synopsisThe buoyant density and potentiometric titrations of six ionizable homopolypeptides in concentrated CsCl solutions have been studied. These six homopolypeptides were chosen as models of the behavior of ionizable residues in proteins. Their buoyant and potentiometric results will be of value in interpreting the buoyant and potentiometric results observed for proteins.The buoyant densities for all six homopolypeptides were found to increase sigmoidally as the pH is increased. These density changes are interpreted in terms of changes in the hydrations and ion binding which are associated with the titration of the residues. Preferential hydrations for the homopolypeptides are calculated. The buoyant density titrations are combined with the potentiometric titrations to determine the relationship between the buoyant density and the degree of ionization.The slope of p ( p ) has been computed for CsCl using least-squares curve fitting and this is used in calculating the isoconcentration position. This method has been found to be more accurate than calculating the isoconcentration position from the normalized isoconcentration ratio, which is known only under limited conditions.A better method of computing buoyant densities of proteins is described.

SynopsisThe buoyant density titrations of five ionizable copolypeptides in concentrated CsCl solutions have been determined. The results are used to formulate models for predicting the buoyant density titration behavior of copolypeptides and proteins using the previously reported homopolypeptide buoyant density titratiop curves. It was determined for these copolypeptides that the best predictive model must include not only the buoyant densities of the constituent amino acid residues and the relative composition, but also hydration and salt binding.Hydrations determined for the homopolypeptides are used in the copolypeptide predictive model. The hydrations of the neutral homopolypeptides were readily calculable since their buoyant densities are thermodynamically defined in terms of their partial specific volumes and hydrations. For the case of a charged macromolecule, an expression for the buoyant density as a function of the number and nature of the bound ions, its partial specific volume, and its relative hydration has also been available for some time. This heretofore intuitive relationship is now derived from thermodynamic principles and allows calculations of hydrations to charged macromolecules which bind either cations, anions, or both.The potentiometric titrations of three of the five copolypeptides in concentrated CsCl solutions were determined in order to study the effect of residue interaction and solvation effects on their ionization behavior. The potentiometric results are also combined directly with the buoyant density titration results to determine the correlation of the buoyant density with the degree of ionization. As in the cases of poly(Glu) and poly(His), the buoyant density of the copolypeptides changed linearily with the degree of ionization.The buoyant density titrations of two nonionizahle homopolypeptides, poly(G1y) and poly(Ala), were determined in concentrated CsCl solutions. The buoyant density was * Part I: Almassy et al.'SHARP ET AL. found to increase with increasing pH, despite the fact that side chains do not contain ionizable groups. This is the first evidence from homopolypeptide or copolypeptide data that buoyant density changes can be observed from effects other than side-chain ionizations.