Some thermodynamic implications for the thermostability of proteins
2001
An analysis of the thermodynamics of protein stability reveals a general tendency for proteins that denature
at higher temperatures to have greater free energies of maximal stability. To a reasonable approximation, the
temperature of maximal stability for the set of globular, water-soluble proteins surveyed by Robertson and
Murphy occurs at T* ∼283K, independent of the heat denaturation temperature, T_m. This observation
indicates, at least for these proteins, that thermostability tends to be achieved through elevation of the
stability curve rather than by broadening or through a horizontal shift to higher temperatures. The relationship
between the free energy of maximal stability and the temperature of heat denaturation is such that an
increase in maximal stability of ∼0.008 kJ/mole/residue is, on average, associated with a 1°C increase in T_m.
An estimate of the energetic consequences of thermal expansion suggests that these effects may contribute
significantly to the destabilization of the native state of proteins with increasing temperature.
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