How Proteins Self-Assemble in Cells

Proteins can self-assemble into working complexes inside cells. Some complexes are homomeric, which means they contain more than one copy of the same protein. Others are heteromeric, which means they are built from different protein types.

Most protein complexes form through ordered self-assembly...

Most proteins do not function as fully extended polypeptide chains but assemble into compact multicomponent complexes. During assembly, the growing complex must distinguish its specific components from a mixture of hundreds of different protein and non-protein species present in the cell. 

Protein complexes can be either homomeric, consis...