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Biology vocabulary · Molecules of Life and Metabolism

Denature

Meaning in biology, with examples

/diːˈneɪtʃər/verbCommon term

In biology, denature means: To change the natural folded shape of a protein or DNA, for example with heat, extreme pH or chemicals, so that it can no longer work normally.

In Turkish: denatüre etmek, denatüre olmak

How it is used

Often used in the passive or without an object: the enzyme is denatured, the protein denatures above 60 °C. In PCR, heating to about 95 °C denatures double-stranded DNA into single strands. The noun is denaturation; the reverse is renaturation.

Example sentences

  1. Boiling denatures the proteins in egg white, which is why it turns solid.

  2. The samples were heated to 95 °C to denature the DNA.

Common collocations

  • denatured protein
  • heat-denatured
  • denaturing conditions
  • denaturation step
  • enzymeA molecule, usually a protein, that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing without being used up. Each enzyme acts on a specific substrate at its active site.
  • proteinA large molecule made of one or more chains of amino acids folded into a specific shape. Proteins build cell structures, speed up reactions and carry signals.
  • PCRShort for polymerase chain reaction, a lab technique that makes millions of copies of a chosen piece of DNA in a few hours through repeated cycles of heating and cooling.
  • DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.

More terms: Molecules of Life and Metabolism

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