HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
A Sensor, A Switch, A Zipper: Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool

Heralding a major advance in the field of protein engineering, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have designed a protein that toggles between two different structures upon binding a small molecule. The designed property is significant because many biological processes depend on a protein's ability to change its shape in response to outside signals. The scientists predict that with further refinements, their protein may one day be used to detect environmental toxins or--in a laboratory setting--act as a switch to activate genes or as a molecular zipper to join together proteins.

The newly designed structure is featured in the cover article of the June 1996 issue of Nature Structural Biology.

"This designed protein is novel because it responds to its environment by undergoing a dramatic structural change," said Dr. Tom Alber, an x-ray crystallographer and the study's lead scientist.

The scientists synthesized their own version of a common protein structure called a double-helical coiled coil. This structure is composed of two helices that wrap like grape vines around each other. The design incorporated a selective binding site such that when the researchers added a small molecule, benzene, the two helices intertwined with a third to create a triple-helical coiled coil.

This structural change could enable the protein to indicate the presence of benzene, which is a carcinogen, said Dr. Alber. Additional proteins could be designed to detect other environmental pollutants--but not quite yet. "The present design binds compounds such as benzene too weakly to beat your nose as a detection system," said Dr. Alber.

<
'"/>

Contact: Alisa Zapp
zappa@gm1.nigms.nih.gov
301-496-7301
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
31-Dec-1996


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Protein is key to fatal disorder and normal cell function
2. Protein is key for digestive function of the pancreas
3. Proteins show promise for mosquito control
4. Protein involved in childhood disorder linked to cancer
5. Protein fishing in America: The movie
6. Protein vaccine fully protects mice from lethal aerosol challenge with ricin toxin
7. Protein key to trafficking in nerve terminals
8. Protein controls acid in cells by direct detection of volume changes, study finds
9. Protein believed to control formation of memory identified by Scripps & UCSD scientists
10. Protein stops blood-vessel growth, holds promise as cancer therapy
11. Proteins transform DNA into molecular velcro

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Sensor Switch Zipper Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool

(Date:5/23/2013)... the world,s most popular fruit, can be made both ... GM varieties. , "Working with GM tomatoes that ... of a specific compound, allows us to pinpoint exactly ... Martin from the John Innes Centre. , The research ... health and shelf life characteristics because even higher levels ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... than 13,000 ships per year, carrying more than 284 million ... roughly $1.8 billion dollars in toll fees for the Panama ... 55 million gallons of water are used from Gatun Lake, ... million people living in the isthmus. , However, the ... 20 percent of the ships at sea, has demanded change. ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses ... revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver ... and colleagues believe they are changing long-held views in ... issue of the journal Science Signaling . , ... years has been that only receptors located in the ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting 2Reforestation study shows trade-offs between water, carbon and timber 2Reforestation study shows trade-offs between water, carbon and timber 3UCI study reveals new mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis 2
(Date:5/24/2013)... May 24, 2013 Quincy Bioscience, ... and development of calcium-binding proteins to support healthy ... safety assessment study of apoaequorin in ... published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. ... to investigate potential adverse effects, if any, of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013  BioScrip, Inc. (NASDAQ: ... present at the Jefferies 2013 Global Healthcare Conference to ... New York. Richard Smith ... Hai Tran , Chief Financial Officer, will present ... Daylight Time.   About BioScrip BioScrip, ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 PuraMed BioScience ® , ... of over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal and healthcare products, announced ... the company based on low market capitalization valuation. ... All Natural Product to Treat Migraine Headaches ... Prescription Competitor , Currently Available Nationwide at ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 VG Energy, an ... with DAK Renewable Research to conduct field trials ... VG Energy is a majority owned subsidiary of ... VG Energy,s exclusively licensed compound LipidMax selectively ... yield in plants, possessing a wide variety of ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Safety Assessment Study of Apoaequorin Published in Food and Chemical Toxicology 2PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 2PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 3VG Energy Enters into a Strategic Alliance with DAK Renewable Research for LipidMax Field Trials 2VG Energy Enters into a Strategic Alliance with DAK Renewable Research for LipidMax Field Trials 3
Cached News: