Influence of methanol on catalytic activity, stability and internal dynamics of myoglobin

The influence of methanol on the activity, stability and internal dynamics of myoglobin (Mb) has been investigated to obtain information about the effect of alcohol on protein behaviour. oscopic investigations show that there are no significant changes in conformational structures of the protein within the range of alcohol concentrations where the catalytic activity (kcat) and thermal stability (Tm) of Mb decrease. n scattering measurements indicate that the characteristic times related to protein internal fluctuations increase when the methanol molar fraction in the mixtures increases. This suggests a direct relationship between the protein internal motion rate and the catalytic activity.