What is denaturation?

Protein denaturation is a process in which a protein undergoes a structural change that in turn produces a functional change, which can lead to the total loss of biological function. This is considered a type of biochemical denaturation; the other type is the denaturation of nucleic acids (those that make up DNA and RNA).

Denaturation is usually accompanied by changes in the physicochemical properties of proteins, the most common being loss of solubility, although this does not always occur. A protein is one or more chains of amino acids that are coiled and folded into a specific three-dimensional structure. This three-dimensional structure is known as spatial conformation and it is essential for the protein to perform its function correctly, protein denaturation occurs when this spatial conformation is lost.

Proteins are formed in ribosomes (responsible for protein synthesis from the information contained in DNA) by reading and translating genes. Each gene carries the information of the amino acid sequence that will give rise to each protein in our body, this chain of amino acids adds other atoms or molecules such as copper, zinc, iron, etc., to give rise to the final protein that begins to fold on itself to adopt the spatial conformation necessary to correctly perform its biological function.

The loss of this conformation makes the protein unable to fulfill its biological function in the organism and is known as protein denaturation. It is a consequence of some external factor such as acidity or temperature, these factors are called denaturing agents.

It is important to take into account that the denaturation process does not affect the primary structure of the protein, that is, denaturation does not affect the amino acid chain that forms the protein, only its special conformation. A few exceptionally rare cases are known in which a denatured protein retains its biological function.

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