Sensitivity and other factors affecting biospecific desorption in chromatography of proteins. A study by computer simulation.

Some theoretical aspects of the desorption of a column-bound protein by elution with its biospecific ligand are considered in cases where, in comparison with the unliganded protein, the protein-ligand complex has a diminished but finite affinity for the adsorbent. A quantity termed the biospecific sensitivity, B, is introduced to facilitate comparison between different systems. Biospecific sensitivity may be defined as the fractional change in standard free energy of adsorption on formation of the protein-ligand complex. The effects of a moderate-to-low biospecific sensitivity on theoretical desorption profiles have been examined by using a computer simulation of the classical multiple-plate column model. Desorption was simulated under various boundary conditions involving protein-adsorbent and protein-ligand affinities and the initial concentrations of adsorption sites, protein and ligand. These simulations suggest that, when the biospecific sensitivity is low, desorption is optimized if (a) the unliganded protein is adsorbed as weakly as possible, (b) the column is loaded to near-saturation with the required protein, (c) the free ligand concentration is many times greater than that giving near-saturation of the protein in free solution, and (d) protein contaminants with high affinity for the adsorbent, and present in large amount, are removed in preliminary purification steps.