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Designing minimalist membrane proteins.

ABSTRACT: The construction of artificial membrane proteins from first principles is of fundamental interest and holds considerable promise for new biotechnologies. This review considers the potential advantages of adopting a strictly minimalist approach to the process of membrane protein design. As well as the practical benefits of miniaturisation and simplicity for understanding sequence-structure-function relationships, minimalism should also support the abstract conceptualisation of membrane proteins as modular components for synthetic biology. These ideas are illustrated with selected examples that focus upon ?-helical membrane proteins, and which demonstrate how such minimalist membrane proteins might be integrated into living biosystems.

SUBMITTER: Curnow P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6824673 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Designing minimalist membrane proteins.

Curnow Paul P

Biochemical Society transactions 20191001 5

The construction of artificial membrane proteins from first principles is of fundamental interest and holds considerable promise for new biotechnologies. This review considers the potential advantages of adopting a strictly minimalist approach to the process of membrane protein design. As well as the practical benefits of miniaturisation and simplicity for understanding sequence-structure-function relationships, minimalism should also support the abstract conceptualisation of membrane proteins a ...[more]

PMID: 31671181

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