Supersaturation: The barrier between protein folding and misfolding

It's commonly accepted that protein folding/misfolding are alternative reactions of unfolded proteins but the principles governing this remain unknown. Here, researchers describe a general concept that links protein folding and misfolding: protein folding and amyloid formation are separated by the supersaturation barrier of a denatured protein. Breakdown of this supersaturation barrier is required to shift the protein to the amyloid pathway, linking Anfinsen's intramolecular folding universe with the 'outer' intermolecular misfolding universe.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/36u78hm