The structure, dynamics, and energetics of protein adsorption-lessons learned from adsorption of statherin to hydroxyapatite.

Proteins are found to be involved in interaction with solid surfaces in numerous natural events. Acidic proteins that adsorb to crystal faces of a biomineral to control the growth and morphology of hard tissue are only one example. Deducing the mechanisms of surface recognition exercised by proteins has implications to osteogenesis, pathological calcification and other proteins functions at their adsorbed state.

Homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR studies of a statherin fragment bound to hydroxyapatite crystals.

Acidic proteins found in mineralized tissues act as nature's crystal engineers, where they play a key role in promoting or inhibiting the growth of minerals such as hydroxyapatite (HAP), Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, the main mineral component of bone and teeth. Key to understanding the structural basis of protein-crystal recognition and protein control of hard tissue growth is the nature of interactions between the protein side chains and the crystal surface. In an earlier work we have measured the proximity of the lysine (K6) side chain in an SN-15 peptide fragment of the salivary protein statherin adsorbed to the Phosphorus-rich surface of HAP using solid-state NMR recoupling experiments.

A solid-state NMR study of the dynamics and interactions of phenylalanine rings in a statherin fragment bound to hydroxyapatite crystals.

Extracellular matrix proteins regulate hard tissue growth by acting as adhesion sites for cells, by triggering cell signaling pathways, and by directly regulating the primary and/or secondary crystallization of hydroxyapatite, the mineral component of bone and teeth. Despite the key role that these proteins play in the regulation of hard tissue growth in humans, the exact mechanism used by these proteins to recognize mineral surfaces is poorly understood. Interactions between mineral surfaces and proteins very likely involve specific contacts between the lattice and the protein side chains, so elucidation of the nature of interactions between protein side chains and their corresponding inorganic mineral surfaces will provide insight into the recognition and regulation of hard tissue growth.

A REDOR NMR study of a phosphorylated statherin fragment bound to hydroxyapatite crystals.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the main mineral component of teeth. It is well-known that several salivary proteins and peptides bind strongly to HAP to regulate crystal growth. Interactions between a peptide derived from the N-terminal fragment of the salivary protein statherin and HAP were measured utilizing rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).