Building Proteins from Scratch
Posted on Thursday 20 November 2003
Stringing together random amino acids is unlikely to result in a protein-like molecule, but add a little design and structures that fold up just like real proteins are possible. In research appearing in PNAS, Michael Hecht of Princeton University and colleagues describe a combinatorial library approach to making artificial proteins. In this method, chains of amino acids that alternate between water-loving (polar) and water-hating (nonpolar) are built up. The precise amino acid added is randomly chosen from a pool. The underlying pattern of polar and nonpolar amino acids, the researchers hoped, would lead to sequences that adopt three-dimensional shapes similar to proteins. The team created a large library of such sequences and singled out one so-called "de novo" protein, labeled S-824, for detailed study. Using spectroscopy to check its 3D shape in solution, the team found that S-824 formed a unique structure with features resembling those seen in natural proteins. These features include a non-polar core with a polar surface. Such artificial proteins might ultimately be used as catalysts in the biotech industry, as drug-delivery agents, and as smart materials. [link]
Artificial protein S-824 has features similar to natural proteins.
