Protein-Ligand Interactions phenotype

Protein function can be described on three levels. Phenotypic function describes the effects of a protein on the entire organism. For example, the loss of the protein may lead to slower growth of the organism, an altered development pattern, or even death. Cellular function is a description of the network of interactions engaged in by a protein at the cellular level. Interactions with other proteins in the cell can help define the lands of metabolic processes in which the protein participates. Finally, molecular function refers to the precise biochemical activity of a protein, including details such as the reactions an enzyme catalyzes or the ligands a receptor binds. 

In insects, odor molecules are thought to be transported to ORs by OBPs and subsequently degraded by ODEs, though there is considerable uncertainty about the nature of the interactions between these three protein classes. OBPs and ORs comprise multigene families and there are multiple ODEs. The distinct odor sensitive phenotypes of different sensilla are presumed to be based on the differential expression of specific combinations of ORs, OBPs and ODEs which have ligand... 

Aside from encapsulation of proteins, much work has been done on the surface functionalization of microparticles for cellular interaction and proliferative effects. Surface modification of PLGA microspheres with an amine-terminated dendrimer improved long-term proliferation of chondrocytes without observed changes in the cell phenotype, as compared to monolayer culture systems (Thissen et al. 2006). Additionally, surface functionalization ofpolystyrene magnetic microbeads with the DLL4 notch ligand used in coculture has been shown to efficiently generate T cells from mouse bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (Taqvi et al. 2006). 

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