A Perspective on Novel Proteins

Abstract

Proteins facilitate many necessary processes for life in our bodies and in nature. Since the late 1900s, scientists have been able to design novel proteins, which are proteins not found in nature. These novel proteins have shown to possess more desirable properties than proteins found in nature, and thus can be used to benefit society. They are usually made by modelling their structure computationally first, then synthesized using techniques such as recombinant methods. Two major methods of mod- elling are template modelling, in which there is a known template such as the protein sequence, or de novo, in which the protein structure is built from the bottom up. With modelling, the goal is to find a thermodynam- ically stable conformation that the protein folds into. However, designing proteins is not easy, and among many of the challenges is Levinthal’s para- dox, which states there are too many protein conformations to sample. Despite these challenges, there are countless areas where novel proteins can be used, and this paper details some uses of these proteins in the medical field and industrial field.