Theoretical Approach to the Common Events in Every Living Cell - Protein Folding and Protein Misfolding

Folding and unfolding are crucial ways of regulating biological activity and targeting proteins to different cellular locations. Aggregation of misfolded proteins that escape the cellular quality-control mechanisms is a common feature of a wide range of highly debilitating and increasingly prevalent diseases. Protein misfolding is a common event in living cells. Molecular chaperones not only assist protein folding; they also facilitate the degradation of misfolded polypeptides. Protein folding is governed solely by the protein itself, scientists discovered that some proteins have helped in the process called chaperones. When the intracellular degradative capacity is exceeded, juxtanuclear aggresomes are formed to sequester misfolded proteins. Misfolding of newly formed proteins not only results in a loss of physiological function of the protein but also may lead to the intra- or extra- cellular accumulation of that protein. A number of diseases have been shown to be characterised by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, notable example being Alzheimer's disease.