Conformations chemical chaperones

A number of different low molecular weight compounds are known to stablize proteins in their native conformation and, therefore, may be effective in correcting of protein folding abnormalities in vivo. Relevant compounds are iV-acetyl-L-lysine, L-camitine, taurine, betaine, ectoine, and hydroxy-ectoine [4]. Some of these chemical chaperones and pharmacological chaperones are already used in clinical trials to combat protein folding diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. 

Several studies since then have supported this suggestion, and now it is widely accepted that conformational change/structural perturbation is a prerequisite for amyloid formation. Structural perturbation involves destabilization of the native state, thus forming nonnative states or partially unfolded intermediates (kinetic or thermodynamic intermediates), which are prone to aggregation. Mild to harsh conditions such as low pH, exposure to elevated temperatures, exposure to hydrophobic surfaces and partial denaturation using urea and guanidinium chloride are used to achieve nonnative states. Stabilizers of intermediate states such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) are also used for amyloidogenesis. However, natively unfolded proteins, such as a-synuclein, tau protein and yeast prion, require some structural stabilization for the formation of partially folded intermediates that are competent for fibril formation. Conditions for partial structural consolidation include low pH, presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), temperature or chemical chaperones. 

One of the most important aspects of protein synthesis is the folding of polypeptides into their biologically active conformations. Despite decades of investigation into the physical and chemical properties of polypeptide chains, the mechanism by which a primary sequence dictates the molecule s final conformation is unresolved. It has become increasingly clear that many proteins require molecular chaperones to fold into their final three-dimensional conformations. Protein mis-folding is now known to be an important feature of several human diseases, including Alzheimer s disease and Creutzfeld-Jacob disease. 

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