Modification of the loops in the ligand-binding site turns avidin into a steroid-binding protein.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Engineered proteins, with non-immunoglobulin scaffolds, have become an important alternative to antibodies in many biotechnical and therapeutic applications. When compared to antibodies, tailored proteins may provide advantageous properties such as a smaller size or a more stable structure.

Results

Avidin is a widely used protein in biomedicine and biotechnology. To tailor the binding properties of avidin, we have designed a sequence-randomized avidin library with mutagenesis focused at the loop area of the binding site. Selection from the generated library led to the isolation of a steroid-binding avidin mutant (sbAvd-1) showing micromolar affinity towards testosterone (Kd ~ 9 μM). Furthermore, a gene library based on the sbAvd-1 gene was created by randomizing t

SUBMITTER: Riihimaki TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3201017 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature