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Thermodynamic and functional characteristics of deep-sea enzymes revealed by pressure effects

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Abstract

Hydrostatic pressure analysis is an ideal approach for studying protein dynamics and hydration. The development of full ocean depth submersibles and high-pressure biological techniques allows us to investigate enzymes from deep-sea organisms at the molecular level. The aim of this review was to overview the thermodynamic and functional characteristics of deep-sea enzymes as revealed by pressure axis analysis after giving a brief introduction to the thermodynamic principles underlying the effects of pressure on the structural stability and function of enzymes.

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Notes

  1. This equation should be represented as follows:

    $$ \Updelta G_{\text{u}}^{^\circ } = - RT\ln K $$
    (1a)

    However, we used \( \Updelta G_{\text{u}}^{^\circ } \) as the symbol for standard Gibbs free energy change under physiological conditions, i.e., at atmospheric pressure and physiological temperature in the absence of denaturants, which were determined by extrapolating those observed at the various conditions shown in the inset of Fig. 3. Therefore, to avoid using \( \Updelta G_{\text{u}}^{^\circ } \), we removed the degree symbol from this equation. Such a step is generally used in the field of protein thermodynamics; however, we ensured that the thermodynamic symbols used in this article corresponded to 1 mol of material, except for V t and ΔV t.

  2. To understand this clearly, imagine the liquid–vapor equilibrium of n-hexane. Although various conformers exist in both the liquid and vapor phases of n-hexane, there are only two states. The equilibrium between both states is mainly determined by the intermolecular interactions between each molecule. Proteins have much more conformational freedom than n-hexane, and many conformers exist in both the native and unfolded states; however, there are usually only two observed states. We use a dilute solution in which the protein–protein interactions can be neglected; therefore, intermolecular interactions mainly exist between the protein and water molecules.

Abbreviations

DHFR:

Dihydrofolate reductase

IPMDH:

3-Isopropylmalate dehydrogenase

NMR:

Nuclear magnetic resonance

TMAO:

Trimethylamine N-oxide

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan (No. 24570186 to E.O.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan

    Eiji Ohmae & Yurina Miyashita

  2. Institute of Biogeosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan

    Chiaki Kato

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  1. Eiji Ohmae
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  2. Yurina Miyashita
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  3. Chiaki Kato
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Correspondence to Eiji Ohmae.

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Communicated by S. Albers.

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Ohmae, E., Miyashita, Y. & Kato, C. Thermodynamic and functional characteristics of deep-sea enzymes revealed by pressure effects. Extremophiles 17, 701–709 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-013-0556-2

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