Which of the statements about Denaturation given below are correct?Statements:(a) Denaturation of proteins causes loss of secondary and tertiary structures…

31 2011 AIPMT-MAINS BiomoleculesProteins and nucleic acids Easy
Which of the statements about Denaturation given below are correct?
Statements:
(a) Denaturation of proteins causes loss of secondary and tertiary structures of the protein
(b) Denaturation leads to the conversion of double strand of DNA into single strand
(c) Denaturation affects primary structure which gets distorted"
A (a) and (b)
B (a), (b) and (c)
C (b) and (c)
D (a) and (c)

Detailed Solution

When a protein is subjected to a change in temperature or pH, the hydrogen bonds are disturbed; the globules unfold and the helices uncoil, and the protein loses its biological activity. This is denaturation.
During denaturation the secondary and tertiary structures are destroyed, so (a) is correct.
The primary structure, i.e., the sequence of amino acids held by peptide bonds, remains intact, so (c) is wrong.
On heating DNA, the hydrogen bonds between the complementary base pairs break and the double strand separates into two single strands; this is denaturation (melting) of DNA, so (b) is correct.
Hence the correct statements are (a) and (b).

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