Application of Molecular Imprinting Technology in Post-translational Modified Protein Enrichment

Abstract

Post-translational modification of proteins plays an important regulatory role in the process of cell life, enabling proteins to have biological activities and perform corresponding functions. The content of post-translational modification proteins in the organism is very low, which makes it commit to a mighty challenge to accurately identify the post-translational modification proteins. The molecular imprinted cavity, which perfectly matches the size, shape, and functional groups of the target molecules, has shown great potential in the separation field. In this paper, the types and characteristics of post-translational modified proteins and molecular imprinting methods were summarized. On this basis, the application of molecular imprinted polymers to the enrichment of post-translational modified proteins was reviewed, and the prospect of its development was prospected. At present, commonly used molecular imprinting techniques are bulk imprinting, surface imprinting, and epitope imprinting. New molecular imprinting strategies have been developed, such as boronate affinity molecular imprinting, nano-framework surface imprinting, and post-imprinting modification. These molecularly imprinted techniques have shown great potential in the separation of glycosylated, phosphorylated, acetylated and sulfated proteins.