title: Engineering transport protein function: theoretical and technical considerations using the sugar-transporting phosphotransferase system of Escherichia coli as a model system.
abstract: Potential experimental approaches for developing and applying protein-engineering protocols to transmembrane transport systems are described. We specifically consider procedures designed to alter protein function. These procedures are designed for the specific purposes of (1) changing protein interaction specificities and (2) changing a protein's catalytic function. We use sugar-transporting bacterial phosphotransferase systems as model systems to illustrate the proposed approaches. These and other similar procedures are likely to prove to be of utility for biotechnological manipulation of proteins as well as for elucidating potential evolutionary pathways taken for the appearance of novel functions within a protein family.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnologia/UNAM, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Soberón
authors.forename: Milton H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Saier
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D019020:Directed Molecular Evolution; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System