Skip to main content
Log in

Structural biology

Protein self-assembly intermediates

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Chemical Biology

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Proteins can self-assemble into functional states, or they can end up as aberrant and sometimes toxic aggregates. Metastable intermediate states are often detected in these processes, and their structural characterization provides vital information about the balance between functional and pathological behavior in living systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1: Schematic view of the various metastable and stable states in protein self-assembly.

References

  1. Kim, P.S. & Baldwin, R.L. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 59, 631–660 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Radford, S.E., Dobson, C.M. & Evans, P.A. Nature 358, 302–307 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kelly, J.W. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 8, 101–106 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Korzhnev, D.M., Religa, T.L., Banachewicz, W., Fersht, A.R. & Kay, L.E. Science 329, 1312–1316 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Neudecker, P. et al. Science 336, 362–366 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Jaremko, M. et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 9, 264–270 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chiti, F. & Dobson, C.M. Nat. Chem. Biol. 5, 15–22 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cremades, N. et al. Cell 149, 1048–1059 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lindorff-Larsen, K., Best, R.B., DePristo, M.A., Dobson, C.M. & Vendruscolo, M. Nature 433, 128–132 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cavalli, A., Salvatella, X., Dobson, C.M. & Vendruscolo, M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 9615–9620 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Michele Vendruscolo or Christopher M Dobson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vendruscolo, M., Dobson, C. Protein self-assembly intermediates. Nat Chem Biol 9, 216–217 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1210

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1210

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

This article is cited by

Navigation