Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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.
Within these organisms are macromolecules (proteins and nucleic acids) which form the three-dimensional structures essential to their enzymatic activity. [2] Above the native temperature of the organism, thermal energy may cause the unfolding and denaturation, as the heat can disrupt the intramolecular bonds in the tertiary and quaternary ...
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]
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.
Dry heat destroys microorganisms by causing denaturation of proteins. Further information: Moist heat sterilization The presence of moisture, such as in steam sterilization, significantly speeds up heat penetration.
The most famous example is the hyperchromicity of DNA that occurs when the DNA duplex is denatured. [1] The UV absorption is increased when the two single DNA strands are being separated, either by heat or by addition of denaturant or by increasing the pH level. The opposite, a decrease of absorbance is called hypochromicity.
The dramatic upregulation of the heat shock proteins is a key part of the heat shock response and is induced primarily by heat shock factor (HSF). [6] HSPs are found in virtually all living organisms, from bacteria to humans. Heat shock proteins are named according to their molecular weight.