Proteins can exist in one of two states, the active, folded state and the inactive, unfolded state.

Question:

Proteins can exist in one of two states, the active, folded state and the inactive, unfolded state. Protein folding is sometimes thought of as a first-order phase transition from folded to unfolded (denaturation) with increasing temperature. (We will revisit this description in Chapter 15.) Denaturation is accompanied by an increase in molecular volume and a significant positive latent heat (i.e.,ΔFDV > 0 and FDH > 0).

a. Sketch the Gibbs energy function for both D (denatured) and F (folded) proteins, and identify T, the phase transition temperature. Which state has the higher entropy? 

b. Given the observed volume and enthalpy changes upon denaturation, how would increasing the pressure affect T? Should biopharmaceuticals (i.e., folded proteins) be stored under high pressure?

Step by Step Answer:

Related Book For  book-img-for-question
Question Posted: