title: Engineering novel binding proteins from nonimmunoglobulin domains.
abstract: Not all adaptive immune systems use the immunoglobulin fold as the basis for specific recognition molecules: sea lampreys, for example, have evolved an adaptive immune system that is based on leucine-rich repeat proteins. Additionally, many other proteins, not necessarily involved in adaptive immunity, mediate specific high-affinity interactions. Such alternatives to immunoglobulins represent attractive starting points for the design of novel binding molecules for research and clinical applications. Indeed, through progress and increased experience in library design and selection technologies, gained not least from working with synthetic antibody libraries, researchers have now exploited many of these novel scaffolds as tailor-made affinity reagents. Significant progress has been made not only in the basic science of generating specific binding molecules, but also in applications of the selected binders in laboratory procedures, proteomics, diagnostics and therapy. Challenges ahead include identifying applications where these novel proteins can not only be an alternative, but can enable approaches so far deemed technically impossible, and delineate those therapeutic applications commensurate with the molecular properties of the respective proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: H Kaspar
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Binz
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amstutz
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Plückthun
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D015195:Drug Design; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D019151:Peptide Library; D011485:Protein Binding; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D019151:Peptide Library; D011506:Proteins