X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy of hydrated lysozyme at elevated pressures

Abstract

Pressure provides a powerful parameter to control the protein conformation state, which at sufficiently high values can lead to unfolding. Here, we investigate the effects of increasing pressure up to 0.4 GPa on hydrated lysozyme proteins by measuring the nanoscale stress relaxation induced and probed by X-rays. Structural and dynamical information at elevated pressures was obtained using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) in combination with a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The dynamical analysis revealed a slowing down of the system up to 0.2 GPa, followed by a re-acceleration at 0.4 GPa. A similar non-monotonic behavior was observed both in the Porod and Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) exponents, consistently indicating a crossover between 0.2 and 0.4 GPa. These findings suggest the presence of pressure-induced structural changes that impact protein collective stress-relaxation as the system transitions from a jammed state to an elastically driven regime. These results may be relevant for a deeper understanding of protein stability under compression as well as for practical high-pressure technologies, including food processing and pharmaceutical applications.