Signal and binding. I. Physico-chemical response to macromolecule–ligand interactions

Wlodzimierz Bujalowski, Maria J. Jezewska, Paul J. Bujalowski

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Obtaining a detailed knowledge about energetics of ligand–macromolecule interactions is a prerequisite for elucidation of the nature, behavior, and activities of the formed complexes. The most commonly used methods in characterizing molecular interactions are physico-chemical techniques based mainly on spectroscopic, calorimetric, hydrodynamic, etc., measurements. The major advantage of the physico-chemical methods is that they do not require large quantities of material and, if performed carefully, do not perturb examined reactions. Applications of several different physico-chemical approaches, commonly encountered in analyses of biochemical interactions, are here reviewed and discussed, using examples of simple binding reactions. It is stressed that without determination of the relationship between the measured signal and the total average degree of binding, the performed analysis of a single physico-chemical titration curve may provide only fitting parameters, instead of meaningful interaction parameters, already for the binding systems with only two ligand molecules. Some possible pitfalls in the analyses of single titration curves are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7-24
Number of pages18
JournalBiophysical Chemistry
Volume222
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Binding isotherms
  • Physico-chemical titrations
  • Thermodynamics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

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