Paolo de Los Rios — EPFL Losanna #
The non-equilibrium nature of the action of chaperones #
During their life, because of transients, fluctuations and
environmental stresses, proteins undergo several conformational transitions that challenge their ability to reach and maintain their native, functional state.

Cells have evolved an array of molecular machines, collectively called chaperones, that are able, through ATP hydrolysis, thus by energy consumption, to move 
proteins in a non-equilibrium steady state where the populations of the different conformations do not necessarily correlate with their thermodynamic stability.