By using a 27-MHz piezoelectric quartz oscillator connected with a vector network analyzer, we obtained resonance frequency decreases (-DeltaFwater) and energy dissipation increases (DeltaDwater) during binding of biotinylated bovine serum albumin, biotinylated ssDNA, biotinylated dsDNA, and biotinylated pullulan to a NeutrAvidin-immobilized 27-MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) plate in aqueous solution, as well as in the wet air phase (98% humidity, -DeltaFwet and DeltaDwet) and in the dry air phase (-DeltaFair and DeltaDair). -DeltaFwater indicates the total mass of the molecule, bound water, and vibrated water in aqueous solutions. -DeltaFwet indicates the total mass of the molecule and bound water. -DeltaFair simply shows the real mass of the molecule on the QCM. In terms of results, (-DeltaFwet)/(-DeltaFair) values indicated the bound water ratios per unit biomolecular mass were on the order of pullulan (2.1-2.2) > DNAs = proteins (1.4-1.6) > polystyrene (1.0). The (-DeltaFwater)/(-DeltaFair) values indicated the hydrodynamic water (bound and vibrated water) ratios per unit biomolecular mass were on the order of dsDNA (6.5) > ssDNA = pullulan (3.5-4.4) > proteins (2.4-2.5) > polystyrene (1.0). Energy dissipation parameters per unit mass in water (DeltaDwater/(-DeltaFair)) were on the order of pullulan > dsDNA > ssDNA > proteins > polystyrene. Energy dissipation in the wet and dry air phases (DeltaDwet and DeltaDair) were negligibly small, which indicates even these biomolecules act as elastic membranes in the air phase (without aqueous solution). We obtained a good linear relationship between [(-DeltaFwater)/(-DeltaFair) - 1], which is indicative of hydration and DeltaDwater/(-DeltaFair) of proteins. The aforementioned values suggest that the energy dissipation of proteins was mainly caused by hydration and that proteins themselves are elastic molecules without energy dissipation in aqueous solutions. On the contrary, plots in cases of denatured proteins, DNAs, and pullulans were relatively deviant toward the large hydration and energy dissipation from the theoretical line as perfect elastic materials, meaning that the large energy dissipation occurs because of viscoelastic properties of denatured proteins, linear DNAs, and pullulans in the water phase, in addition to energy dissipation due to the hydration of molecules. These two parameters could characterize various biomolecules with structural properties in aqueous solutions.

IgE

No abstract

Conventional kinesin is routinely adsorbed to hydrophilic surfaces such as SiO(2). Pretreatment of surfaces with casein has become the standard protocol for achieving optimal kinesin activity, but the mechanism by which casein enhances kinesin surface adsorption and function is poorly understood. We used quartz crystal microbalance measurements and microtubule gliding assays to uncover the role that casein plays in enhancing the activity of surface-adsorbed kinesin. On SiO(2) surfaces, casein adsorbs as both a tightly bound monolayer and a reversibly bound second layer that has a dissociation constant of 500 nM and can be desorbed by washing with casein-free buffer. Experiments using truncated kinesins demonstrate that in the presence of soluble casein, kinesin tails bind well to the surface, whereas kinesin head binding is blocked. Removing soluble casein reverses these binding profiles. Surprisingly, reversibly bound casein plays only a moderate role during kinesin adsorption, but it significantly enhances kinesin activity when surface-adsorbed motors are interacting with microtubules. These results point to a model in which a dynamic casein bilayer prevents reversible association of the heads with the surface and enhances association of the kinesin tail with the surface. Understanding protein-surface interactions in this model system should provide a framework for engineering surfaces for functional adsorption of other motor proteins and surface-active enzymes.

During the immobilization process of proteins onto an Au-surface of a 27 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in aqueous solutions, apparent large frequency changes (DeltaF(water)) were observed compared with those in the air phase (DeltaF(air)) due to the interaction with surrounding water of proteins. On the basis of an energy-transfer model for the QCM, the apparent added mass in the aqueous solution [(-DeltaF(water))/(-DeltaF(air)) - 1] could be explained by frictional forces at the interface of proteins with aqueous solutions. When [(-DeltaF(water))/(-DeltaF(air)) - 1] values for various proteins were plotted against values relating to the friction (antimobility), such as values of the molecular weight divided by the sedimentation coefficient (Mw/s), the inverse of the diffusion coefficient (1/D), and the volume divided by the surface area (volume/surface area = apparent radius) of proteins, there were good linear correlations. Thus, observations of the larger DeltaF(water) than DeltaF(air) for protein immobilizations on the QCM can be simply explained by the friction effect at the interface between proteins and the aqueous solution. Thus, QCM would be a mass sensor based on mechanical oscillation motion even in aqueous solutions.