Study of the Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein Fluorescence Changes During its De- and Renaturation, and Upon the Addition of Nanoparticles

The ability to track some structural changes in enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) by observing its fluorescence makes EGFP a convenient object for studying the protein denaturation process and the influence of some factors on denaturation, in particular, the presence of nanoparticles. In this work, we studied the EGFP fluorescence during its de- and renaturation processes, as well as the influence of the addition of iron oxide nanoparticles on EGFP fluorescence and these processes. Kinetic measurements of denaturation revealed some details of this process. During renaturation, we managed to achieve a 60% recovery of EGFP fluorescence compared to the native protein. We also demonstrated significant effects of the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles. Iron nanoparticles approximately doubled the denaturation rate and suppressed protein renaturation.