Controlling Protein Dissociation and Association Reactions Using High Pressure

Abstract

Aggregation of proteins is a serious problem, affecting both human health and industrial production of proteins. We have recently succeeded in showing that association and dissociation of amyloid protofibrils can be controlled reversibly with pressure and the protofibril formation is a slow process toward thermodynamic equilibrium. Extensive studies have recently been carried out also by other workers on dissociation of oligomer/aggregate of proteins using high pressure. This article reviews the current progress of such studies including dissociation of amyloid fibrils and refolding from inclusion bodies. These studies show that pressure is one of the useful tools for controlling protein dissociation and association reaction.