Protein engineering
Protein Engineering
Protein engineering is the process of developing useful or valuable proteins. It is a young discipline, with much research taking place into the understanding of protein folding and recognition for protein design principles.
Pronunciation
Protein: /ˈproʊ.tiːn/ Engineering: /ˌɛndʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ/
Etymology
The term "protein" comes from the Greek word "proteios", meaning "primary" or "in the lead". The term "engineering" is derived from the Latin words "ingenium", meaning "cleverness" and "ingeniare", meaning "to contrive, devise".
Definition
Protein engineering is the process of manipulating an existing protein's structure, or designing new proteins, to create proteins with new or enhanced functionalities. This is achieved through various methods such as rational design and directed evolution.
Related Terms
- Rational design: This is a method in protein engineering where scientists use the knowledge of the structure and function of the protein to make specific changes that will result in a protein with desired properties.
- Directed evolution: This is a method used in protein engineering where random mutations are introduced into a protein's genes, and then the resulting proteins are screened for desired traits.
- Protein folding: This is the process by which a protein structure assumes its functional shape or conformation.
- Protein design: This is the inventive process of designing new protein molecules.
Applications
Protein engineering has applications in areas such as drug design, enzyme engineering, biocatalysis, and vaccine design.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Protein engineering
- Wikipedia's article - Protein engineering
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