PROTEIN-STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS AT HIGH-PRESSURE

The effect of pressure on the structure and dynamics of proteins is di scussed in the framework of the pressure-temperature stability phase d iagram. The elastic (reversible) properties, thermal expansion, compre ssibility and heat capacity, are correlated with the entropy, volume, and the coupling between entropy and volume fluctuations respectively. The experimental approaches that can be used to measure these quantit ies are reviewed. The plastic (conformational) changes reflect the cha nges in these properties in the cold, pressure and heat denaturation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.