Exact Solution to the Extended Zwanzig Model for Quasi-Sigmoidal Chemically Induced Denaturation Profiles: Specific Heat and Configurational Entropy
Figure 1
Sigmoidal and quasisigmoidal denaturation profiles for a chemically induced protein denaturation. Quasisigmoidal denaturation profile is composed by the superposition of three linear processes called I, II, and III with different slopes (gray solid line). Average rate at which native contacts break has a good correspondence between initial and final stages (processes I and III, resp.). The central discrepancy arises in the abrupt change artificially induced by the linear nature of process II. However, as we shall see, this is not a fundamental issue for the results obtained. Values used for quasisigmoidal pattern are given by and , where process I intersects II and process II intersects process III, respectively. A chain of residues is considered which is completely denatured at 8 Molar.
