Role of electromechanical and mechanoelectric effects in protein hydration under hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

Recent measurements of lysozyme hydration water density under non-denaturing pressure show that it is higher than that of bulk water in the same conditions. High protein hydration layer density has earlier been observed at ambient conditions and ascribed to electrostriction. We calculate the pressure-induced protein mean surface charge density increment Δσ. Within the hydration layer, the higher fields due to Δσ lead to an additional water compression via electrostriction. The increment Δσ is considered as due to a mechanoelectric effect in protein molecules. The mean value of the effective mechanoelectric coefficient d is calculated and compared with piezoelectric coefficients of amino acids and their compounds.