New way to modify proteins developed

Abstract

Chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a biosynthetic method for site-specifically incorporating unnatural amino acids into proteins. Because the technique allows insertion of amino acids with novel steric and electronic properties, it is a potentially powerful new tool for studying protein structure and function. The new technique may allow chemists ask questions about proteins never before thought possible, says Peter G. Schultz, the Berkeley associate chemistry professor who directed the research. The significance of the research, which was supported by the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Energy, lies in the fact that only 20 natural amino acids are harnessed by living organisms to build the diverse array of proteins found in nature. Recent advances in molecular biology have revolutionized the study of proteins because researchers can substitute any amino acid in a protein by one of the other 19 natural amino acids. However, the range of useful substituti...