Abstract :
An investigation on the critical role played by temperature in ligand-induced protein aggregation using recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1ra) and the ligands benzyl alcohol and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (ANS) is presented. Results support the conclusion that benzyl alcohol and ANS interact hydrophobically with partially unfolded aggregation-prone protein molecules, resulting in temperature-dependent increases in their levels and acceleration of protein aggregation.