8. Concluding remarks
The diversity and ubiquitous nature of the amyloid fold is
now easily appreciated. Amyloids can be utilized as structural
material, toxins, surface-active fibers, genetic material, adhesins,
host mimetics, and likely much more. While amyloid
represents a conserved, versatile, and important protein fold,
the use of amyloids requires dedicated systems in order to
limit toxic amyloid formation in the wrong place and/or at the
wrong time. A detailed understanding of these systems will no
doubt yield insights into both protein misfolding diseases and
microbial physiology.