Non-thermal effects of microwaves on proteins: thermophilic enzymes as model system.

Two thermophilic and thermostable enzymes, isolated from Sulfolobus solfataricus, S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, were exposed to 10.4 GHz microwave radiation in order to discriminate between thermal and non-thermal microwave effects. The exposure causes a non-thermal, irreversible and time-dependent inactivation of both enzymes; the inactivation rate is related to the energy absorbed and is independent of the enzyme concentration. The influence of salts on enzyme inactivation has also been investigated. Conformational changes of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, detected by fluorescence and circular dichroism techniques, suggest that microwaves induce protein structural rearrangements not related to temperature.