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Protein engineering entails the
chemical or genetic alteration of a protein in order to alter its function in a
predictable manner and requires the interaction of physicists, chemists,
biochemists, molecular biologists, and computer scientists.
A complete understanding of the
relationship between structure and function is required for precise and
effective manipulation. The advent of molecular genetic techniques and advances
made in gene cloning has enabled the selective alteration of a gene so that the
end-product protein will have novel properties.
Alteration of the gene
can involve changing specific base-pairs (a technique known as site-directed
mutagenesis), or the introduction of a new piece of DNA into the existing DNA
molecule (this is known as the production of a
chimeric gene).
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Applications Of Protein Engineering |
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Some important developments
have been made with respect to protein engineering, including:
1.
Increased the
thermal stability of Lysoszyme, an important enzyme
2.
Improved binding
of small molecules to protein receptors on cell surfaces
3.
Altered
specificity of DNA-binding proteins and specific metabolic enzymes
4.
Improved
biological properties of enzymes, such as pH, specificity, and thermal stability
e.g., Subtilisin (a bacterial detergent enzyme)
Protein engineering can be
utilized to facilitate protein design for the
production of protein and peptide mimics (e.g.,
neuropeptidase inhibitors), for enzyme inhibitors which are effective as
pharmaceuticals, and for vaccine development (synthesis of
oligopeptides that can induce a positive immune response). Advances in
protein engineering may bring about further applications from materials
technology to bioelectronics, and from ecology to health. |
