Silica Nanoparticles-Induced Lysozyme Crystallization: Effects of Particle Sizes
Yuxiao Zhang,
Xuntao Jiang,
Xia Wu,
Xiaoqiang Wang,
Fang Huang,
Kefei Li,
Gaoyang Zheng,
Shengzhou Lu,
Yanxu Ma,
Yuyu Zhou,
Xiaoxi Yu
Affiliations
Yuxiao Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Xuntao Jiang
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Xia Wu
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Xiaoqiang Wang
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Fang Huang
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Kefei Li
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Gaoyang Zheng
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Shengzhou Lu
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Yanxu Ma
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Yuyu Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Xiaoxi Yu
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
This study aimed to explore the effects of nucleate agent sizes on lysozyme crystallization. Silica nanoparticles (SNP) with four different particle sizes of 5 nm, 15 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm were chosen for investigation. Studies were carried out both microscopically and macroscopically. After adding SNP, the morphological defects of lysozyme crystals decreased, and the number of crystals increases with the size of the SNP. The interaction between SNP and lysozyme was further explored using UV spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Zeta potential. It was found that the interaction between SNP and lysozyme was mainly electrostatic interaction, which increased with the size of SNP. As a result, lysozyme could be attracted to the surface of SNP and aggregated to form the nucleus. Finally, the activity test and circular dichroism showed that SNP had little effect on protein secondary structure.
