Molecular Dynamics Driven Design of pH-Stabilized Mutants of MNEI, a Sweet Protein.

ABSTRACT: MNEI is a single chain derivative of monellin, a plant protein that can interact with the human sweet taste receptor, being therefore perceived as sweet. This unusual physiological activity makes MNEI a potential template for the design of new sugar replacers for the food and beverage industry. Unfortunately, applications of MNEI have been so far limited by its intrinsic sensitivity to some pH and temperature conditions, which could occur in industrial processes. Changes in physical parameters can, in fact, lead to irreversible protein denaturation, as well as aggregation and precipitation. It has been previously shown that the correlation between pH and stability in MNEI derives from the presence of a single glutamic residue in a hydrophobic pocket of the protein. We have used molecular d

SUBMITTER: Leone S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4920389 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature