Structural and functional characteristics of xenavidin, the first frog avidin from Xenopus tropicalis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Avidins are proteins with extraordinarily high ligand-binding affinity, a property which is used in a wide array of life science applications. Even though useful for biotechnology and nanotechnology, the biological function of avidins is not fully understood. Here we structurally and functionally characterise a novel avidin named xenavidin, which is to our knowledge the first reported avidin from a frog.

Results

Xenavidin was identified from an EST sequence database for Xenopus tropicalis and produced in insect cells using a baculovirus expression system. The recombinant xenavidin was found to be homotetrameric based on gel filtration analysis. Biacore sensor analysis, fluorescently labelled biotin and radioactive biotin were used to evaluate the biotin-binding pr

SUBMITTER: Maatta JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2761383 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature