title: Protein engineering of de novo protein with predesigned structure and activity.
abstract: The de novo protein albebetin has been engineered (J. Mol. Biol. 1992, 225, 927-931) to form a predesigned tertiary fold that has not yet been observed in natural proteins. Analysis of albebetin expressed in a cell-free system and in Escherichia coli revealed its compactness, relative stability, and the secondary structure close to the predesigned one. The blast-transforming biological activity of human interferon was grafted to albebetin by attachment of an eight amino acid interferon fragment to the N-terminus of albebetin next to its first methionine residue. The chimeric protein was expressed in a wheat germ cell-free translation system and tested for its structural properties, receptor binding, and biological activity. According to the tests, albebetin incorporating the active interferon fragment has a compact and relatively stable structure, and binds the murine thymocyte receptor effectively. It activates the blast transformation reaction of thymocyte cells even more efficiently than human interferon at low concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. dolgikh@imb.ac.ru
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Dolgikh
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gabrielian
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Uversky
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kirpichnikov
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; C074146:albebetin; D007372:Interferons