Upgrading to an OS that supports T-bird v. 52; will my profile folder from v. 45.8 work OK with v.52.4 - or are there differences in the profile architectures?

I'm finally poised to upgrade from Snow Leopard to El Capitan (which is as far as I can go with my computer) - meaning that I can then upgrade from T-bird 45.8 to T-bird 52.4. I understand about the fact that all my emails & other info are in the profile folder and wouldn't be deleted with an uninstall. My Q is: will my current profile folder (from v.45.8) work in T-bird 52.4? If so, then, once I upgrade the OS, I'll just uninstall v.45.8 and install v.52.4, and go on my merry way. If not, then what would I need to do in order to keep everything but be able to use the latest T-bird version? Best--David