title: Split Inteins: Nature's Protein Ligases.
abstract: Split inteins carry out a naturally occurring process known as proteintrans-splicing, where two protein fragments bind to form a catalytically competent enzyme, then catalyze their own excision and the ligation of their flanking sequences. In the past thirteen years since their discovery, chemists and biologists have utilized split inteins in exogenous contexts for a number of biotechnological applications centered around the formation of native peptide bonds. While many proteintrans-splicing technologies have emerged and flourished in recent years, several factors still limit their wide-spread practical use. Here, we discuss the development, applications, and limitations of split intein-based technologies and propose that further advancement in this field will require a more fundamental understanding of split intein structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, 325 Frick Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA, Telephone: 609-258-5778.
authors.forename: Neel H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Tom W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Muir
keywords: protein semisynthesis; protein splicing