Cell complexity: enzyme heat control (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 19:22 (3637 days ago) @ David Turell

"Proteins are essential to the human body, doing the bulk of the work within cells. Proteins are large molecules responsible for the structure, function, and regulation of tissues and organs. Enzymes—special proteins that catalyze chemical reactions within cells—are critical to every bodily function from breathing to walking. Some enzymes produce a lot of heat per reaction. Enough heat, in fact, that if that heat were to be injected in another protein, that protein would overheat and unfold. So, how do enzymes expel that heat without overheating and self-destructing?-"Pressé explains, enzymes respond to the energy released during catalytic reactions by expanding and contracting which in turn violently propels the enzyme and generates a pressure wave—the study authors call it a chemoacoustic wave—because it is caused by the heat of a chemical reaction.-"Think of proteins as stepping on landmines. We asked how does a protein avoid damage from the enormous amounts of heat released and not break apart? Now we have shown that they cope with this heat assault by pushing that energy outwards from the reaction site as chemoacoustic waves and propelling themselves away in the meanwhile," said Pressé."-
 Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-12-proteins-landmines-survive-immense.html#jCp-How much more complexity do I have to show the reader before one is very impressed that this is not likely to have been the result of chance events.