Open AccessDenaturation: An Example of a Catastrophe
Author(s) -
John J. Kozak,
Craig J. Benham
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.71.5.1977
Subject(s) - denaturation (fissile materials) , ribonuclease , gravitational singularity , function (biology) , lysozyme , phase diagram , catastrophe theory , optical rotatory dispersion , physics , biological system , statistical physics , phase (matter) , chemistry , crystallography , biology , circular dichroism , rna , quantum mechanics , biochemistry , geology , genetics , geotechnical engineering , gene , nuclear physics
We show that a “phase diagram” for the conformational states of proteins can be constructed using the mathematical theory of singularities of functions developed recently by René Thom. For proteins subjected to the disruptive influences of temperature and/or concentration of denaturing agent, this theory can be used as a predictive tool to account for the shape, sense, and changes in the curves that result when the optical rotatory dispersion is plotted as a function of these two constraints. The mathematical model is found to be in accord with known experimental data on collagen, lysozyme, and ribonuclease.