Probing the thermodynamics of protein-lipid interactions by isothermal titration calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry is a highly sensitive technique for the study of molecular interactions. This method has been applied quite extensively to investigate the interaction of proteins with small ligands, other proteins, and nucleic acids as well as with drugs and metal ions. In this chapter, we describe the application of ITC for the investigation of thermodynamics of protein-lipid interaction. A number of parameters such as enthalpy of binding (ΔH), entropy of binding (ΔS), association constant (K (a)), binding stoichiometry (n), and free energy of binding (ΔG) can be obtained from a single calorimetric titration, providing a complete thermodynamic characterization of the interaction. The method is described in detail taking the major protein of the bovine seminal plasma, PDC-109, which exhibits a high preference for interaction with choline-containing lipids, as an example. The method can be applied to investigate the thermodynamics of the interaction of other soluble proteins with lipid membranes.