ISSN:
0887-3585
Keywords:
model compounds
;
protein thermodynamics
;
convergence temperatures
;
polar hydration
;
protein packing
;
Chemistry
;
Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
In this article we generalize the use of a relationship based on the occurrence of some characteristic temperatures in protein unfolding, which were originally high-lighted for proteins showing the unfolding enthalpy-entropy convergence. On this basis, we show how to dissect the unfolding Gibbs energy of globular proteins in terms of solid-like and liquid-like contributions, untangling the protein energetics by a scheme which does not suffer from excessive intricacy. We also provide an experimental estimate of unfavorable polar contributions to the protein stability, by which it seems possible to evaluate the number of buried residues in individual proteins. A comparison is assessed with the so-called hard sphere model of globular proteins. Results seem to reconcile the view that the protein interior is liquid-like with the observation that protein organization resembles an assembly of closely packed spheres.
Additional Material:
2 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
