Unusually Broad-spectrum small-molecule sensing using a single protein scaffold.

ABSTRACT: Small-molecule sensing in plants is dominated by chemical-induced dimerization modules. In the abscisic acid (ABA) system, allosteric receptors recruit phosphatase effectors and achieve nM in vivo responses from μM receptor-ligand interactions. This sensitivity amplification could enable ABA receptors to serve as generic scaffolds for designing small-molecule sensors. To test this, we screened collections of mutant ABA-receptors against 2,726 drugs and other ligands and identified 569 sensors for 6.7% of these ligands. The mutational patterns indicate strong selection for ligand-specific binding pockets. We used these data to develop a sensor design pipeline and isolated sensors for multiple plant natural products, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and "forever" per- and polyfluoroalkyl

SUBMITTER: Tian H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12132232 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature