In order o know the role of ionizable groups in the stability of the lysozyme [EC 3.2.1.17] molecule, the effect of pH on the optical rotatory and ultraviolet spectral properties was investigated. The optical rotatory properties of lysozyme did not change at pH's between 8 and 1. However, the acid-vs-neutral difference spectra of lysozyme have peaks characteristic of the tryptophan residues. However, in the presence of 5
M GuCl, in which lysozyme molecule is completely denatured, such an acid-vs-neutral difference spectrum was not observed. This suggests that a strong interaction exists between tryptophan residues and ionizable groups in the native lysozyme molecule. In the presence of 3.58
M GuCl, the values of De at 292 m, o and the Moffitt parameters, a
0, and b
0, changed greatly at pH's below 4.0, with an apparent
pK value of 3.2. The equilibrium constant between the native and denatured lysozyme in the presence of 3.84
M GuCl is proportional to the 1.7th power of the hydrogen ion concentration ([H
+]). The acid denaturation of lysozyme in the presence of GuCl obeyed a reversible first order reaction kinetics. The apparent rate constant,
k, in the presence of 3, 84
M GuCl was expressed by
k=
k1'[H
+]
1.2+
k2'/[H
+]
0.8. The results obtained here suggest that carboxyl groups which have a
pK value of 3.2 and interact strongly with tryptophan residues play an important role in the stabilization of the lysozyme molecule.
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