The secret of bleach

2008/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biokimika

Bleach is known to be an effective disinfectant, since it is a hypochlorite, very oxidized, but so far scientists have not known what the mechanism of disinfection is. Now, a biochemist at the University of Michigan has found that when the hypochlorite concentration is high, the bacterium activates a protein, the Hsp33. It is a defense system that helps many other proteins to maintain a three-dimensional structure. This means that the hypochlorite alters the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Finally, from a concentration, the Hsp33 protein cannot protect other proteins.