[Binding of Ca2+ ions to bovine alpha-lactalbumin. Intrinsic protein fluorescence changes]

Binding of Ca2+ ion to bovine alpha-lactalbumin molecule causes a conformational change reflected in an almost two-fold decrease of the fluorescence quantum yield and a rather pronounced spectral shift towards shorter wavelengths (by ca. 20 nm). The changes could be interpreted as a result of a transfer of highly exposed tryptophan residue(s) into a rigid internal part of the protein molecule containing effective quenching groups (probably, vicinal disulphide bridges). The Ca2+ binding constant evaluated from EGTA--and pH-titrations is (3-6) X 10(8) M-1. The results of the spectrofluorometric pH-titration of alpha-lactalbumin in the presence of various Ca2+ concentrations suggest that the well-known acid conformational change in alpha-lactalbumin is due in fact to a competitive replacement of the bound Ca2+ by three H+ ions (pK = 5.0 +/- 0.1) in the Ca2+ binding site.