The role of aggregation gatekeepers in proteostasis. KU Leuven
Most proteins are only functional upon the acquisition of a specific three-dimensional structure, their native fold. Upon their ribosomal birth however, proteins are elongated, linear concatenations of amino acids. This necessitates an intricate folding reaction, by which the unfolded molecule is shaped into its functional conformation. A major driver in this process is hydrophobicity: in the aqueous cytosol, it is energetically favorable to ...