Spectral and thermal properties of novel eye lens ζ-crystallin

Eye lenses are exposed to thermal, solar radiations, dryness that enhances cataractogenesis. Some animal lenses contain novel proteins in bulk quantities. ζ-crystallin occurred in three ecologically divergent species, but it's physiological role not known. The truncated variant of ζ-crystallin causes hereditary cataract. Guinea pig ζ-crystallin is temperature-sensitive and rapidly aggregates at 41°C. Camels adopted to survive above 50°C, which raises an interesting question about how it retains lens proteins in the soluble state? Here, we have optimized expression and purification of recombinant camel ζ-crystallin. We have studied thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties using orthogonal techniques. Dynamic multimode spectroscopy results showed that camel ζ-crystallin unfolds via single transition with T_m value of 60.8±0.1°C and van't Hoff enthalpy of 714.7±7.1kJ/mol. Thermal-shift assay calculates T_m value of 62°C at pH 7. Additionally, the conformational stability of ζ-crystallin increases with ionic-strength. The influence of pH on ζ-crystallin was evaluated where the protein was found to be stable in the pH range of 6-9, but its stability drastically decreases below pH 6. Our results also showed that quaternary structure of ζ-crystallin drastically changed as a result of lowering pH. This study provides significant understandings onto the conformational, thermodynamic and unfolding pathway of camel ζ-crystallin.