Mechanism of Osmolyte Stabilization-Destabilization of Proteins: Experimental Evidence.

In this work, we investigated the influence of stabilizing (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) and destabilizing (urea) osmolytes on the hydration spheres of biomacromolecules in folded forms (trpzip-1 peptide and hen egg white lysozyme─hewl) and unfolded protein models (glycine─GLY and N-methylglycine─NMG) by means of infrared spectroscopy. GLY and NMG were clearly limited as minimal models for unfolded proteins and should be treated with caution. We isolated the spectral share of water changed simultaneously by the biomacromolecule/model molecule and the osmolyte, which allowed us to provide unambiguous experimental arguments for the mechanism of stabilization/destabilization of proteins by osmolytes. In the case of both types of osmolytes, the decisive factor determining the equilibrium folded/unfolded state of protein was the enthalpy effect exerted on the hydration spheres of proteins in both forms. In the case of stabilizing osmolytes, enthalpy was also favored by entropy, as the unfolded state of a protein was more entropically destabilized than the folded state.

Hydration of Simple Model Peptides in Aqueous Osmolyte Solutions.

The biology and chemistry of proteins and peptides are inextricably linked with water as the solvent. The reason for the high stability of some proteins or uncontrolled aggregation of others may be hidden in the properties of their hydration water. In this study, we investigated the effect of stabilizing osmolyte-TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) and destabilizing osmolyte-urea on hydration shells of two short peptides, NAGMA (N-acetyl-glycine-methylamide) and diglycine, by means of FTIR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. We isolated the spectroscopic share of water molecules that are simultaneously under the influence of peptide and osmolyte and determined the structural and energetic properties of these water molecules. Our experimental and computational results revealed that the changes in the structure of water around peptides, caused by the presence of stabilizing or destabilizing osmolyte, are significantly different for both NAGMA and diglycine. The main factor determining the influence of osmolytes on peptides is the structural-energetic similarity of their hydration spheres. We showed that the chosen peptides can serve as models for various fragments of the protein surface: NAGMA for the protein backbone and diglycine for the protein surface with polar side chains.

Influence of osmolytes on protein and water structure: a step to understanding the mechanism of protein stabilization.

Results concerning the thermostability of hen egg white lysozyme in aqueous solutions with stabilizing osmolytes, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), glycine (Gly), and its N-methyl derivatives, N-methylglycine (NMG), N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG), and N,N,N-trimethylglycine (betaine, TMG), have been presented. The combination of spectroscopic (IR) and calorimetric (DSC) data allowed us to establish a link between osmolytes' influence on water structure and their ability to thermally stabilize protein molecule. Structural and energetic characteristics of stabilizing osmolytes' and lysozyme's hydration water appear to be very similar. The osmolytes increase lysozyme stabilization in the order bulk water < TMAO < TMG < Gly < DMG < NMG, which is consistent with the order corresponding to the value of the most probable oxygen-oxygen distance of water molecules affected by osmolytes in their surrounding. Obtained results verified the hypothesis concerning the role of water molecules in protein stabilization, explained the osmophobic effect, and finally helped to bring us nearer to the exact mechanism of protein stabilization by osmolytes.