title: Folding of small disulfide-rich proteins: clarifying the puzzle.
abstract: The process by which small proteins fold to their native conformations has been intensively studied over the past few decades. The particular chemistry of disulfide-bond formation has facilitated the characterization of the oxidative folding of numerous small, disulfide-rich proteins with results that illustrate a high level of diversity in folding mechanisms, differing in the heterogeneity and native disulfide-bond content of their intermediates. Information from folding studies of these proteins, together with the recent structural determinations of predominant intermediates, has provided new molecular insights into oxidative folding and clarifies the major rules that govern it.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arolas
authors.forename: Francesc X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Aviles
authors.forename: Jui-Yoa
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ventura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D011506:Proteins