THE FUNCTION OF VITRIFICATION IN NATIVE S TRUCTURE PRESERVATION IN PROTEIN DEHYDRATION PROCESS

Concentration dependencies of maximum temperature (T(d), thermal effec t of denaturation (DELTAQ(d)) and also of glass transition temperature (T(g)) were obtained in heat capacity investigation of five globular proteins with low water content. Special features of the observed T(d) and DELTAQ(d) dependencies, both general for polymers and specific fo r proteins, are discussed. The assumption is put forward that anomalou sly strong dependence of protein T(g) on humidity, bringing together g lass and denaturation transitions, results in the fact that denaturati on process can be observed in completely dehydrated proteins. The dena turation parameters of dry proteins were determined.