The evolving role of 3D domain swapping in proteins.

Abstract 3D domain swapping is increasingly implicated in amyloidosis but also has potential functional advantages in soluble proteins. Indeed, the structure of an NF-κB p50 mutant (Chirgadze et al., 2004) demonstrates that 3D domain swapping can rescue function after a destabilizing mutation. This work has wider implications for the evolution of protein oligomers.