The major bovine milk protein β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), a member of the lipocalin superfamily, can bind a wide range of ligands and act as a transporter. In the present study, the combination of the hydrophobic molecule 2-(p-toluidino)-6-naphthalenesulfonic acid sodium salt (TNS) with β-LG was analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy and AutoDock modeling to discern the major binding sites of the protein and to determine the capacity of other small ligands to bind with β-LG by utilizing TNS as a reference. The experimental data indicate that in a neutral pH environment, TNS is located in the hydrophobic domain of the protein, 2.5 nm away from the Trp19 residues of β-LG. The binding constant of the small molecule to β-LG is (3.30 ± 0.32) × 106 (mol L–1)−1. An interaction model between the ligand and β-LG was developed, and AutoDock modeling also demonstrates that the ligand is located in the central hydrophobic calyx of β-LG within the regions covered by the Förster radius of the Trp19–ligand pair. Although the interaction between the ligand and β-LG is affected by increasing ion strength, pH change, and heat treatment, the complex is maintained until the secondary structure of β-LG is destroyed. Additionally, the ligand binding stabilizes the folding of β-LG. The binding constants of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) to β-LG were obtained using competitive ligand binding measurements. With a sensitive fluorescence signal and stable complex, the ligand could be utilized as a reference to detect the binding of other small ligands to β-LG.
Molecular recognition of poly(A) by small ligands: an alternative method of analysis reveals nanomolar, cooperative and shape-selective binding
