Chemistry
The Role of Chaperonins in Preventing Protein Misfolding and Aggregation
Quick fact
Chaperonins, such as the bacterial GroEL, form a giant barrel that physically isolates a misfolding protein from the rest of the cell, giving it a protected space to fold correctly—a strategy so effective that it can even rescue proteins that would otherwise aggregate.
Why this is interesting
Inside every cell, thousands of proteins are being built every second—yet they almost never clump together into toxic goo. How does the cell manage such a crowded, dangerous environment?