The importance of being dimeric.
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.
Mei
Giampiero
G
Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy. mei@med.uniroma2.it
Di Venere
Almerinda
A
Rosato
Nicola
N
Finazzi-Agrò
Alessandro
A
D002384:Catalysis; D019281:Dimerization; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D011506:Proteins