Chemical Protein Synthesis through Selenocysteine Chemistry

Abstract

Methods for the preparation of small-to-medium-sized proteins by chemical protein synthesis have matured in recent years and proven valuable for protein science. Thanks to the many recent discoveries and developments in the field, proteins up to 300 amino acids can now be prepared in the lab in a matter of days. This technology gives the scientists the flexibility to substitute any atom in the protein sequence; hence synthesis is not constrained to the 20 canonical amino acids. In this Synpacts article we briefly highlight the recent studies on selenocysteine chemistry in the field of chemical protein synthesis.1 Introduction2 Selenocysteine in Nature and in Folding Studies3 Selenocysteine in Protein Synthesis4 Selenocysteine in Natural Selenoproteins5 Outlook