The use of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid as a reporter group molecule for circular dichroism and fluorescence measurements. The effect of stearic acid and sodium dodecylsulfate on the conformation of bovine and human serum albumin.

The fluorescence probe ANS(8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid) was employed as a reporter group molecule for circular dichroism and fluorescence measurements in order to investigate the effects of stearic acid and sodium dodecylsulfate on the conformation of bovine and human serum albumin. Stearate as well as dodecylsulfate displaces ANS from the binding to both albumins. Besides this displacement, stearate and dodecylsulfate influence the fluorescence properties and the extrinsic Cotton effects on ANS bound to both albumins. It is suggested that the origin of these effects is a microdisorganization of the albumin structure, provoked by the binding of stearate and sodium dodecylsulfate. Each of the four extrinsic CD bands of bound ANS was influenced in a different manner by the addition of stearate and dodecylsulfate. Using the data of the fluorescence measurements and of the circular dichroism measurements it was possible to differentiate the effects of one ligand on both albumins and of both ligands on one albumin more efficiently than would have been possible using one of the two methods alone. It is suggested that the use of ANS as a reporter group molecule for fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements is a very good tool to detect small changes in the environment of ligand binding sites on protein molecules.