Communication: Chemical functionality of interfacial water enveloping nanoscale structural defects in proteins

Abstract

Building upon a non-Debye multiscale treatment of water dielectrics, this work reveals the biochemical role of interfacial water enveloping nanoscale structural defects in soluble proteins, asserting its role as a chemical base. This quasi-reactant status is already implied by the significant concentration of structural defects in the vicinity of an enzymatically active site, delineating their role as promoters or enhancers of catalytic activity. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.