Chaperone proteins, apoE function

In the absence of steroid hormones the receptors remain in an inactive complex, designated the apo-receptor complex (review Pratt, 1993 Bohen, 1995). In the apore-ceptor complex the receptor is boimd to proteins belonging to the chaperone class. Chaperones are proteins whose levels are increased as a result of a stress situation, such as a rise in ambient temperature. The chaperones assume a central function in the folding process of proteins in the cell. Chaperones aid proteins in avoiding incorrectly folded states. They participate in the folding of proteins during and after ribosomal protein biosynthesis, during membrane transport of proteins, as well as in the correct assembly of protein complexes. 

---