AP BIOLOGY

LABORATORY REVIEW

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What factors can cause denaturation of proteins?
A
High temperature
B
Low pH
C
High pH
D
Low temperature
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Heating, exposure to acids or bases and even violent physical action can cause denaturation to occur. The albumin protein in egg white is denatured by heating so that it forms a semisolid mass.

Detailed explanation-2: -Acids and bases can significantly change the environmental pH of proteins, which disrupts the salt bridges and hydrogen bonding formed between the side chains, leading to denaturation.

Detailed explanation-3: -The change of pH will lead to the ionization of amino acids atoms and molecules, change the shape and structure of proteins, thus damaging the function of proteins.

Detailed explanation-4: -Posted January 25, 2021. DNA is susceptible to denaturing at high alkaline pH levels. Alkaline solutions with a pH 11 or greater are characterized by an abundance of hydroxide ions. These negatively-charged ions adversely affect the stability of the DNA double helix by removing hydrogen ions from the base pairs of DNA.

Detailed explanation-5: -Increasing the pH by adding a base converts the-NH+3 ion to a neutral-NH2 group. Decreasing the pH by adding an acid converts the –COO-ion to a neutral-COOH group. In each case the ionic attraction disappears, and the protein shape unfolds. Various amino acid side chains can hydrogen bond to each other.

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