Getting what you want from phage display

Abstract

Phage Display: A Laboratory Manualedited by C.F. Barbas, III et al.Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press, 2001.$135.00 (hbk) (xvi + 736 pages)ISBN 0 87969 546 3Recent years have witnessed the complete sequencing of numerous genomes, including the all-important human genome itself. However, in the midst of this genomic revolution, the study of protein structure and function has lagged behind. The reason for this is simple: DNA manipulation is easy whereas protein manipulation is exceedingly difficult. Nevertheless, as we enter the post-genomic era, it must be remembered that we live in a protein world. The vast majority of biological processes are driven by proteins, and the benefits of genome sequences will only be realized if genomic information can be translated to the level of protein function. We are now faced with tens of thousands of proteins waiting to be studied, and there is a crucial need for technologies that can simplify this herculean task.Phage display is a powerful technology that has played a major role in protein engineering over the past decade, and this role will certainly expand in the coming years. This technology links proteins on the surfaces of M13 bacteriophages with their cognate genes inside the phage particles. Billions of different proteins can be screened en masse for particular functions, and individual protein sequences can be decoded from the sequences of their cognate DNA. In essence, phage display enables the study of protein function using simple molecular biology techniques that were previously applicable only to DNA. The history of phage display is marked by many celebrated successes and an even greater number of uncelebrated failures and, as a result, this technology has earned the reputation of a powerful but capricious pursuit. Although the complexity of the method cannot be denied, most phage failures can be attributed to inexperienced or naive practitioners, and there is a real need for literature that focuses on the practical aspects of phage display.Phage Display: A Laboratory Manual aims to satisfy this need by providing practical methods based mainly on the Cold Spring Harbor course ‘Phage Display of Combinatorial Antibody Libraries’. The manual emphasizes antibody and peptide libraries, providing detailed methods in major sections devoted entirely to these topics. The use of cDNA libraries is also covered in detail; other protein engineering applications are touched on lightly in the form of literature reviews. As an introduction, Robert Webster provides an excellent review of filamentous phage biology. Webster's chapter is highly recommended to all phage display practitioners because ultimately, current success and future innovation depends on this fundamental knowledge. Overall, the manual does a solid job of the topics chosen for coverage, providing detailed methods and references to other works in the field.Phage display is a rapidly expanding technology and many alternative methods have proven successful in particular applications. Although the current volume does a good job of covering the editors’ interests and views, no single work can cover the full breadth of the field, and there is certainly room on the shelf for other points of view. In this regard, other laboratory manuals are worth investigating1xSee all References, 2xSee all References. Also, a recently published Methods in Enzymology3xSee all References3 is highly recommended as it contains several chapters on phage display and excellent articles on alternative combinatorial biology methods. Finally, keeping up in the fast-paced world of phage display requires constant perusal of current reviews and original literature. With all of this knowledge in hand, you just might select what you want.