Do proteins denaturate at 10°C?

[Arjan.]

Hi,

i need to know if the proteins denaturate when cooled from body temperature to 10°C (50 F).

To the best of my knowledge as a biologist, our proteins denaturate at 42°C or higher, but not at relatively low temperature, though i am not sure of the latter.

Who can enlighten me?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Some proteins are susceptible to cold denaturation. I'm not exactly sure if the mechanism behind cold denaturation is well understood, but probably it relates to changing the balance between the entropic forces (e.g. the hydrophobic effect) and enthalpic forces (e.g. electrostatic interactions) that allow proteins to maintain their shape.