Berlin 2018 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 24: Bioinspired Functional Materials, Biomaterials and Biopolymers (joint session CPP/BP)
BP 24.2: Talk
Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 15:15–15:30, PC 203
Denaturation-Induced Fiber Formation of Fibrinogen Studied by Small Angle Scattering — Matthias M.L. Arras1, •Christian Helbing2, Klaus D. Jandt2, and Gregory S. Smith1 — 1Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, USA — 2Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
Over the last years, the interest in materials consisting of biomolecules arranged in nanofibers increased. To get a better understanding of how different environmental parameters affect the fiber formation in solution, we studied the ethanol induced fiber formation of human plasma fibrinogen (HPF) by small angle scattering, i.e., (ultra)small angle neutron scattering and light scattering. To this end, we used water/deuterium oxide and ethanol-d6 contrast matched at the scattering length density of ethanol-d6 and varied the protein concentration, as well as ethanol concentration. We find the ethanol-to-water ratio to be a dominant driving force for inducing long fiber formation. Data suggest a 1.5:1 water:ethanol ratio as a threshold, where increasing the water ratio prevents long-fiber formation after an hour of incubation. Time series show, that structure on the protein size-level does not change over time, however the growth in fiber length can still be observed hours after ethanol addition.
This research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and Spallation Neutron Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.