X-Message-Number: 14429
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 09:02:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: denaturing effect of solvents

Title
  Structure of lysozyme
  dissolved in neat organic solvents as assessed by NMR and CD
  spectroscopies.
Source
  Biotechnology & Bioengineering.  63(2):242-8, 1999 Apr 20.
Abstract
  The structure of the model protein hen egg-white
  lysozyme dissolved in water and in five
  neat organic solvents (ethylene glycol, methanol, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO),
  formamide, and dimethylformamide (DMF)) has been examined by means of 1H NMR
  and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. The NMR spectra of
  lysozyme reveal the lack of a defined tertiary
  structure in all five organic solvents, although the
  examination of line widths suggests the possibility of some ordered
  structure in ethylene glycol and in methanol. The near-UV CD
  spectra of the protein suggest no tertiary structure in
  lysozyme dissolved in DMSO, formamide, and
  DMF, while a distinctive (albeit less pronounced than in water) tertiary
  structure is seen in ethylene glycol and a drastically
  changed one in methanol. A highly developed secondary
  structure was observed by far-UV CD in ethylene glycol and
  methanol; interestingly, the alpha-helix content of the protein in both was
  greater than in water, while the beta-structure content was
  lower. (Solvent absorbance in the far-UV region prevents conclusions about
  the secondary structure in DMSO, formamide and DMF.)
  Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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