Investigating pressure denaturation using the high pressure small angle x-ray scattering

The continuous progress in the field of basic molecular biosciences has a persistent goal of establishing and utilizing the rational correlations amongst the molecular structure and function of biomolecules. As a fundamental thermodynamic parameter, pressure affects a process that leads to decrease in overall volume in a closed system, following the Le Chateliers’s principle. Exposure to a high-pressure (hp) environment causes proteins to unfold in a way that allows structural information to be accessed, not accessible otherwise. Pressure also affects the tertiary structure by collapsing the internal cavities unlike chemically or thermally induced denaturation. Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) provides direct information of the structure and hence the deviations in the volume of macromolecules. The presentation will elaborate upon the recent advances in the multidimensional hp sciences, specifically oriented towards the application of the hp-SAXS capabilities at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, which is complimentary in nature to the information obtained using NMR and fluorescence spectroscopies.