Protein Charactristics of Psychrophiles and Thermophiles

 

• Have specific amino acid present at critical positions in protein.
• Psychrophile proteins have more a-helix and less b-sheet secondary structure. Converse is true of thermophiles.
• Thermophiles have more salt bridges which help stabilize proteins.
• Psychrophile proteins have moe polar and less hydrophobic amino acid residues which help keep proteins flexible at low temperatures.
• Psychrophiles have higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids which allow membrane to remain intact, fluid, and functional at low temperatures. Converse is true of thermophiles.