X-Message-Number: 17028
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 20:17:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: diglycerol phosphate looks interesting

Title
  Thermostabilization of proteins by diglycerol phosphate, a
  new compatible solute from the hyperthermophile Archaeoglobus fulgidus.
Source
  Applied & Environmental Microbiology.  66(5):1974-9, 2000 May.
Abstract
  Diglycerol phosphate accumulates under salt stress in the
  archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus (L. O. Martins, R. Huber, H. Huber, K. O.
  Stetter, M. S. da Costa, and H. Santos, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:896-902,
  1997). This solute was purified after extraction from the cell biomass. In
  addition, the optically active and the optically inactive (racemic) forms of
  the compound were synthesized, and the ability of the solute to act as a
  protecting agent against heating was tested on several proteins derived from
  mesophilic or hyperthermophilic sources. Diglycerol
  phosphate exerted a considerable stabilizing effect against heat inactivation
  of rabbit muscle lactate dehydrogenase, baker's yeast alcohol dehydrogenase,
  and Thermococcus litoralis glutamate dehydrogenase. Highly homologous and
  structurally well-characterized rubredoxins from Desulfovibrio gigas,
  Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774), and Clostridium pasteurianum were
  also examined for their thermal stabilities in the presence or absence of
  diglycerol phosphate, glycerol, and inorganic phosphate.
  These proteins showed different intrinsic thermostabilities, with half-lives
  in the range of 30 to 100 min. Diglycerol phosphate exerted
  a strong protecting effect, with approximately a fourfold increase in the
  half-lives for the loss of the visible spectra of D. gigas and C.
  pasteurianum rubredoxins. In contrast, the stability of D. desulfuricans
  rubredoxin was not affected. These different behaviors are discussed in the
  light of the known structural features of rubredoxins. The data show that
  diglycerol phosphate is a potentially useful protein
  stabilizer in biotechnological applications.

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