Radiation target analyses of free and immobilized glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase

The sensitivity of the enzyme glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase to ionizing radiation was examined under several conditions, including the presence of several free-radical scavengers. The enzyme was also irradiated when covalently bound to polyacrylamide beads whose structure is very similar to the polypeptide backbone of proteins. All the enzyme forms were irradiated in the frozen state with high-energy electrons from a linear accelerator. Surviving enzyme activity and surviving monomers were determined; the data were analyzed by target theory. Free-radical scavengers reduced the radiation target size of both the activity and monomers of the free enzyme, but not that of the immobilized enzyme activity. The target size of the activity of the free enzyme was that of a dimer mass, but in the case of the immobilized enzyme it was equal to the smaller mass of the monomer. Free-radical scavengers reduce the target size by modifying radiation energy transfer. The target size of the polyacrylamide-bound enzyme activity was expected to be very large since the connection between polyacrylamide and protein is a peptide bond which permits transfer of radiation-deposited energy. Several explanations concerning energy transfer are suggested for this result.