The biology of molecular chaperones: very complex activities for quite simple proteins

Abstract

From a social perspective, the term chaperone refers to a person, usually a matron, who used to accompany young ladies in public and supervise young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior. By analogy, proteins that assist others in their proper folding and biological functions are also referred to as chaperones. From the historical perspective, the first recorded use of the term chaperone for a biological phenomenon was in 1976 for -taipoxin associated proteins...