Cyclodextrins as protein folding aids.

Aggregation of proteins is a frequent occurrence during their transition from random coil to native structure. The influence of cyclodextrins in the refolding of carbonic anhydrase under aggregating conditions was studied. Cyclodextrin prevented formation of protein aggregates during renaturation of carbonic anhydrase. In addition, over 90% of active enzyme was recovered even at protein concentrations as high as 67 microM. The enhanced protein reactivation by cyclodextrins may be due to their ability to bind to hydrophobic sites in protein folding intermediate(s) followed by their subsequent removal as the protein refolds.