Defining the early stages of protein folding in the secretory pathway

Proteins are made as a string of amino acids which coil-up to adopt a characteristic shape or three-dimensional structure. Only one such shape is functional and the cell ensures that this shape is adopted by providing helper proteins to aid this process. If cells are unable to fold proteins correctly then disease results. For secreted proteins to fold they need to form links within the protein to tie the protein together. These links are called disulfide bonds. Without these bonds the protein would not fold and would not be secreted. This project will investigate how the correct bonds are formed.