Self-Assembly, Biological

Synonyms

Self-organization

Definition

Self-assembly is the process by which certain kinds of molecules in solution are able to associate into larger, more complex structures stabilized by hydrogen bonding and other generally non-covalent interactions.

Overview

The four forces that stabilize the structures of biomolecules are covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and the hydrophobic effect. The synthesis of covalent bonds requires a significant expenditure of energy and is not usually associated with self-assembly processes, which are low energy reactions that occur spontaneously without a direct input of metabolic energy. An example of self-assembly is the formation of secondary and tertiary structure of proteins, in which hydrogen bonding is essential. For instance, when peptide chains are synthesized by ribosomes, portions of the growing strand form hydrogen-bonded alpha helices and planar structures called beta sheets. These structures arise spontaneously and...