Acid denaturation of proteins can be considered catalysis?
I know that protein denaturation can be brought on by both heat treatment and pH extremes, but I was wondering if the H+/OH- ions can be considered a catalyst in this reaction? I recently did a kinetic study where I found the activation energy of egg white denaturation with HCl and without, finding that it was lower with HCl, so I was wondering this could be considered to be acid catalysis, since the H+ ions help unfold the protein? If yes, can you elaborate more on the role of acid in this reaction?
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Answer:
Denaturation is a process in which proteins or nucleic acids lose the quaternary structure, tertiary structure, and secondary structure which is present in their native state, by application of some external stress or compound such as a strong acid or base, a concentrated inorganic salt, an organic solvent (e.g., alcohol or chloroform), radiation or heat. If proteins in a living cell are denatured, this results in disruption of cell activity and possibly cell death. Protein denaturation is also a consequence of cell death. Denatured proteins can exhibit a wide range of characteristics, from conformational change and loss of solubility to aggregation due to the exposure of hydrophobic groups. Denatured proteins lose their 3D structure and therefore cannot function.