Quantifying structural changes and stoichiometry of protein interactions using size and density profiling

Abstract

The use of Dual Polarisation Interferometry, an emerging analytical biophysical technique, is described for the determination of the optogeometrical properties (thickness and density) at high resolution of adsorbed protein layers at the solid–liquid interface. The technique has been used to quantify, in real time and at subatomic resolution, the structural changes occurring in two well-characterised protein interaction systems, an antibody–antigen interaction and the biotin–streptavidin interaction. The real-time data obtained on structural changes during the interactions is in excellent agreement with previously reported X-ray crystallography and neutron reflection data. The precision of the measurements taken was of the order of 0.01 nm with respect to protein size. The dual-parameter approach also allowed the stoichiometry of both of these interactions to be calculated, giving values that confirm the current understanding of the interactions. This approach provides detailed insights into the inherent and subtle link between structural change and function in proteins, to a degree not previously possible through mass change measurements alone. The technique is expected to find utility in the increasingly important study of protein structure and function.