Figure 7.

Mechanism explaining the heparin-dependent conformational phase diagram. Precipitation of HEWL was proposed to occur either by heparin-binding–induced charge-charge network formation or heparin-induced salting out/macromolecular crowding effects seen at high concentrations. Molecular models for the regions 1–6 of the complex phase diagram are illustrated below. The regions of crystal-like amyloid fibrils exist between the regions below saturation and those of glasslike amorphous aggregation. A small amount of amorphous aggregates formed under supersaturation were suggested to provide a site of heterogeneous nucleation.