화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.120, No.27, 6490-6503, 2016
Effects of Crowding and Environment on the Evolution of Conformational Ensembles of the Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Intrinsically Disordered Protein, Rec1-Resilin: A Small-Angle Scattering Investigation
In this study, we explore the overall structural ensembles and transitions of a biomimetic, multi-stimuli-responsive, intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), Rec1-resilin. The structural transition of Rec1-resilin with change in molecular crowding and environment is evaluated using small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering. The quantitative analyses of the experimental scattering data using a combination of computational models allowed comprehensive description of the structural evolution, organization, and conformational ensembles of Rec1-resilin in response to the changes in concentration, pH, and temperature. Rec1-resilin in uncrowded solutions demonstrates the equilibrium intrinsic structure quality of an IDP with radius of ;gyration R-g similar to 5 nm, and a scattering function for the triaxial ellipsoidal model best fit the experimental dataset. On crowding (increase in concentration >10 wt %), Rec1-resilin molecules exert intermolecular repulsive force of interaction, the R-g value reduces with a progressive increase in concentration, and molecular chains transform from a Gaussian coil to a fully swollen coil. It is also revealed that the structural organization of Rec1-resilin dynamically transforms from a rod (pH 2) to coil (pH 4.8) and to globular (pH 12) as a function of pH. The findings further support the temperature-triggered dual-phase-transition behavior of Rec1-resilin, exhibiting rod-shaped structural organization below the upper critical solution temperature (similar to 4 degrees C) and a large but compact structure above the lower critical solution temperature (similar to 75 degrees C). This work attempted to correlate unusual responsiveness of Rec1-resilin to the evolution of conformational ensembles.