Differential Scanning Calorimetry

A wide variety of temperature-induced transitions in biological systems may be studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This includes such processes as thermal unfolding (denaturation) of proteins, lipid membrane phase transitions, nucleic acid ”melting,” and so forth (1 –5 ). Such experiments may be analyzed to give not only the T _M and energetics of the transitions, but also information on the cooperativity/ stoichiometry of the process (6 ,7 ), as well as associated processes, such as protonation changes (see Chapter 9 ). A useful compilation of calorimetric and other data for protein transitions may be found in ref. 8 .