Protein heat capacity: inconsistencies in the current view of cold denaturation

The present study shows on the basis of the thermodynamic stability criterion (partial derivative S/partial derivative T)(p) > 0 that partitioning of the entropy of cold-unfolding of a protein into independent positive conformational and negative hydrational contributions is incorrect. Furthermore it provides a new microscopic interpretation of protein heat capacity that takes into account the significant fluctuations in energy and entropy which result from the small size of these macromolecules. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.