Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Assessing Bacterial Chaperone Activity via Thermal Unfolding of a Model Protein
Published on: November 28, 2025
Influence of moderate electric fields in β-lactoglobulin thermal unfolding and interactions
Rui M Rodrigues1, Zita Avelar1, António A Vicente1
1CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, P-4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
Abstract:
In this study, the effects of moderate electric fields during thermal denaturation of β-lactoglobulin were examined through an in situ circular dichroism approach, complemented by intrinsic extrinsic fluorescence analysis. Results have shown that the effects of electric fields in protein unfolding were linearly dependent on the applied electric field intensity (V/cm) and increased by the use of low electric frequencies - i.e. 50 to 200 Hz. These electric effects caused significant changes on β-lactoglobulin melting temperature, unfolded conformation and subsequent intermolecular interactions, revealed by the increase of surface hydrophobicity (ANS affinity) and higher conservation of retinol binding. The obtained data provides a clear evidence that moderate electric fields contribute to distinct folding/unfolding of β-lactoglobulin, resulting in structural modifications. These findings are relevant for (bio)-technological applications involving electric fields processing, bringing new insights for the development of innovative strategies to control protein function and tune production of functional protein systems.
Related Concept Videos
02:38Assessing Bacterial Chaperone Activity via Thermal Unfolding of a Model Protein
10:23Electric Fields
An electric field is generated by a charged object (referred to as the source charge) in the space around it, and represents the ability to exert electric force on another charged object (referred to as the test charge). Represented by a vector at any given point in the space, the electric field is the electrical force per unit test charge placed at that point (the force...
01:16Electric Field
In the new picture, imagine that the first charge sets up an electric field independent of all other charges in the universe. When another charge comes in its vicinity, the second charge experiences an electric force depending on the electric field at that point. The source charge does not...
09:12Electric Charge in a Magnetic Field
This experiment duplicates J.J. Thomson's famous experiment at the end of the 19th century, in which he measured the charge-to-mass ratio of the electron. In combination with Robert A. Millikan's oil-drop experiment a few years later that produced a value for the charge of the electron, the experiments enabled scientists to find, for the first time, both the mass and the charge of the electron, which are key...
04:43β-Lactamase-Based Conductimetric Biosensor Assay for Protein-Protein Interactions
01:12Determining Electric Field From Electric Potential
In general, regardless of whether the electric field is uniform, it points in the direction of decreasing potential because the force on a positive...