Perturbation of conformational dynamics, enzymatic activity, and thermostability of β-glycosidase from archaeon <TOGGLE>Sulfolobus solfataricus</TOGGLE> by pH and sodium dodecyl sulfate detergent

The conformational dynamics of β-glycosidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus was investigated by following the emission decay arising from the large number of tryptophanyl residues that are homogeneously dispersed in the primary structure. The fluorescence emission is characterized by a bimodal lifetime distribution, suggesting that the enzyme structure contains rigid and flexible regions, properly located in the macromolecule. The enzyme activity and thermostability appear to be related to the dynamic properties of these regions as evidenced by perturbation studies of the enzyme structure at alkaline pH and by addition of detergents such as SDS. The pH increase affects the protein dynamics with a remarkable loss of thermal stability and activity; these changes occur without any significant variation in the secondary structure as revealed by far-UV dichroic measurements. In the presence of 0.02% (w/v) SDS at alkaline pH, the enzymatic activity and thermostability are recovered. Under these conditions, the conformational dynamics appear to be similar to that evidenced at neutral pH. Further increases in SDS concentration, at alkaline pH, render the activity and thermostability of β-glycosidase similar to those observed in the absence of detergent. Proteins 27:71–79 &#169; 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.