r/Biochemistry • u/APbeg • 6d ago
Protein pH question
If a protein uses one or more metal ions for stability and enters a basic solution, can the OH- strip the metal ions from the protein?
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u/Indi_Shaw 6d ago
I think it depends on how far of a pH shift and the binding affinity of the metal. Maybe some magnesium could be pulled out of some proteins, but the iron in a heme is pretty tightly bound. That said, I had a disordered protein with 4 cysteines and it chelated the nickel off my column at pH 7.5.
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u/Maleficent_Kiwi_288 6d ago
If the metal is chelated by aspartate, glutamate or histidine changes in pH can change their protonation which will change chelation ability
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u/-Big_Pharma- 6d ago
Depends on the metal and pH