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In biochemistry, denaturation is a process in which proteins or nucleic acids lose folded structure present in their native state due to various factors, including application of some external stress or compound, such as a strong acid or base, a concentrated inorganic salt, an organic solvent (e.g., alcohol or chloroform), agitation and radiation, or heat. [3]
Heat shock proteins induced by the HSR can help prevent protein aggregation that is associated with common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, or Parkinson's disease. [8] The diagram depicts actions taken when a stress is introduced to the cell. Stress will induce HSF-1 and cause proteins to misfold.
The heat shock response involves a class of stress proteins called heat shock proteins. [4] [5] These can help defend a cell against damage by acting as 'chaperons' in protein folding, ensuring that proteins assume their necessary shape and do not become denatured. [6]
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of proteins produced by cells in response to exposure to stressful conditions. They were first described in relation to heat shock, [1] but are now known to also be expressed during other stresses including exposure to cold, [2] UV light [3] and during wound healing or tissue remodeling. [4]
Heat shock protein chaperones are classified based on their observed molecular weights into Hsp60, Hsp70, Hsp90, Hsp104, and small Hsps. [5] The Hsp60 family of protein chaperones are termed chaperonins, and are characterized by a stacked double-ring structure and are found in prokaryotes, in the cytosol of eukaryotes, and in mitochondria.
The term is also often used to describe the reformation (renaturation) of reverse-complementary strands that were separated by heat (thermally denatured). Proteins such as RAD52 can help DNA anneal. DNA strand annealing is a key step in pathways of homologous recombination.
Medications for common conditions can increase patients' sensitivity to heat by impairing the body's response to high temperatures, including the ability to sweat and the rate of blood flow.
In the less extensive technique of equilibrium unfolding, the fractions of folded and unfolded molecules (denoted as and , respectively) are measured as the solution conditions are gradually changed from those favoring the native state to those favoring the unfolded state, e.g., by adding a denaturant such as guanidinium hydrochloride or urea.