Molecular Motor

How do cells disentangle clumped, and hence non-functional, proteins? A Dutch-German team including researchers from Heidelberg University explored this question. The researchers describe a molecular machine which pulls on exposed loops of the protein chains and extracts them from the protein aggregate. The research results were published in "Nature". Proteins are long, folded chains of amino acids that perform many critical functions in the cell - but only if they are properly folded. In contrast, clumped protein aggregates are not functional and linked to cellular ageing and numerous diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. All organisms have therefore developed molecules capable of disentangling such damaging aggregates. The question is how do these so-called chaperones make these repairs.