What thermodynamic changes accompany the generation of a prion?

Subject: What thermodynamic changes accompany the generation of a prion?

Date: Sun Oct 3 13:52:15 2004
Posted by No name entered.
Grade level: 10-12 School: No school entered.
City: No city entered. State/Province: No state entered. Country: UK
Area of science: Biochemistry
ID: 1096829535.Bc

Message:


My understanding is that proteins fold along the path which minimises the free 
energy of the resulting conformation. When a healthy protein is transformed 
into a prion, is the resulting configuration more or less stable, and if it is 
less stable, what enables this increase in enthalpy?

Re: What thermodynamic changes accompany the generation of a prion?

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