Protein engineering in the 21st century.

Abstract

Protein engineering, the process by which novel proteins with desired properties are developed, has grown by leaps and bounds since the first examples of protein mutagenesis were described over three decades ago. In the last 30 years, protein engineers have successfully created a wide range of proteins tailored to specific industrial, medical, and research applications. Yet challenges remain that prevent the engineering of complex protein functions on demand. With the aim of creating a forum for the protein engineering community, the inaugural Protein Engineering Canada Conference was held on June 20–22, 2014, in Ottawa, Canada. Over the course of the 2-day conference, 115 protein scientists from over 30 institutions representing 5 countries shared ideas, networked with colleagues, and learned about exciting new research covering a broad array of topics such as enzyme engineering, computational protein design, X-ray crystallography, protein NMR, molecular modeling, and protein evolution. This special issue highlights the breadth of research that was covered during the Protein Engineering Canada Conference by including previously unpublished research articles submitted by speakers as well as some selections that were submitted directly to Protein Science.