Adsorption of the intrinsically disordered saliva protein histatin 5 to silica surfaces. A Monte Carlo simulation and ellipsometry study.

The adsorption of histatin 5 to hydrophilic silica surfaces is governed by electrostatic attractive forces between the positive protein and the negative surface. Hence pH and ionic strength control the adsorbed amount, which can be described by coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations accounting for electrostatic forces and charge regulation of the protein