Protein synthetic chemistry

The mimicking of the iron-sulfur clusters by synthetic chemistry has been quite successful over the years. One of the last synthetic clusters to be obtained was the [3Fe-4S] cluster (109, 110). This new synthetic compound was useful for the demonstration of interconversion pathways, as well as for the formation of different heterometal clusters beyond those produced in proteins (111). The [3Fe-4S] core... 

Enzymes are proteins catalyzing all in vivo biological reactions. Enzymatic catalysis can also be utilized for in vitro reactions of not only natural substrates but some unnatural ones. Typical characteristics of enzyme catalysis are high catalytic activity, large rate acceleration of reactions under mild reaction conditions, high selectivities of substrates and reaction modes, and no formation of byproducts, in comparison with those of chemical catalysts. In the field of organic synthetic chemistry, enzymes have been powerful catalysts for stereo- and regioselective reactions to produce useful intermediates and end-products such as medicines and liquid crystals. ... 

Synthetic chemistry enables us to mimic the energy- and electron-transfer processes by linking together donor and acceptor groups by means of covalent bonds or bridging groups, rather than using the protein matrix found in natural systems. 

Protein targets are challenging templates to work with in DCC. Their sensitivity to pH, temperature, and chemical reagents places significant restraint on the synthetic chemistry that can be successfully used in... 

Affinity resins bearing bioactive compound have been widely used for identification of the specific-binding proteins (1, 2). However it is still troublesome to identify those proteins using traditional technology. Requirement of high level of synthetic chemistry expertise sometime restricts its application, especially for nonsynthetic chemists. On the other hand, the competition method is not often effective due to the poor solubility of orally active compounds. Some methods to solve these problems will be shown here, exemplified by identifications of the known specific binding proteins without such restrictions. 

As scientists and engineers, natural self-assembly processes represent a tremendous resource, which we can use to create our own miniature materials and devices. Our endeavors are informed by hundreds of years of curiosity-driven research interested in the natural world. Our toolbox is further expanded by modem synthetic chemistry which extends beyond the realm of natural molecules. We can also create artificial environments to control and direct assembly and use computer-based tools and simulations to model and predict self-assembly pathways and their resulting protein structures. Many researchers believe we can use these modern tools to simplify, improve, and refine assembly processes. We have much to do in order to reach this ambitious goal but the next 10 years are likely to be filled with exciting discoveries and advances as self-assembling polypeptide materials move from the laboratory to the clinic or the manufacturing assembly line. 

The principle advantage of the physical labeling method is the possibility of receiving direct information about the structure, mobility and local micropolarity of certain parts of a molecular object of any molecular mass. Developments in synthetic chemistry, biochemistry and site-directed mutagenesis have provided researchers with a wide assortment of labels and probes, and have paved the way for the specific modification of protein function groups, including enzyme active sites. 

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