| Abstract
| - Conformational analyses of PRP1, a proline-rich acidic salivary protein and major component of the acquiredenamel pellicle, have been carried out in solution and upon binding to two enamel prototypes, hydroxyapatite (HA)and carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA), using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated totalreflection (ATR) mode. We have shown for the first time that, in solution, large portions of PRP1 adopt the hydratedpolyproline type II (PPII) helical structure in addition to the random coil structure, with the maximum absorbanceof the amide I band around 1620 cm-1. Upon binding to HA or CHA, the protein undergoes significant conformationalchanges, loosing a considerable portion of hydrated PPII and random coil domains with a shift in the maximumabsorbance to 1666 cm-1, indicating that a large fraction of the protein is composed of β turns. A small fraction ofPPII in a calcium-bound or anhydrous form (∼1642 cm-1) was also observed in the HA- and CHA-bound proteins,which could play a role in protein−mineral interactions. The conformational changes in PRP1 adsorbed on CHA andHA were similar in nature; however, these changes were greater in the protein bound to HA. Interestingly, these resultsare in agreement with protein adsorption data that show that less protein is adsorbed onto CHA than onto HA. Ourresults demonstrate that binding to apatitic mineral surfaces leads to major conformational changes in PRP1, whichmight reflect the expulsion of water and the formation of protein−mineral and/or protein−protein interactions in theadsorbed layer.
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