denaturation
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denaturation
[de-na″chur-a´shun]a change in the usual nature of a substance, as by the addition of methanol or acetone to alcohol to render it unfit for drinking, or the change in the physical properties of a substance, such as a protein or nucleic acid, caused by heat or certain chemicals that alter tertiary structure.
protein denaturation any nonproteolytic change in the chemistry, composition, or structure of a native protein that causes it to lose some or all of its unique or specific characteristics.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
de·na·tur·a·tion
(dē-na'tyū-rā'shŭn),The process of becoming denatured.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
de·na·tur·a·tion
(dē-nā'chŭr-ā'shŭn)The process of becoming denatured.
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
denaturation
1. Alteration in the folding pattern of a protein by heat or chemical reaction from its physiological conformation to an inactive shape.
2. In the case of DNA or RNA the conversion from a double-stranded structure to a single stranded structure, usually by heating. This is an essential stage in the POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION.
Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
denaturation
the breakdown of the bonds forming the quaternary, tertiary and secondary structures of PROTEINS and NUCLEIC ACIDS, a process that can be caused by various agents, such as excess heat, strong acids or alkalis, organic solvents and ultrasonic vibration. In some cases, denaturation is irreversible as in, for example, the heating of egg albumen to give solid egg white. When denaturation occurs in enzymes, they are inactivated, with major effects in living organisms. Denatured nucleic acids can often be returned to their original configuration in the process of renaturation.Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005