Biophysics of Protein Interactions and Phase Behavior

A.M. Lenhoff (U of Delaware)

The biophysics of protein solutions is central to numerous research and industrial applications, including pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes, structural biology and others. Protein molecules are near the lower end of the colloidal size range, so the properties of protein solutions can be studied using some of the same methods as used to study complex fluids, including SANS and other scattering methods. However, the interpretation of such data can be challenging because of the highly anisotropic character of protein molecules, which gives rise to significant features that distinguish protein solutions from those of general colloidal suspensions. This presentation will explore some of the properties of protein solutions, centered on the measurement of protein interactions and exploration of interaction trends as a function of solution conditions. Molecular mechanics simulations are used to explore the mechanistic basis for sometimes counterintuitive trends in interaction measurements. Such measurements are also related to protein phase behavior measurements, which can be organized within the framework of the theoretical phase diagram for short-ranged colloidal interactions. The special case of membrane proteins, which are typically solubilized by addition of surfactants, is discussed as well.

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