While proteins may conjure up the thought of a hunk of meat or a chunk of tofu, the proteins we eat are not the same as those our body makes. Proteins are, quite literally, the workhorses keeping us alive. Manufactured from building blocks called amino acids, with instructions supplied from DNA, long one-dimensional chains of amino acids then bend and fold, twist and turn into complex three-dimensional shapes. Those shapes are proteins — incredibly powerful machines that perform nearly all tasks in the body. Some proteins build structures like muscles or skin, others carry messages, fight infections, or facilitate essential chemical reactions within cells — without proteins, life would not be possible.

“Proteins can be thought of as tiny machines enabling our cells to function,” said Stowers Institute Postdoctoral Research Associate Alex Von Schulze, Ph.D., from the lab of Assistant Investigator Randal Halfmann, Ph.D. “Their three-dimensional structures determine which cellular tasks they perform.”

The protein folding process is tightly regulated to ensure proteins can perform their vast range of roles. Proteins give cells their structures, move molecules around the inside of cells, send messages between cells, organize DNA into chromosomes, and even help cells make more proteins. Other types of proteins include enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions within our cells and hormones — the chemical messengers that regulate various functions such as metabolism and reproduction.

Some proteins can stick together to form large crystal-like structures called amyloids — the focus of the Halfmann Lab. Amyloids are typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; however, they can also be beneficial. They are a key part of our immune system, protecting us from viral and bacterial invaders, and are even associated with how long-term memories are stored in the brain — a research focus of the lab of Stowers Scientific Director Kausik Si, Ph.D.

Yet when proteins do not fold correctly, the outcomes are serious. Von Schulze explained, “When something goes wrong during the folding process, the consequences can be linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and congenital conditions.” 
Von Schulze added, “At the Stowers Institute, we investigate how proteins are made, how they fold, and how they function in complex biological systems. By understanding proteins at this level, we’re uncovering the principles that govern how cells — and ultimately life — work.”