On the electrostatic properties of papain in relation to its enzymatic activity

The electrostatic potentials and fields created by the thiol protease, papain, are computed on the surface envelope of the protein and in the region of its active site using a technique based on accurate multipole expansions of the electron density of appropriately chosen subunits. The effect of binding counterions to the protein is considered specifically. The possible role of the “electrostatic environment” in the functioning of the enzyme is discussed and it is found that this environment can favor the proton transfer between Cys 25 and His 159 that is thought to initiate its mode of action, but that the reasons for this appear more complicated than earlier models would suggest.