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Thermal denaturation of RNA free coat proteins of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was studied for wildtype TMV (vulgare) and the temperature-sensitive mutant, Ni 118. The ability to form soluble aggregates as well as the optical properties (ORD, UV-difference spectra), and the sedimentation behavior were used as criteria for the native state.
At pH 7.5, I= 0.02 denaturation is reversible for both proteins. The ORD data indicate that the denatured proteins contain residual secondary structure. The “melting temperatures”, as defined by ORD measurements (cp = 0.02 mM), are 39.5 ± 1°C for vulgare and 27 ± 1°C for Ni 118 at pH 7.5, I= 0.02. By means of the aggregation test (cp = 0.05 mM) somewhat lower melting temperatures were found under the same solvent conditions. The difference between the primary structures of vulgare and Ni 118 proteins being a proline → leucine (pos. 20) replacement, the results suggest the cyclic structure of proline (20) to have a specific stabilizing function in the three dimensional protein structure. This conclusion is supported by preliminary experiments on a temperature-sensitive mutant with a threonine residue in pos. 20.
The interactions between human haptoglobin, Hp II (genetic types 2 - 1 and 2-2), and bovine hemoglobin, Hb, were investigated taking inhibition of complex formation and complex dissociation in various solvent media as criteria.
As shown by relative peroxidase activity and gel chromatography, complex dissociation occurs at high concentrations of guanidine HCl, urea, sodium chloride, dioxane, and formaldehyde, while in case of sodium dodecylsulfate a low molar ratio (SDS/Hb -Hp<5) is sufficient to split the complex. In general the formation of the complex stabilizes the structure of its constituents.
Excluding solvent conditions which lead to denaturation (as measured by optical rotation), ionpairs and H-bonds seem to prevail in the stabilization of the complex, while hydrophobic interactions should be of minor importance. Chemical modification of histidine and tyrosine with diazonium-1-H-tetrazole and N-acetylimidazole, respectively, prove histidyl-groups in Hb and tyrosylgroups in Hp to participate in the Hb-Hp contact, thus confirming earlier results.