Solvent Properties of Water in Aqueous Solutions of Elastin-Like Polypeptide

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Luisa A. Ferreira⁴  James T. Cole³  Christian Reichardt¹  Nolan B. Holland³  Vladimir N. Uversky²  Boris Y. Zaslavsky⁴ 

[1] Department of Chemistry, Philipps University, Marburg D-35032, Germany; E-Mail:;Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA;Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA; E-Mails:;Analiza, Inc., Cleveland, OH 44114, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: elastin-like polypeptide;    phase-transition temperature;    solvent properties;    solvent dipolarity/polarizability;    hydrogen-bond donor acidity;    and hydrogen-bond acceptor basicity;    osmolyte;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms160613528

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The phase-transition temperatures of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) with the (GVGVP)₄₀ sequence and solvent dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen-bond donor acidity, and hydrogen-bond acceptor basicity in its aqueous solutions were quantified in the absence and presence of different salts (Na₂SO₄, NaCl, NaClO₄, and NaSCN) and various osmolytes (sucrose, sorbitol, trehalose, and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)). All osmolytes decreased the ELP phase-transition temperature, whereas NaCl and Na₂SO₄ decreased, and NaSCN and NaClO₄ increased it. The determined phase-transition temperatures may be described as a linear combination of the solvent’s dipolarity/polarizability and hydrogen-bond donor acidity. The linear relationship established for the phase-transition temperature in the presence of salts differs quantitatively from that in the presence of osmolytes, in agreement with different (direct and indirect) mechanisms of the influence of salts and osmolytes on the ELP phase-transition temperature.

【 授权许可】

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© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.