correo-e: ajsj@ssk.es
Licenciado en Química, Universidad de Granada
(España). 1979.
Doctor en Química Física. Universidad de Granada, 1983.
Fulbright Scholar: 1984-1986. The Medical College of Virginia (USA).
Posición actual: Catedrático de Química Física, Universidad de Granada.
Miembro del Consejo Editorial de Biophysical Chemistry.
Campos de interés:
Relación estructura-energética en macromoléculas biológicas.
Plegamiento de proteínas. Contribuciones electrostáticas a la
estabilidad de las proteínas. Diseño racional de proteínas.
Estructura residual en estados desnaturalizados.
Evolución molecular.
Conferencia
Caracterización del desplegamiento de proteínas por Calorimetría Diferencial
de Barrido: la energética de la estabilidad de proteínas
y el plegamiento downhill
Resumen
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) has a long history of interesting
and useful applications in the field of protein energetics (and also, in
the energetic analysis of other biological systems). In fact, DSC studies
on protein thermal denaturation have played a central role in the development
of current views about the factors that determine protein stability.
Reviews on the various aspects of this technique are available in the
literature. It may appear, therefore, that DSC cannot be considered as
an "emerging technique" in any sense of the word. However, there have been
several recent developments in DSC of proteins that merit a special
consideration. First and foremost, recent studies (in which DSC has been
instrumental) have provided evidence for the downhill (barrierless) character
of the folding process for some small proteins. Needless to say, the
existence of downhill folding (and the possibility that it may be detected
by DSC) may have a huge influence in future studies on protein folding and
stability. In addition, studies published in the last few years have made
apparent that DSC can be used to probe complex processes involving, for
instance, interactions of proteins with other molecules or cooperative
changes in protein denatured states. In this talk I will describe in some
detail these and other "emerging applications" of DSC, although I will
also provide a short, general introduction to the technique.