EFFECT OF SELF-ASSOCIATION OF BIS-ANS AND BIS-AZO DYES ON PROTEIN-BINDING

A correlation was found between the ability of dyes (ANS, bis-ANS, Con go red, Evans blue) to form self-associated supramolecular structures in water and their tendency to form complexes with proteins. The self- association ability of dyes was-measured as the resistance of a molecu lar sieve to their penetration. Quantitative evaluation of dye-protein interaction involved measuring the effect of dye on antibodies that a gglutinate sheep red blood cells. Enhancement of agglutination by dye was assumed to represent its protein complexation ability. The results confirm that, relative to monomers, self-associated ligands also have altered protein binding properties.