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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter June 1, 2006

Protein aggregation in crowded environments

  • R. John Ellis and Allen P. Minton
From the journal Biological Chemistry

Abstract

The generic tendency of proteins to aggregate into non-functional, and sometimes cytotoxic, structures poses a universal problem for all types of cell. This tendency is greatly exacerbated by the high total concentration of macromolecules found within most intracellular compartments, a phenomenon referred to as macromolecular crowding. This review discusses the quantitative effects of crowding on protein aggregation and the role of molecular chaperones in combating this problem.

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Corresponding author

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Published Online: 2006-06-01
Published in Print: 2006-05-01

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