title: The importance of being dimeric.
abstract: Why are there so many dimeric proteins and enzymes? While for heterodimers a functional explanation seems quite reasonable, the case of homodimers is more puzzling. The number of homodimers found in all living organisms is rapidly increasing. A thorough inspection of the structural data from the available literature and stability (measured from denaturation-renaturation experiments) allows one to suggest that homodimers can be divided into three main types according to their mass and the presence of a (relatively) stable monomeric intermediate in the folding-unfolding pathway. Among other explanations, we propose that an essential advantage for a protein being dimeric may be the proper and rapid assembly in the cellular milieu.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy. mei@med.uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Almerinda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Venere
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosato
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finazzi-Agrò
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D019281:Dimerization; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins