Chaperonins

Abstract

The challenge in proteinfolding ist he productionofthe native, activeconformationfromtheprimarysequence information. In vivo, inthecytosolicenvironment,acqui- sition ofthenativeconformationisincompetitionwith proteolytic degradationand/orintracellularprecipi- tation. Chaperoneproteinsassistinfindingthenative fold inallcellularphases,andthesekeycomponents of thecellularmachineryoccurubiquitouslythrough archaea, bacteriaandeukarya.Chaperoninsarecomplex polymeric proteinsthatformaclosedenvironment,the ‘Anfinsen cage’,toallowcorrectproteinfoldingtriggered by adenosinetriphosphatehydrolysis,avoidinginter- molecular aspecificaggregation.Thechaperoninspre- vent proteinunfoldingandmisfolding,eventsresponsible for severalhumandiseases,suchascancerandamyloid diseases. Thechaperoninsareconsideredpotentialdrug targets duetotheirroleinproteinmisfolding,aggre- gation anddenaturationandincellular signalling