title: Computationally designed libraries of fluorescent proteins evaluated by preservation and diversity of function.
abstract: To determine which of seven library design algorithms best introduces new protein function without destroying it altogether, seven combinatorial libraries of green fluorescent protein variants were designed and synthesized. Each was evaluated by distributions of emission intensity and color compiled from measurements made in vivo. Additional comparisons were made with a library constructed by error-prone PCR. Among the designed libraries, fluorescent function was preserved for the greatest fraction of samples in a library designed by using a structure-based computational method developed and described here. A trend was observed toward greater diversity of color in designed libraries that better preserved fluorescence. Contrary to trends observed among libraries constructed by error-prone PCR, preservation of function was observed to increase with a library's average mutation level among the four libraries designed with structure-based computational methods.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Treynor
authors.forename: Christina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Vizcarra
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nedelcu
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mayo
mesh_terms: D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D015195:Drug Design; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D019151:Peptide Library; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019151:Peptide Library; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins