denaturation of proteins

Question 1

what is denaturation?

Answer 1

denaturation is an alteration in the tertiary structure of a protein and this loss of three dimensional shape of a protein is often irreversible and the protein is no longer functional

Question 2

what is denaturation caused by?

Answer 2

denaturation
- is usually caused by the breaking of hydrogen and ionic bonds
- can be caused by high temperatures above the optimum, extreme changes in pH and by heavy metals

Question 3

what bonds are broken at lower temperatures?

Answer 3

disulphide bonds are not broken at the temperatures which break hydrogen and ionic bonds