Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Study of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Complexed with Albumin

Аннотация

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of immune response. Hence, the search for new inhibitors of MIF tautomerase activity has attracted great attention. This protein is known to serve as a superligand, by involving in protein–protein interactions that are poorly studied. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor was prepared in complex with albumin, and its solution structure was studied. Difficulties encountered in performing this research were due to the fact that the sample was a mixture of the MIF–albumin complex and the individual proteins. The interaction was found to be weak and unstable. Three most probable models of the MIF–albumin complex were obtained using small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular docking simulation, and one of these models was shown to be preferable. One albumin molecule binds to the MIF trimer in the active-site region of the protein.