But help and cleaner shirts may be at hand. Researchers in Germany have identified a simple way to make some proteins heat-resistant. Stronger electrostatic attractions make the reshuffled chemical landscape harder to tear apart, protecting the vulnerable protein structure within.
Some proteins are harder to cook than others.
Particularly tough are those within bacteria belonging to a class called 'hyperthermophiles'. These hardy bugs live in boiling water. How their proteins stand the heat has puzzled biologists for years. It is now becoming clear that electrostatic interactions among the charged groups of a protein may be the strategy most often used. Perl and his team provide convincing evidence for this, Pace says.