[The formation and development of the denaturation theory of injuries and irritation].

The main idea of the denaturation theory (Nasonov, Aleksandrov, 1940) is that the reversible denaturation changes in the most unstable cellular proteins lay in the basis of the similar nonspecific injuries in the cell caused by different agents. Changes of this type also may be developed in the cell as the result of physiological stimuli. The latter suggestion is confirmed by current data about increasing of the conformational flexibility of the protein receptors under specific challenge. Conformational changes of the proteins to "the molten globule state" which is intermediate between native and denaturated states take place in many biological processes. Decrease of the conformational flexibility of the proteins connected with increase of their thermostability also plays an important role in the cell activity at normal and stress conditions. Denaturation theory of the injuries and irritation led to the understanding of the correlation in the ectothermic organisms between life temperature and the level of the conformational flexibility of their proteins which should be supported in the semi-stable state.