Protein folding and cosmology

Details Protein folding and cosmology Protein folding and cosmology

1997-06-04

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9706040v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

12 pages, LaTex

Scientific paper

Protein denaturing induced by supercooling is interpreted as a process where some or all internal symmetries of the native protein are spontaneously broken. Hence, the free-energy potential corresponding to a folding-funnel landscape becomes temperature-dependent and describes a phase transition. The idea that deformed vortices could be produced in the transition induced by temperature quenching, from native proteins to unfolded conformations is discussed in terms of the Zurek mechanism that implements the analogy between vortices, created in the laboratory at low energy, and the cosmic strings which are thought to have been left after symmetry breaking phase transitions in the early universe. An experiment is proposed to test the above idea which generalizes the cosmological analogy to also encompass biological systems and push a step ahead the view that protein folding is a biological equivalent of the big bang.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Protein folding and cosmology does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Protein folding and cosmology, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Protein folding and cosmology will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-552578