Nanoparticle-based hydrophobic interaction-capillary electrochromatography was utilized for separation of proteins with similar mass-to-charge ratio at neutral pH without organic modifier. Lipid-based liquid crystalline nanoparticles were prepared and used as pseudostationary phase,benefiting from their high biocompatibility, ease of preparation,and suspension stability at high concentrations.Use of laser-induced fluorescence enabled detection at high nanoparticle concentrations. Green fluorescent protein(GFP) and mutants of GFP harboring single or double amino acid substitutions with the same charge were separated in the described system but not in conventional capillary electrophoresis. Separation was achieved by increasing the salt concentration to promote hydrophobic interactions by shielding of the repulsive electrostatic interactions. In addition, the method was adapted to a capillary with an effective length of 6.7 cm, enabling fast separations and future applications on chip.

Totally porous lipid-based liquid crystalline nanoparticles were used as pseudostationary phase for capillary electroseparation with LIF detection of proteins at physiological conditions using unmodified cyclic olefin copolymer capillaries (Topas, 6.7 cm effective length). In the absence of nanoparticles, i.e. in CE mode, the protein samples adsorbed completely to the capillary walls and could not be recovered. In contrast, nanoparticle-based capillary electroseparation resolved green fluorescent protein from several of its impurities within 1 min. Furthermore, a mixture of native green fluorescent protein and two of its single-amino-acid-substituted variants was separated within 2.5 min with efficiencies of 400 000 plates/m. The nanoparticles prevent adsorption by introducing a large interacting surface and by obstructing the attachment of the protein to the capillary wall. A one-step procedure based on self-assembly of lipids was used to prepare the nanoparticles, which benefit from their biocompatibility and suspension stability at high concentrations. An aqueous tricine buffer at pH 7.5 containing lipid-based nanoparticles (2% w/w) was used as electrolyte, enabling separation at protein friendly conditions. The developed capillary-based method facilitates future electrochromatography of proteins on polymer-based microchips under physiological conditions and enables the initial optimization of separation conditions in parallel to the chip development.

Ser72 at the active site of the Escherichia coli dUTPase has been mutated to an alanine, and the properties of the mutant have been investigated. The serine is absolutely conserved among the monomeric and trimeric dUTPases (including the bifunctional dCTP deaminase:dUTPases), and it has been proposed to promote catalysis by balancing negative charge at the oxygen that bridges the alpha- and beta-phosphorus of the substrate. In all reported complexes of dUTPases with the substrate analogue alpha,beta-imido-dUTP.Mg, the serine beta-OH is indeed hydrogen bonded to the alpha,beta-bridging nitrogen of the analogue. However, in the complex of the Asp90 --> Asn mutant dUTPase with the true substrate dUTP.Mg, the serine beta-OH points in the opposite direction and may form a hydrogen bond to Asn84 at the bottom of the pyrimidine pocket. Here we show that the replacement of the beta-OH by hydrogen reduces k cat from 5.8 to 0.008 s (-1) but also k -1 , the rate of substrate dissociation, from 6.2 to 0.1 s (-1) ( K M = 6 x 10 (-9) M). We conclude that the serine beta-OH exercises both ground state (GS) destabilization and transition state (TS) stabilization, effects not usually linked to a single residue. With experimental support, we argue that the beta-OH destabilizes the GS by imposing conformational constraints on the enzyme and that formation of the TS depends on a rotation of the serine side chain that not only relieves the constraints but brings the beta-OH into a position where it can electrostatically stabilize the TS. This rotation would also allow the beta-OH to promote both deamination and hydrolysis in the bifunctional deaminases. We find that the E. coli dUTPase does not catalyze the hydrolysis of the alpha,beta-imido-dUTP.Mg, suggesting that the analogue provides the hydrogen in the bond to the serine beta-OH.