Theory of cold denaturation of proteins

Abstract

A new approach to the problem of cold denaturation is presented. It is based on solvent-induced effects operating on hydrophilic groups along the protein. These effects are stronger than the corresponding hydrophobic effects, and they operate on the hydrophilic groups which are plentiful than hydrophobic groups. It is shown that both heat and cold denaturation can be explained by these hydrophilic effects.