Optical rotatory dispersion, circular dichroism and far-ultraviolet spectra of avidin and streptavidin

1. The optical-rotatory-dispersion and circular-dichroism curves of avidin showed positive Cotton effects centred at 228mmu and 280mmu, close to the ultraviolet-absorption bands of tryptophan. These effects disappeared when avidin was dissociated into sub-units in guanidine hydrochloride. 2. Binding of biotin had only a small effect on the optical-rotatory-dispersion curve of avidin. 3. The absence of negative circular dichroism at wavelengths above 216mmu showed that there was little or no alpha-helix present in avidin. This interpretation was confirmed by Moffitt-Yang plots of the partial rotation due to the peptide bonds in the visible region of the spectrum. The calculated dispersion constants were remarkably similar to those of gamma-globulin and suggested the presence of peptide conformations other than alpha-helix and random coil. 4. The far-ultraviolet spectrum was also similar to that of gamma-globulin, the mean extinction coefficient of the peptide chromophore being much lower than the experimental value for a random-coil structure. 5. Streptavidin resembled avidin in showing two positive Cotton effects, but the negative dichroism below 220mmu suggested the presence of more alpha-helix than was found in avidin. Formation of the complex with biotin was accompanied by changes in rotation that were rather larger than those observed with avidin.