[Protein folding: in vitro studies]

Protein folding is a topic of fundamental interest since it concerns the mechanisms by which the genetic information is translated into the three-dimensional and functional structure of proteins. In these post-genomic times, the knowledge of the fundamental principles is required in the exploitation of the information contained in the increasing number of sequenced genomes. Protein folding also has a practical application in the understanding of different pathologies associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. Significant advances have been made ranging from the Anfinsen postulate to the "new view" which describes the folding process in terms of an energy landscape. These insights arise from both theoretical and experimental studies. Unravelling the mechanisms of protein folding represents one of the most challenging problems to day. This is an extremely active field of research involving aspects of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science and physics.