Hydration of α-Chymotrypsin in Water

Apr 17, 2017 - The aim of our study is to monitor the preferential hydration/solvation of the protein macromolecules at low and high water content in ...
0 downloads 0 Views 3MB Size
Subscriber access provided by ORTA DOGU TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI KUTUPHANESI

Article

Preferential Solvation/Hydration of #Chymotrypsin in Water-Acetonitrile Mixtures Vladimir A. Sirotkin, and Alexandra A. Kuchierskaya J. Phys. Chem. B, Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b01632 • Publication Date (Web): 17 Apr 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on April 22, 2017

Just Accepted “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. They are posted online prior to technical editing, formatting for publication and author proofing. The American Chemical Society provides “Just Accepted” as a free service to the research community to expedite the dissemination of scientific material as soon as possible after acceptance. “Just Accepted” manuscripts appear in full in PDF format accompanied by an HTML abstract. “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been fully peer reviewed, but should not be considered the official version of record. They are accessible to all readers and citable by the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®). “Just Accepted” is an optional service offered to authors. Therefore, the “Just Accepted” Web site may not include all articles that will be published in the journal. After a manuscript is technically edited and formatted, it will be removed from the “Just Accepted” Web site and published as an ASAP article. Note that technical editing may introduce minor changes to the manuscript text and/or graphics which could affect content, and all legal disclaimers and ethical guidelines that apply to the journal pertain. ACS cannot be held responsible for errors or consequences arising from the use of information contained in these “Just Accepted” manuscripts.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry B is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties.

Page 1 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

Preferential Solvation/Hydration of α-Chymotrypsin in Water-Acetonitrile Mixtures

Vladimir A. Sirotkin,*Alexandra A. Kuchierskaya

Kazan Federal University, A.M. Butlerov Institute of Chemistry, Kremlevskaya str., 18, Kazan, 420008, Russia E-mail: [email protected]

*Corresponding author (Vladimir A. Sirotkin): Telephone: +7 917 914 0519 E-mail address: [email protected]

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 2 of 42

2 ABSTRACT

The aim of our study is to monitor the preferential hydration/solvation of the protein macromolecules at low and high water content in water-organic mixtures. Our approach is based on the analysis of the absolute values of the water/organic solvent sorption. We applied this approach to estimate the protein stabilization/destabilization due to the preferential interactions of α-chymotrypsin with water-acetonitrile mixtures. At high water content, α-chymotrypsin is preferentially hydrated. At the intermediate water content, the preferential interaction changed from preferential hydration to preferential binding of acetonitrile. From infrared spectra, changes in the structure of α-chymotrypsin were determined through an analysis of the structure of the amide I band. Acetonitrile augments the intensity of the 1626 cm-1 band assigned to the intermolecular β–sheet aggregates. At low water content, the protein is in a glassy (rigid) state. The H-bond accepting acetonitrile molecules are not effective in solvating the dehydrated protein molecules alone. Therefore, the acetonitrile molecules are preferentially excluded from the protein surface, resulting in the preferential hydration. Advantages of our approach: (i) The preferential interaction parameters can be determined in the entire range of water content in water-organic mixtures. (ii) Our approach facilitates the individual evaluation of the Gibbs energies of water, protein, and organic solvent.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 3 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

3 Introduction Enzyme-water interactions are well-known to play a critical role in determining the function, structure, and stability of enzyme macromolecules.1-8 Elucidation of the processes occurring upon enzyme hydration in the presence of organic solvents is essential in a wide range of biomedical and biotechnological applications. In particular, organic solvents are widely utilized as model substances to induce amyloid fibril and molten globule formation.9,10 Numerous debilitating diseases are associated with these protein states, including type II diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Enzyme activity constitutes an intricate function of water content in organic solvents. Typical dependencies of the enzymatic activity on the water content in organic solvents can be delineated into three parts:11-15 (A) The first range of concentration concerns the water-rich mixtures. In this range, one can observe hydrolytic enzyme activity. However, numerous reactions that are essential to industry, such as esterification and peptide synthesis, are suppressed in aqueous solutions as a consequence of the unfavorable shift of reaction equilibria. (B) A sharp decline in enzyme activity was found after a certain concentration threshold of the organic solvent had been reached. The physico-chemical properties of the solvent determine the position of this minimum.12 The enzyme structure may be disturbed by the organic solvents through weakening of the hydrophobic interactions, by altering the electrostatic interactions of the polar protein groups and/or by direct interaction with the biocatalysts. (C) The mixtures with low water content constitute the third concentration range. The dehydrated enzymes are in a kinetically “frozen” state.1,6,7,14-17 Due to the reduced conformational flexibility in the water-poor organic solvents, the enzymes remain in the active conformation. There are some advantages in employing low-water organic liquids, including the high solubility of hydrophobic reagents, the catalysis of the industrially important synthetic reactions (peptide synthesis and

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 4 of 42

4 transesterification), the suppression of undesirable side reactions caused by water, and the enhanced thermostability.11-18 Preferential hydration/solvation is an effective method for revealing the mechanism of the protein stabilization or denaturation.19-34 When a protein interacts with a binary water-organic solvent mixture, the three components do not equally mix. Water or organic solvent molecules exist preferentially in the protein’s solvation shell. This difference between the solvation shell and bulk solvent in the solvent components has been termed preferential solvation.19-21,27,28,33 Preferential solvation is a thermodynamic quantity that describes the protein surface occupancy by the water and cosolvent molecules. This is associated with the actual numbers of water/cosolvent molecules that are in contact with the protein’s surface.19,20,27,28,33 It was also found that the protein destabilization is directly associated with the preferential binding of the denaturant molecules to specific protein groups.1922,24,27,28,31

Preferential hydration is the excess of water in the protein macromolecule relative to the water concentration in the overall solvent. The preferential hydration does not always stabilize to the native proteins.28 The preferentially hydrating solvent systems can be divided into two groups: (i) The first always stabilize the protein structure. The predominant interaction in the first group is the organic solvent exclusion with the protein being essentially inert. (ii) The preferential interactions in the second group are determined by the protein surface’s chemical nature. This achieves a precise balance between the binding and exclusion of the cosolvent. The chemical nature of the protein surface determines the preferential binding. The exposure of additional hydrophobic protein groups can result in it being enhanced on an unfolding protein. Preferential interactions can be detected by a variety of methods: by the isopiestic measurements of vapor pressure,31 by differential densitometry,32 by the comparison of the refractive index increment or partial specific volume prior to and after the redistribution of solvent components across a membrane that is impermeable to the biomacromolecule,2,33 and by NMR spectroscopy.34 These works were ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 5 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

5 performed at high water content. No attempt has yet been made, however, to investigate the preferential hydration/solvation of the protein macromolecules at low and high water content in organic solvents simultaneously. It was previously shown that there are several protein hydration regimes in the absence of organic solvents.1,2,6,7 The protein and water contributions to the excess thermodynamic functions (Gibbs energies, enthalpies, volumes and entropies) were shown to markedly depend on the hydration level.6,7 Changes in the excess thermodynamic functions at the lowest level of water content are primarily attributable to the addition of water. At high water content, there is no significant effect on the excess quantities from water addition. In water-rich systems, changes of excess thermodynamic functions solely reflect alterations in the protein state.6,7 Correspondingly, the preferential hydration/solvation contributions are likely to be different depending on the composition region. These contributions may change their sign and absolute values depending on the protein state. The relationships between the preferential hydration and preferential solvation contributions may be very different at low and high water content. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of the enzyme hydration in the presence of additives (organic solvents) requires the effective experimental approaches providing the thermodynamic information about the enzyme–water and enzyme–organic solvent interactions. The aim of our study is to monitor the preferential hydration and solvation in the entire range of water content in water-organic mixtures at 25 oC. Our approach is based on the simultaneous measurements of the absolute values of the water and organic solvent sorption. The preferential solvation/hydration parameters were calculated using the water and organic solvent sorption values. The preferential solvation/hydration parameters were compared with the corresponding changes in the protein structure that transpire regarding the interaction of the protein with organic solvent and water molecules. The effect of organic solvent on the protein structure was investigated by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopy. Advantages of our approach: ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 6 of 42

6 (i) The preferential interaction parameters can be determined in the entire range of water content in organic liquids. (ii) Our approach facilitates the individual evaluation of the Gibbs energies of water, protein, and organic solvent. Bovine pancreatic α-chymotrypsin (CT) was chosen as a model protein since it is one of the most applied and studied in enzymology and biophysical chemistry.35,36 Physiological role of CT is to hydrolyze peptide bonds.35,36 An example of a predominantly β-sheet protein is α-chymotrypsin. The choice of acetonitrile (AN) was determined by the following reasons: A) This solvent is widely used in nonaqueous enzymology and reverse-phase chromatography for the separation of protein and peptide mixtures.11-17 B) Acetonitrile is an organic solvent that is water-miscible. Consequently, the effect of this low molecular substance’s on the hydration and structure of α-chymotrypsin in the entire range of water content can be investigated. C) Acetonitrile is able to form hydrogen bonds with several hydrogen donors. In contrast to water, however, it does not possess hydrogen bond donating ability.

Experimental Materials. Bovine pancreatic α-chymotrypsin was purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA, No. C 4129, protein content >95%; essentially salt free; EC 3.4.21.1; 66 units of specific activity for N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester). The molecular mass of bovine pancreatic αchymotrypsin was determined to be 25,000 Da. Acetonitrile (analytical grade, with a purity of > 99%) was purified and dried according to the recommended guidelines.37 Water used was doubly distilled. All water-organic mixtures were prepared gravimetrically using a Precisa balance (Swiss) with a precision of 0.00001 g.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 7 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

7 Zero Hydration Level. The dried protein preparation was obtained through vacuum drying utilizing a microthermoanalyzer “Setaram” MGDTD-17S (±0.00001 g) at 25 oC and 0.1 Pa, until obtaining a constant sample weight. The dried protein’s water content was estimated as 0.002 ± 0.001 g water g-1 protein using the Karl Fischer titration method, according to the recommended guidelines.38,39 This value for α-chymotrypsin implies that there exist about three water molecules strongly bound to each protein molecule at the zero hydration level. Water/Organic Solvent Sorption Measurements. The protein samples were prepared as described previously.40,41 The samples of initially dehydrated protein were presented to wateracetonitrile vapor mixtures. The water-acetonitrile vapor mixture was flowed consecutively through a thermostated saturator filled with the water-organic mixture, and a cell containing the protein sample. Protein samples (8-10 mg) each were flushed by water – organic vapour mixtures until no further mass changes were detected as described previously.40 Typically, the sorption equilibrium was reached after 6 h at 25 oC. Measurements of the protein-bound water (A1) were performed by Karl Fischer titration using a Metrohm 831 KF coulometer. This constitutes a well-known method to determine the water content of protein powders. Acetonitrile content of α-chymotrypsin (A3) was calculated as the difference between the total sorption uptake (A1+A3) and water content (A1). The total sorption uptake (A1+A3) was measured by microthermoanalyzer “Setaram” MGDTD-17S. Fig. 1 presents the schematic representation of the experimental conditions. An external ethylene glycol thermostat (RC 6 from Lauda, Germany) was employed to manipulate the temperature with a precision of 0.1 °C. Water activity (a1) in the vapor phase was adjusted by altering the aqueous-organic mixture within the saturator. FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Spectroscopic Measurements. FTIR spectra were recorded with a Nicolet MAGNA 550 infrared spectrometer. FTIR spectra were measured at 25 oC as described

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 8 of 42

8 previously.40 Coadding 256 scans at a spectral resolution of 2 cm-1 achieved each spectrum. The sample chamber was purified with dry and carbon dioxide free air. Glassy-like protein films casted from 2% (w/v) water solution onto the CaF2 window at room humidity and temperature achieved the infrared spectra. A schematic representation of the experimental conditions for FTIR spectroscopic measurements of the proteins’ structural characteristics is given in Ref. 40. Once the window was mounted in the sample cell, the film was dehydrated through flushing air that was dried over the P2O5 powder. At 25 oC, relative water vapor pressure over P2O5 did not exceed 0.01.42 The protein films were flushed until there was no detection of additional spectral changes in the 3450 cm-1 water absorbance region, as well as a smooth line without any visible shoulders was represented by a contour on this side. The spectrum of this sample was utilized as a reference spectrum for the calculation of the difference spectra. The initially dehydrated protein was exposed to water-organic vapor mixtures. The air flowed consecutively through the thermostated glass tube accompanied by a drying agent (P2O5), saturator filled with a water–organic mixture, and then through the entire sample cell (Fig. 1). The temperature of the saturator and sample cell was 25 oC. The water content in the vapor phase was manipulated by altering the water concentration in the liquid water–organic mixture.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 9 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

9

Figure 1. Schematic presentation of the experimental set-up of the sorption determinations. The parts of the experimental conditions: (A) 1 – air pump; 2 - thermostated glass tube with P2O5; 5 – microthermoanalyzer “Setaram” MGDTD-17S; 6 – thermostated cell; 7 – Karl Fischer titrator. (B) 1 pump; 2 - thermostated glass tube with P2O5; 3 – thermostated saturator; 4 – water - organic mixture; 5 – microthermoanalyzer “Setaram” MGDTD-17S; 6 – thermostated cell; 7 – Karl Fischer titrator.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 10 of 42

10

Results and Discussion

Sorption Isotherms. Fig. 2A shows the water and acetonitrile vapor sorption isotherms for αchymotrypsin at 25 oC. Water sorption isotherm in the presence of acetonitrile was compared with the published data40 without organic solvent. Three distinct effects of acetonitrile on water binding by αchymotrypsin were identified (Fig. 2B and C): (i) At low water activity (a10.8, AN augments the quantity of water that is bound by CT. This phenomenon was regarded as an organic solvent-assisted result on the water binding. Excess Functions. Methodology. According to our methodology, the protein solvation shell is composed of two parts: (i) non-ideal (due to preferential solvation or preferential hydration) and (ii) ideal. The non-ideal effect of the solvation shell on the enzyme properties (water/organic solvent sorption, enzyme structure) can be expressed in terms of the excess functions,   ,43-46 i.e., the difference between the observed mixing function,   , and the function to achieve a binary mixture that  is ideal,  .

The extent to which the solvation shell differs from the pure binary water-organic system due to preferential interactions between water (component 1), protein (component 2), and organic solvent (component 3) is indicated by the deviations of the excess functions from zero.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 11 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

11

Figure 2. (A) Water (A1) and acetonitrile (A3) sorption isotherms for α-chymotrypsin at 25 oC; (B) 1 Water sorption in the presence of AN (This study); 2 - Pure water sorption (Adapted data from Ref. 40); (C) The water uptake difference between the water sorption isotherms in terms of the presence and absence of AN.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 12 of 42

12 The   values were calculated using Eq. 1.

   =   − 

(1)

 The  values can be calculated using Eq. 2:

  =    = 0 + [   = 1.0 −    = 0 ]

(2)

where    = 1.0 is the observed function of lysozyme at = 1.0;    = 0 is the observed function of lysozyme at = 0; is the water mass fraction in the binary water-organic mixtures;  is the acetonitrile mass fraction in the binary water-organic mixtures ( +  = 1.0).  The  values describe the situation when there are no preferential interactions between water,

protein, and organic solvent. In this case, the water mass fraction in the ideal part of the solvation shell is the same as in the pure water-organic mixture. Excess Sorption. Fig. 3A shows the   (water mass fraction in the solvation shell) and  (acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation shell) values as a function of the water mass fraction in acetonitrile. The   and  values were calculated using Eqs. 3 and 4:

  =

 =

  

  

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

(3)

(4)

Page 13 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

13 The competitive sorption of water and acetonitrile was characterized by the   and  values (Fig. 3B). These excess sorption functions were calculated using Eqs. 5 and 6:

   =   − ,

(5)

  =  − ,

(6)

where   is the mass fraction of water in the solvation layer for the real water-acetonitrile mixture.   ,

is the mass fraction of water in the solvation layer for the ideal water-organic mixture. The ,

values were calculated using Eq. 7:

 ,

=    = 0 + [   = 1.0 −    = 0 ]

(7)

where    = 1.0 is the water mass fraction in the solvation shell of lysozyme at w1=1.0;    = 0 is the water mass fraction in the solvation shell at w1=0; w1 is the mass fraction of water in organic solvent.

 is the acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation shell for the real water-acetonitrile mixture;   , is the acetonitrile mass fraction for the ideal water-organic mixture. The , values can be

calculated using Eq. 8:

 =    = 0 +  [   = 1.0 −    = 0 ] ,

(8)

where    = 0 is the acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation shell of CT at w3=1.0;    = 0 is the acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation shell of CT at w3=0; w3 is the mass fraction of acetonitrile in the binary water-organic mixture.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 14 of 42

14

Figure 3. (A) 1 - Water mass fraction in the solvation layer of CT (  ); 2 - Acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation layer of CT ( ). (B) 1 - Excess water mass fraction in the solvation layer of CT (  ); 2 - Excess acetonitrile mass fraction in the solvation layer of CT ( ). ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 15 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

15

The   and   values are presented in Fig. 3B. As concluded from Fig. 3B, a substantial decline in the uptake of water was found in the intermediate water content range. The   values are negative in this range. The most obvious suppression occurred in the water mass fraction range of 0.5 to 0.8. On the other hand, the  values are positive in the intermediate range. The   values are positive at low (w1 = 0-0.2) and high water content (w1 = 0.9-1.0). Preferential Interaction Parameters. The preferential interaction parameters19-21 (Eqs. 9 and 10) describe the extent to which the solvation shell differs from the pure binary water-organic system due to preferential interactions between water (component 1), protein (component 2), and organic solvent (component 3). The preferential binding of α-chymotrypsin in water-acetonitrile mixtures was characterized using Eq. 9:

 / , , =  −

 



(9)

where  is the protein hydration, expressed as gram water per gram protein;  is the binding of AN, expressed as gram acetonitrile per gram protein; is the water mass fraction in water-organic mixtures;  is the mass fraction of acetonitrile in water-organic mixtures ( +  = 1.0). The preferential hydration was estimated using Eq. 10:

 / , , = −   / , , 

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

(10)

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 16 of 42

16 Eq. 10 states that when  / , , is negative,  / , , is positive, which indicates that an excess of water exists around the surface of the protein. The preferential interaction parameters calculated using Eqs. 9 and 10 are presented in Fig. 4. $%&'

Gibbs energies of the transfer of water (∆"#

$%&'

) and acetonitrile (∆"(

) from binary water-

organic mixtures to the solvation shell of α-chymotrypsin were calculated using Eqs. 11 and 12:

*+,-

= μ  /01234506 /ℎ911 − μ  :563;< =5>4?;9

(11)

*+,-

= μ /01234506 /ℎ911 − μ :563;< =5>4?;9

(12)

∆)

∆)

The μ  :563;< =5>4?;9 and μ :563;< =5>4?;9 values were calculated using Eqs. 13 and 14: μ  :563;< =5>4?;9 = @A16B :563;< =5>4?;9

(13)

μ :563;< =5>4?;9 = @A16B :563;< =5>4?;9

(14)

Water activity coefficients (B :563;< =5>4?;9 , the mass fraction scale; the standard state is pure water) in water-organic mixtures were calculated using Eq. 15:

B :563;< =5>4?;9 =

C 

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

(15)

Page 17 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

17

Figure 4. The preferential interaction parameters as a function of water mass fraction in acetonitrile: (A1) -  / , , ; (B1) -  / , , . Gibbs energy of the transfer of *+,-

water (A2 - ∆)

*+,-

) and acetonitrile (B2 - ∆)

) from binary water-organic mixtures to the solvation

shell. (A3) – Excess Gibbs energy of water bound to the dried protein.6 Reference state is pure liquid water at 25 oC. ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 18 of 42

18 Acetonitrile activity coefficients (B :563;< =5>4?;9 , the mass fraction scale; the standard state is pure acetonitrile) in water-organic mixtures were calculated using Eq. 16:

B :563;< =5>4?;9 =

C

(16)



Water activity (3 ) and acetonitrile activity (3 ) were taken from the published data47,48 based on the vapor-liquid equilibrium. Additional technical details regarding the acetonitrile and water activity can be found in the Supporting Information (SI). The μ  /01234506 /ℎ911 and μ /01234506 /ℎ911 values were calculated using Eqs. 17 and 18:

μ  /01234506 /ℎ911 = @A16B /01234506 /ℎ911

(17)

μ /01234506 /ℎ911 = @A16B /01234506 /ℎ911

(18)

Water activity coefficients (B /01234506 /ℎ911 , the mass fraction scale) in the solvation shell were calculated using Eq. 19:

B /01234506 /ℎ911 =

C

(19)

D 1



1 where   is the mass fraction of water in the solvation shell (Eq. 3);   =  + . 1 3

Acetonitrile activity coefficients (B /01234506 /ℎ911 , the mass fraction scale) in the solvation shell were calculated using Eq. 20: ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 19 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

19

B /01234506 /ℎ911 =

C

(20)

D 3



3 where  is the mass fraction of acetonitrile in the solvation shell (Eq. 4);  =  + . 1 3

*+,-

*+,-

Fig. 4 shows the dependencies of the ∆)

*+,-

organic solvent. As shown in Fig. 4, the ∆)

and ∆)

values on the water mass fraction in

*+,-

values correlate well with the preferential

and ∆)

interaction parameters. *+,-

To show the reliability of our findings, the ∆)

value at w1=0 (Fig. 4A) was compared with the

excess Gibbs energy of water bound to the dried protein.6 This Gibbs energy was obtained from the water sorption experiments in the absence of organic solvent. As concluded from Fig. 4A, our data and the previously published findings exhibited strong agreement. This fact constitutes evidence that our calculations are reliable. The protein stabilization/destabilization due to the preferential interactions was characterized by *+,-

the ∆)

*+,-

values (Fig. 5). The ∆)

values were calculated using the Gibbs-Duhem equation for

ternary systems (Eq. 21):

*+,∆)

*+,-

∆)

HIJK

=

F ∆G

HIJK

F ∆G

FL

= μ M;04956 56 349; − 0;365N =5>4?;9/ − μ M?;9 M;04956

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

(21)

(22)

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 20 of 42

20

*+,-

Figure 5. (A) Gibbs energy (∆)

) of the transfer of CT from pure state to the water-

acetonitrile mixtures. (B) Effect of water content on the reactions of N-acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester catalyzed by CT in acetonitrile: (1) yield of hydrolysis49; (2) yield of transesterification.50 ACS Paragon Plus Environment

Page 21 of 42

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

21 where μ  , μ , and μ are the excess chemical potentials of water, protein, and acetonitrile; = , = , and = are the masses of water, protein, and acetonitrile. *+,-

As concluded from Fig. 5, the ∆)

values are consistent with the changes in the enzyme

activity in water-acetonitrile mixtures. Analysis of Infrared Spectra of α-Chymotrypsin. Infrared spectra of proteins contain some vibrational bands yielded by the amide groups of the protein backbone. Among these, the amide I band between 1700 and 1600 cm-1, which is primarily a consequence of the C=O stretch of the peptide linkages, is the most sensitive to alterations in the proteins’ secondary structure. The infrared spectra of α-chymotrypsin in the amide I region are presented in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 shows typical absorbance and second derivative spectra of α-chymotrypsin in pure water and in the dried state. The amide I contour comprises several bands at frequencies which are characteristic of particular kinds of secondary structures. It has been well-established that the frequency at the maximum absorbance of the amide I band depends strongly on the predominant type of secondary structure within the protein.51-53 Between 1658 and 1654 cm-1 constitutes the maximum absorbance of the amide I band of proteins with a high content of α-helix. On the other hand, the maximum is found between 1640 and 1634 cm-1 with a high content of β-sheet structure. Fig. 6 shows that the band at 1638 cm-1 is the most dominant band component of the chymotrypsin spectra, which is attributed to the native β-sheet structure.51-53 The band at 1685 cm-1 was designated for the β-sheet structure.51-53 A minor component in the 1670-1665 cm-1 area was given to irregular secondary structures (extended chains and β-turns).51-53 Fig. 7 presents the absorbance and second derivative spectra of α-chymotrypsin in the presence of acetonitrile at high and intermediate water content. At high water content (w1=0.9-1.0), the spectra of α-chymotrypsin are close to that for pure water. The band at 1634-1638 cm-1 constitutes the most dominant band component of the α-chymotrypsin spectra.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

The Journal of Physical Chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Page 22 of 42

22

Figure 6. (A) Typical absorbance spectra of α-chymotrypsin in the amide I area at low water content: (1) CT in pure water; (2) Dried CT in the absence of AN (A1