Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Hot Biological Catalysis: Isothermal Titration Calorimetry to Characterize Enzymatic Reactions
Published on: April 4, 2014
Alpha-glucosidase folding during urea denaturation: enzyme kinetics and computational prediction
Xue-Qiang Wu1, Jun Wang, Zhi-Rong Lü
1Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Baiyun District, North of Guangzhou Road No.1838, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
In this study, we investigated structural changes in alpha-glucosidase during urea denaturation. Alpha-glucosidase was inactivated by urea in a dose-dependent manner. The inactivation was a first-order reaction with a monophase process. Urea inhibited alpha-glucosidase in a mixed-type reaction. We found that an increase in the hydrophobic surface of this enzyme induced by urea resulted in aggregation caused by unstable folding intermediates. We also simulated the docking between alpha-glucosidase and urea. The docking simulation suggested that several residues, namely THR9, TRP14, LYS15, THR287, ALA289, ASP338, SER339, and TRP340, interact with urea. Our study provides insights into the alpha-glucosidase unfolding pathway and 3D structure of alpha-glucosidase.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Folding Quality Check in the RER
Protein Folding
Protein Structure Is Critical to Its Biological Function
Proteins perform a wide range of biological functions such as catalyzing chemical reactions, providing...
Protein Folding
Protein Folding
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Molecular Chaperones and Protein Folding
The...

