Oligomerization

Patent Pending In the context of biochemistry, an oligomer is usually referred to as a macromolecular complex formed by non-covalent bonding of a few macromolecules like proteins or nucleic acids. In this sense, a homo-oligomer would be formed by few identical molecules and by contrast, a hetero-oligomer would be made of three different macromolecules. Collagen is an example of homo-oligomeric protein that is composed of three identical protein chains. The term multimer (multi-, "more than one" + -mer, "part") is used with a meaning similar to that of oligomer in the context of proteins (although technical restrictions of word sense may exist).