Solvent Effects on Protein Stability and Protein Association

Biochemical processes involving proteins and nucleic acids have been the focus of intensive research by chemists, physicists, biochemists, and biologists. These macromolecules are known to form highly specific structures that are essential for their function in biological systems. Examples are the folding of proteins to a well-defined three-dimensional (3-D) structure, the association of proteins to form multisubunit macrostructures such as hemoglobin and various regulatory enzymes, and the binding of proteins to DNA-a crucial step in the control and regulation of the transcription of genetic information.