title: Synthetic protein switches: design principles and applications.
abstract: Protein switches are ubiquitous in biological signal transduction systems, enabling cells to sense and respond to a variety of molecular queues in a rapid, specific, and integrated fashion. Analogously, tailor-engineered protein switches with custom input and output functions have become invaluable research tools for reporting on distinct physiological states and actuating molecular functions in real time and in situ. Here, we analyze recent progress in constructing protein-based switches while assessing their potential in the assembly of defined signaling motifs. We anticipate such systems will ultimately pave the way towards a new generation of molecular diagnostics and facilitate the construction of artificial signaling systems that operate in parallel to the signaling machinery of a host cell for applications in synthetic biology.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address: v.stein@imb.uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address: k.alexandrov@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kirill
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alexandrov
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D060807:Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Techniques; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006801:Humans; D055537:Light Signal Transduction; D008156:Luciferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058619:Maltose-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D017510:Protein Folding; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000379:methods*; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D058619:Maltose-Binding Proteins; D008156:Luciferases; D001618:beta-Lactamases
keywords: biosensors; molecular diagnostics; protein engineering; protein switches; signaling; synthetic biology