THE SECONDARY STRUCTURE OF PROTEIN-G', A ROBUST MOLECULE

The secondary structure of recombinant streptococcal Protein G' was predicted and compared with spectropolarimetric data. The predicted secondary structure consisted of 37 +/- 4 % alpha-helix and 30 +/- 5 % beta-sheet, whereas the values obtained from c.d. data were 29 +/- 2 % alpha-helix and 41 +/- 3 % beta-sheet. An alpha-helix-beta-sheet/turn-alpha-helix motif is conjectured to comprise the Fc-binding unit. The c.d. spectra in the near u.v. show that the Protein G' molecule is stable to heating at 100-degrees-C and to extremes to pH (pH 1.5 to 11.0). The protein retained biological activity at these extremes. The molecule uncoils above pH 11.5 in a time-dependent fashion. Unfolding of the molecule in guanidinium chloride was monitored by c.d. and fluorescence emission; 3 M-guanidinium chloride was required to unfold the protein by 50%. The protein was completely unfolded in 5.5 M-guanidinium chloride and fully refolded with restoration of activity after removal of guanidinium chloride.