Microscopic understanding of preferential exclusion of compatible solute ectoine: direct interaction and hydration alteration.

Ectoine, a zwitterionic compatible solute (CS), acts as an effective stabilizer of protein function. Using molecular dynamics simulation, solvent spatial distributions around both met-enkephalin (M-Enk) and chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (CI2) were investigated at the molecular level in ectoine aqueous solution. An unexpected finding was that ectoine exhibits preferential binding, as an overall tendency, around both peptides. However, with the aid of the surficial Kirkwood-Buff parameter, it was clearly shown that the preferential exclusion of ectoine from the peptide surface was weaker in the smaller M-Enk than in the larger CI2. It is concluded that a denser and more structured hydration layer, such as that developed on the surface of CI2, is an important factor in the exclusion of ectoine.