How do chaperonins assist polypeptides to become fully functional proteins?

Proteins are polypeptides consisting of unbranched polymers constructed from 22 standard α-amino acids. They have four levels of structural organization and undergo folding to attain functional specificity. These distinct structural levels are known as primary, secondary, tertiary and quarternary structures of a protein.

Protein folding is the physical process by which a polypeptide folds into its characteristic and functional three dimensional confirmation. The correct three-dimensional structure is essential for protein folding and function. Failure to fold into native structure produces inactive proteins.