The Effects of Cyclodextrins on the Conformation of Proteins

The effects of cyclodextrins on the conformation of proteins can be classified to those on the main chains as well as those on the side chains of amino acid residues of proteins. Among those effects of cyclodextrins associated with the main chain, artificial chaperon function of large sized cyclodextrins, applied for the purpose of renaturating denatured synthesized proteins which were genetically produced using Bacillus coli as hosts, is widely utilized. As another application using the effect of cyclodextrins on the main chain of protein, the technique of so-called molecular imprinting is extensively studied. Those applications in these two fields will be shortly reviewed with regard to recent developments. Those effects of cyclodextrins associated with the side chains of proteins are interpreted as a result of inclusions of the side chains of aromatic amino acid residues. One typical effect of such inclusions, the lowering of the thermal stability of proteins will be introduced in this mini review.