assumption that the mass susceptibility of the system is constant through the transition. The superconducting susceptometer used in this study of the sharp transition of DPPC will be able to detect 1% changes in bilayer density for 10 wt% dispersions even when the transition temperature and transition width of phospholipid vesicle under various experimental conditions.

Kinetics↗

The physical state of mannitol after freeze-drying: effects of mannitol concentration, freezing rate, and a noncrystallizing cosolute.

The objectives of this study were to (1) measure the effects of freezing rate and mannitol concentration on the physical state of freeze-dried mannitol when mannitol is present as a single component, (2) determine the relative concentration threshold above which crystalline mannitol can be observed by X-ray powder diffraction in the freeze-dried solid when a variety of noncrystallizing solutes are included in the formulation, and (3) measure the glass transition temperature of amorphous mannitol and to determine the degree to which the glass transition temperature of freeze-dried solids consisting of mannitol and a disaccharide is predicted by the Gordon-Taylor equation. Both freezing rate and mannitol concentration influence the crystal form of mannitol in the freeze-dried solid when mannitol is present as a single component. Slow freezing of 10% (w/v) mannitol produces a mixture of the alpha and beta polymorphs, whereas fast freezing of the same solution produces the delta form. Fast freezing of 5% (w/v) mannitol results primarily in the beta form. The threshold concentration above which crystalline mannitol is detected in the freeze-dried solid by X-ray diffraction is consistently about 30% (w/w) when a second, noncrystallizing solute is present, regardless of the nature of the second component. The glass transition temperature of amorphous mannitol measured from the quench-cooled melt is approximately 13 degreesC. Accordingly, mannitol is an effective plasticizer of freeze-dried solids when the mannitol remains amorphous. Glass transition temperatures of mixtures of mannitol and the disaccharides sucrose, maltose, trehalose, and lactose are well predicted by the Gordon-Taylor equation with values of k in the range of 3 to 4.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Stability and binding properties of wild-type and c17s mutated human sterol carrier protein 2.

The temperature- and solvent-induced denaturation of both the SCP2 wild-type and the mutated protein c71s were studied by CD measurements at 222 nm. The temperature-induced transition curves were deconvoluted according to a two-state mechanism resulting in a transition temperature of 70.5 degrees C and 59.9 degrees C for the wild-type and the c71s, respectively, with corresponding values of the van't Hoff enthalpies of 183 and 164 kJ/mol. Stability parameters characterizing the guanidine hydrochloride denaturation curves were also calculated on the basis of a two-state transition. The transitions of the wild-type occurs at 0.82 M GdnHCl and that of the c71s mutant at 0.55 M GdnHCl. These differences in the half denaturation concentration of GdnHCl reflect already the significant stability differences between the two proteins. A quantitative measure are the Gibbs energies DeltaG(0)(D)(buffer) at 25 degrees C of 15.5 kJ/mol for the wild-type and 8.0 kJ/mol for the mutant. We characterized also the alkyl chain binding properties of the two proteins by measuring the interaction parameters for the complex formation with 1-O-Decanyl-beta-D-glucoside using isothermal titration microcalorimetry. The dissociation constants, K(d), for wild-type SCP2 are 335 microM at 25 degrees C and 1.3 mM at 35 degrees C. The corresponding binding enthalpies, DeltaH(b), are -21. 5 kJ/mol at 25 degrees C and 72.2 kJ/mol at 35 degrees C. The parameters for the c71s mutant at 25 degrees C are K(d)=413 microM and DeltaH(b)=16.6 kJ/mol. These results suggest that both SCP2 wild-type and the c71s mutant bind the hydrophobic compound with moderate affinity.

Calorimetry↗