This textbook introduces readers in an accessible and engaging way to the nuts and bolts of protein expression and engineering. Various case studies illustrate each step from the early sequence searches in online databases over plasmid design and molecular cloning techniques to protein purification and characterization. Furthermore, readers are provided with practical tips to successfully pursue a career as a protein engineer. With protein engineering being a fundamental technique in almost all molecular biology labs, the book targets advanced undergraduates and graduate students working in molecular biology, biotechnology and related scientific fields.
Protein engineering is a fascinating mixture of molecular biology, protein structure analysis, computation, and biochemistry, with the goal of developing useful or valuable proteins. Protein Engineering Protocols will consider the two general, but not mutually exclusive, strategies for protein engineering. The first is known as rational design, in which the scientist uses detailed knowledge of the structure and function of the protein to make desired changes. The s- ond strategy is known as directed evolution. In this case, random mutagenesis is applied to a protein, and selection or screening is used to pick out variants that have the desired qualities. By several rounds of mutation and selection, this method mimics natural evolution. An additional technique known as DNA shuffling mixes and matches pieces of successful variants to produce better results. This process mimics recombination that occurs naturally during sexual reproduction. The first section of Protein Engineering Protocols describes rational p- tein design strategies, including computational methods, the use of non-natural amino acids to expand the biological alphabet, as well as impressive examples for the generation of proteins with novel characteristics. Although procedures for the introduction of mutations have become routine, predicting and und- standing the effects of these mutations can be very challenging and requires profound knowledge of the system as well as protein structures in general.
"In this book, Andy Baxevanis and Francis Ouellette . . . haveundertaken the difficult task of organizing the knowledge in thisfield in a logical progression and presenting it in a digestibleform. And they have done an excellent job. This fine text will makea major impact on biological research and, in turn, on progress inbiomedicine. We are all in their debt." —Eric Lander from the Foreword Reviews from the First Edition "...provides a broad overview of the basic tools for sequenceanalysis ... For biologists approaching this subject for the firsttime, it will be a very useful handbook to keep on the shelf afterthe first reading, close to the computer." —Nature Structural Biology "...should be in the personal library of any biologist who usesthe Internet for the analysis of DNA and protein sequencedata." —Science "...a wonderful primer designed to navigate the novice throughthe intricacies of in scripto analysis ... The accomplished genesearcher will also find this book a useful addition to theirlibrary ... an excellent reference to the principles ofbioinformatics." —Trends in Biochemical Sciences This new edition of the highly successful Bioinformatics:A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteinsprovides a sound foundation of basic concepts, with practicaldiscussions and comparisons of both computational tools anddatabases relevant to biological research. Equipping biologists with the modern tools necessary to solvepractical problems in sequence data analysis, the Second Editioncovers the broad spectrum of topics in bioinformatics, ranging fromInternet concepts to predictive algorithms used on sequence,structure, and expression data. With chapters written by experts inthe field, this up-to-date reference thoroughly covers vitalconcepts and is appropriate for both the novice and the experiencedpractitioner. Written in clear, simple language, the book isaccessible to users without an advanced mathematical or computerscience background. This new edition includes: All new end-of-chapter Web resources, bibliographies, andproblem sets Accompanying Web site containing the answers to the problems,as well as links to relevant Web resources New coverage of comparative genomics, large-scale genomeanalysis, sequence assembly, and expressed sequence tags A glossary of commonly used terms in bioinformatics andgenomics Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genesand Proteins, Second Edition is essential reading forresearchers, instructors, and students of all levels in molecularbiology and bioinformatics, as well as for investigators involvedin genomics, positional cloning, clinical research, andcomputational biology.
This first volume of the plant and microbial biotechnology series introduces the concepts and potential of plant protein engineering and gives an account of current research in the field. An essential purchase for academic and industrial research institutions and professional biotechnologists.
This book is not going to be an exhaustive survey covering all aspects of rational drug design. Instead, it is going to provide critical know-how through real-world examples. Relevant case studies will be presented and analyzed to illustrate the following: how to optimize a lead compound whether one has high or low levels of structural information; how to derive hits from competitors' active compounds or from natural ligands of the targets; how to springboard from competitors' SAR knowledge in lead optimization; how to design a ligand to interfere with protein-protein interactions by correctly examining the PPI interface; how to circumvent IP blockage using data mining; how to construct and fully utilize a knowledge-based molecular descriptor system; how to build a reliable QSAR model by focusing on data quality and proper selection of molecular descriptors and statistical approaches. A Practical Guide to Rational Drug Design focuses on computational drug design, with only basic coverage of biology and chemistry issues, such as assay design, target validation and synthetic routes. - Discusses various tactics applicable to daily drug design - Readers can download the materials used in the book, including structures, scripts, raw data, protocols, and codes, making this book suitable resource for short courses or workshops - Offers a unique viewpoint on drug discovery research due to the author's cross-discipline education background - Explores the author's rich experiences in both pharmaceutical and academic settings
This highly readable textbook serves as a concise and engaging primer to the emerging field of antibody engineering and its various applications. It introduces readers to the basic science and molecular structure of antibodies, and explores how to characterize and engineer them. Readers will find an overview of the latest methods in antibody identification, improvement and biochemical engineering. Furthermore, alternative antibody formats and bispecific antibodies are discussed. The book’s content is based on lectures for the specializations “Protein Engineering” and “Medical Biotechnology” within the Master’s curriculum in “Biotechnology.” The lectures have been held at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, in cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna, since 2012 and are continuously adapted to reflect the latest developments in the field. The book addresses Master’s and PhD students in biotechnology, molecular biology and immunology, and all those who are interested in antibody engineering.
The three-dimensional structure of proteins is a key factor in their biological activity. There is an increasing need to be able to predict the structure of a protein once its amino-acid sequence is known; this book presents practical methods of achieving that ambitious aim, using the latest computer modelling algorithms. - ;The prediction of the three-dimensional structure of a protein from its sequence is a problem faced by an ever-increasing number of biological scientists as they strive to utilize genetic information. The increasing sizes of the sequence and structural databases, the improvements in computing power, and the deeper understanding of the principles of protein structure have led to major developments in the field in the last few years. This book presents practical computer-based methods using the latest computer modelling algorithms. -
Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero is made to provide you with a first glimpse of the inner-workings of a cell. It further focuses on skill-building for genetic engineering and the Biology-as-a-Technology mindset (BAAT). This book is designed and written for hands-on learners who have little knowledge of biology or genetic engineering. This book focuses on the reader mastering the necessary skills of genetic engineering while learning about cells and how they function. The goal of this book is to take you from no prior biology and genetic engineering knowledge toward a basic understanding of how a cell functions, and how they are engineered, all while building the skills needed to do so.
Subtilisin is the most extensively studied model system for protein engineering. The primary motivating factor for the interest in subtilisin is the commercial utility of this class of proteases. The subtilisin symposium was the first international meeting to bring together a large number of groups that have focused on the subtilisins and the subtilases-the protein superfamily of subtilisin-like enzymes. The results presented at the symposium are in this way a unique compendium of a broad spectrum of work largely focused on harnessing the potential of site-directed mutagenesis to understand and deliberately alter the function of these enzymes toward a desired end. This sort of protein engineering has been extremely successful in subtilisin, with many such "engineered" enzymes now widely used in commer cial enterprises. In this regard the experience derived from subtilisin does represent practical protein engineering. It is becoming clear that subtilisin represents a larger class of enzymes, the subtilases, that include many of the human pro hormone-converting enzymes. As international collabo rative efforts to sequence entire genomes continue, we can reasonably expect that additional members of the subtilase class will be encountered. Whenever interest in a member of this class of enzyme arises, the work on subtilisin will serve as a guide to the analysis for what in bacillus, fungi, and industry is an everyday workhorse enzyme.
Developments in food technology are not just the concern of scientists & manufacturers. Media attention has increased public awareness & demands for more regulations. This text covers the debate on the moral implications of developments in human food.
