Metallochaperones

Metallochaperones are a distinct class of molecular chaperone that facilitate intracellular transport of metal ions to metalloenzymes and metalloproteins in cells through protein-protein interactions.[1] The proteins ensure that the correct metal ion is acquired by its corresponding metalloenzyme. Metallochaperones are essential to the proper functioning of cells, playing a vital role in a large number of biological processes including respiration, photosynthesis, neurotransmission.[2]

Prior to the discovery of metallochaperones in the late 1990s, biologists believed that metal ions freely diffused within cells without the aid of auxiliary proteins.