Abstract:
The instant invention provides methods, reagents, and computational tools for designing non-natural substrate analogs for enzymes, especially for designing unnatural amino acid analogs for aminoacyl tRNA Synthetases (AARSs), such as the Phe tRNA Synthetase. The instant invention also provides methods to incorporate unnatural amino acid analogs, especially those with interesting functional groups, into protein products to generate proteins of modified or novel functions.
Abstract:
The instant invention provides methods and computational tools for designing interaction between molecules based on their three-dimensional atomic coordinates. In a preferred embodiment, the method can be used to design protein-protein interactions based on their three-dimensional structure. In one embodiment, the method of the instant invention includes a first step of docking interacting molecules based on their surface geometric fit by quantitative correlation techniques, followed by a second step of optimizing the resulting interacting surface by altering interface side-chains, such that the interfacial side-chains are repacked in a manner analogous to the cores of well-folded proteins. The method can be used in numerous applications, including redesigning interaction interfaces between known protein-protein, protein-polynucleotide, protein-carbohydrates (such as polysaccharide), protein-lipid (or steroid), enzyme-inhibitor, or antibody-target epitope pairs, or rational design of more potent drug molecules.
Abstract:
The invention relates to improved methods for directed evolution of polymers, including directed evolution of nucleic acids and proteins. Specifically, the methods of the invention include analytical methods for identifying nullstructurally tolerantnull residues of a polymer. Mutations of these, structurally tolerant residues are less likely to adversely affect desirable properties of a polymer sequence. The invention further provides improved methods for directed evolution wherein the structurally tolerant residues of a polymer are selectively mutated. Computer systems for implementing analytical methods of the invention are also provided.