SpIDA Surveys the Intricate Web of Macromolecular Oligomerization In Situ

The analysis of the quaternary state of proteins continues to be of importance in biophysics (1). Oligomerization is a key biological control mechanism in the functioning of proteins at the cell membrane and throughout the cellular milieu. For example, receptors involved in cell signaling appear to trigger cellular responses after dimerization or oligomerization from external cues (i.e., after ligand binding) (2). Likewise, an increasing number of diseases have been found to be related to inappropriate aggregation or oligomerization leading to pathological states (3).