Microscopic collisions help proteins stay healthy
Friday, August 5, 2016 - 09:31
in Health & Medicine
Studies at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio are providing basic new understanding about "heat shock proteins," also called "chaperone proteins." These proteins, first identified in cells subjected to heat, are very important under many stressful and non-stressful metabolic conditions. They maintain proper protein function and, importantly, prevent the inappropriate accumulation of damaged proteins. For example, accumulation of damaged proteins such as beta amyloid, tau and synuclein are thought to be very important in the development of diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.