Nanofitin

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Nanofitins ( affitins ) are artificial proteins that are capable of binding antigens . Affitins are structurally derived from the DNA- binding protein Sac7d of the archebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius . These molecules acquire the ability to bind proteins by changing their amino acids close to the surface . Affitins, which belong to the antibody mimetic family, are being developed as a possible alternative to antibodies as tools in biochemistry .

properties

Affitins are small molecules in comparison to the approximately 20 times larger antibodies. They consist of 66 amino acids and have a molecular mass of about 7  kDa . As proteins that are derived from a thermophilic organism, they are characterized by a pronounced heat stability.

literature

  • Mouratou B, Schaeffer F, Guilvout I, et al. : Remodeling a DNA-binding protein as a specific in vivo inhibitor of bacterial secretin PulD . In: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA . 104, No. 46, November 2007, pp. 17983-8. doi : 10.1073 / pnas.0702963104 . PMID 17984049 . PMC 2084283 (free full text).
  • Krehenbrink M, Chami M, Guilvout I, Alzari PM, Pécorari F, Pugsley AP: Artificial binding proteins (Affitins) as probes for conformational changes in secretin PulD . In: J. Mol. Biol. . 383, No. 5, November 2008, pp. 1058-68. doi : 10.1016 / j.jmb.2008.09.016 . PMID 18822295 .