Making topological protein links using enzymatic reactions.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Castells-Graells, Roger; Yeates, Todd O
- Source
- National Science Review. Mar2024, Vol. 11 Issue 3, p1-2. 2p.
- Subject
- *PROTEINS
*TETRAHYDROFOLATE dehydrogenase
*PROTEIN domains
*P53 protein
- Language
- ISSN
- 2095-5138
The article discusses the complexity of proteins and the various modifications that can occur in their structure. It highlights the importance of these modifications in stabilizing proteins against external forces. The article also mentions the rare occurrence of protein backbones forming knots or being linked together. The creation of topologically complex protein backbones is demonstrated through the use of enzymatic reactions and 3D modeling. The researchers were able to create a catenane, a closed interlinked chain, using the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. The catenane showed superior thermal stability compared to its natural linear form. The article suggests that advancements in machine-learning and artificial intelligence tools for protein engineering can further enhance the design of topologically complex proteins. [Extracted from the article]