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- Barros Brant Carvalho, Paulo Henrique, et al.
(author)
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Neutron scattering study of polyamorphic THF ∙ (H2O)17 – toward a generalized picture of amorphous states and structures derived from clathrate hydrates
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- From crystalline tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrate, THF-CH (THF ∙ 17H2O, cubic structure II), three distinct polyamorphs can be derived. First, THF-CH undergoes pressure-induced amorphization when pressurized to 1.3 GPa in the temperature range 77–140 K to a form which, in analogy to pure ice, may be called high-density amorphous (HDA). Second, HDA can be converted to a densified form, very-HDA (VHDA), upon heat-cycling at 1.8 GPa to 180 K. Decompression of VHDA to atmospheric pressure below 130 K produces the third, recovered amorphous (RA) form. Results from a compilation of neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations provide a generalized picture of the structure of amorphous THF hydrates with respect to crystalline THF-CH and liquid THF ∙ 17H2O solution (~2.5 M). The calculated density of (only in situ observable) HDA and VHDA at 2 GPa and 130 K is 1.287 and 1.328 g/cm3, respectively, whereas that of RA (at 1 atm) is 1.081 g/cm3. Although fully amorphous, HDA is heterogeneous with two length scales for water-water correlations (less dense local water structure) and guest-water correlations (denser THF hydration structure). The hydration structure of THF is influenced by guest-host hydrogen bonding. THF molecules maintain a quasiregular array, reminiscent of the crystalline state, and their hydration structure (out to 5 Å) constitutes ~23 H2O. The local water structure in HDA is reminiscent of pure HDA-ice, featuring 5-coordinated H2O. In VHDA, this structure is maintained but the local water structure is densified to resemble pure VHDA-ice with 6-coordinated H2O. The hydration structure of THF in RA constitutes ~18 H2O and the water structure corresponds to a strictly 4-coordinated network, as in the liquid. Both VHDA and RA can be considered as homogeneous, solid solutions of THF and water. The local water structure of water-rich (1:17) amorphous CHs resembles most that of the corresponding amorphous water ices when compared to guest-rich CHs, e.g., Ar ∙ ~6H2O. The proposed significance of different contributions of water local environments presents a simple view to justify neutron structure factor features.
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| 2. |
- Abramsson, Mia L, et al.
(author)
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Charge engineering reveals the roles of ionizable side chains in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The role of ionizable side chains in the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of intact proteins remains hotly debated but has not been conclusively addressed because multiple chargeable sites are present in virtually all proteins. Using engineered soluble proteins, we show that ionizable side chains are completely dispensable for charging under native conditions, but if present, they are preferential protonation sites. The absence of ionizable side chains results in identical charge state distributions under native-like and denaturing conditions, whilst co-existing conformers can be distinguished using ion mobility separation. An excess of ionizable side chains, on the other hand, effectively modulates protein ion stability. We conclude that the sum of charges is governed solely by Coulombic terms, while their locations affect the stability of the protein in the gas phase.
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| 3. |
- Costeira-Paulo, Joana, 1993-, et al.
(author)
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Collision induced unfolding coupled with gas-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange give evidence for highly zwitterionic proteins in the gas phase
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The net charge of a natively folded electrosprayed protein can be accurately predicted from the protein size. How charges are distributed on a protein – the charge configuration – is still a challenge however, both to determine experimentally and to predict from theory and computations, hampering both modelling and interpretation of native mass spectrometry experiments. Here, a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and experiments, including a novel conjunction of collision induced unfolding and gas-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange, were used on a set of engineered proteins differing in their surface chemistry to general principles underpinning the charge configurations. Testing three charging models against simulations and experiments, only the highly zwitterionic model passed falsification efforts. Our results are consistent with the notion of the proteins being partially kinetically trapped in a charge configuration inherited from solution.
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