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Calcium-Binding Protein Protocols Calcium-Binding Protein Protocols

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58 Fabian and Vogel<br />

are equipped with sensitive infrared detectors. The most common detectors are<br />

triglycine sulfate (TGS), deuterated triglycine sulfate (DTGS), and liquidnitrogen<br />

cooled mercury-cadmium telluride (MCT). MCT detectors are more<br />

sensitive and permit much higher aquistion rates than TGS and DTGS detectors.<br />

Nevertheless, MCT detectors are not always the best choice because they<br />

suffer from problems associated with detector nonlinearity at high absorbance<br />

values. The limited linear range may be a disadvantage when studying proteins<br />

dissolved in water because of the high absorptivity of water bands in certain<br />

regions. TGS and DTGS detectors work at room temperature and have the<br />

advantage of a significantly extended detector linearity. Although the latter<br />

detectors require longer aquisition times, they are a good choice for many<br />

experiments under equilibrium conditions. Some research-grade FTIR spectrometers<br />

are able to accomodate two detectors and allow for rapid computercontrolled<br />

exchange between these detectors (see Note 1).<br />

2.2. Sampling Devices and Sample Handling<br />

The majority of FTIR experiments with calcium-binding proteins have been<br />

carried out in aqueous solution and were conducted with conventional transmission<br />

geometries. Here, the nature of the material of which the cell window<br />

is constructed and the pathlength of the cell are important.<br />

2.2.1. Window Materials<br />

Among the IR window materials available for experiments in aqueous solution,<br />

calcium fluoride (CaF 2) is the most common because (1) it has a low refractive<br />

index, which is similar to that of water; (2) it is relatively rugged; and (3) is<br />

transparent from the midinfrared (>1000 cm –1 ) to the ultraviolet (UV) region of<br />

the spectrum. Barium fluoride (BaF 2), a similar window material, has a lower<br />

spectral cutoff than CaF 2 (800 cm –1 ), but it is significantly more soluble in aqueous<br />

solution. Although CaF 2 is the most suitable window material for protein<br />

measurements, it is not an ideal window material for long-term measurements of<br />

Ca 2+ -binding proteins. The solubility of CaF 2 in water is very low, but a possible<br />

contamination of the sample by dissolution of Ca 2+ from the CaF 2 window cannot<br />

be excluded. Consequenctly, the Ca 2+ -free form of a sample may not persist<br />

during the collection of spectra over longer time scales. Window materials that<br />

are insoluble in water (such as KRS-5, ZnSe, or Irtran) are available, but are<br />

characterized by an unfortunate high refractive index, which results in major<br />

reflection losses and persistent fringing in the spectra (see Note 2).<br />

2.2.2. Path Length of the Cell<br />

The choice of the path length of the IR cell depends upon which region of<br />

the spectrum is of interest. The most useful probe of protein secondary struc-

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