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Article: Solutions to stabilisation issues: proteins employed as diagnostic agents must be kept stable to maintain their structure and viability. Multiple strategies to address stabilisation issues are presented here.(materials)
- Article from:
- Medical Device Technology
- Article date:
- May 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Octo Media Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Stability of proteins
Proteins are flexible polymeric molecules with functional three-dimensional catalytic or binding sites. (1) The spatial arrangement of amino acids in the catalytic and/or binding site depends on how these amino acids interact with each other, the solvent and solute molecules. (2-4)
Protein molecules are comprised of hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids. This composition results in the protein's spontaneous folding in aqueous solution. Most of the hydrophobic amino acids are clustered in the inner pocket of the globular molecule, whereas the polar amino acids are concentrated in the hydrated exterior. (5,6) In addition to ...