Applications of NMR to thermostable proteins

Thermostable proteins have always been of significant interest in several scientific areas. In the last decade, the developments in the field of molecular and structural biology have offered important insights into the determinants of protein thermostability. Following an introductory section on thermostable proteins, extremophilic organisms and the determinants of protein thermostability, this chapter covers applications of NMR to the study of thermoresistant proteins. Particular attention has been paid to papers dealing with structural comparisons between proteins from thermophilic micro-organisms and their corresponding mesophilic counterparts, the structure–function relationships of proteins from thermophilic sources and the factors involved in protein thermostability. The data reported, highlight the accepted assumption that there is not a single determinant of protein thermostability, rather an optimal occurrence of several factors