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Native state
Additional recommended knowledgeMany enzymes and other non-structural proteins have more than one native state, and they operate or undergo regulation by transitioning between these states. However, "native state" is used almost exclusively in the singular, typically to distinguish properly folded proteins from denatured or unfolded ones. In other contexts, the folded shape of a protein is most often referred to as its "conformation" or "structure." Folded and unfolded proteins are often easily distinguished by virtue of their water solubilities, as many proteins become insoluble on denaturation. Proteins in the native state will have defined secondary structure, which can be detected spectroscopically, by circular dichroism and by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The native state of a protein can be distinguished from a molten globule, by among other things, distances measured by NMR. Amino acids widely separated in a protein's sequence may touch or lie very close to one another within a stably folded protein. In a molten globule, on the other hand, their time-averaged distances are liable to be greater. Learning how native state proteins can be manufactured is important, as attempts to create proteins from scratch have resulted in molten globules and not true native state products. Therefore, an understanding of the native state is crucial in protein engineering. MetallurgyWith respect to metals: the term native state refers to metals which are found chemically uncombined in nature. Most usable metallic ores in the Earth's crust are oxides or sulfides, and as such do not manifest the properties of refined metals. Occasionally, however, metals are found in uncombined metallic forms, in varying degrees of purity. These "metals found as metals" are referred to as being in their "native state". |
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Native_state". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |