MOLECULAR CHAPERONES AND DISEASE

Molecular chaperones are intracellular protein-folding proteins which form part of an ancient cellular response to stress called the heat sh ock response. They have been the focus for attention during the last d ecade because of the discovery of their vital role in cell functioning . In very recent years additional roles for these 'topologically-activ e' proteins in the process of tissue pathology and its treatment have been indicated and are reviewed.