De novo design of modular and tunable protein biosensors.

ABSTRACT: Naturally occurring protein switches have been repurposed for the development of biosensors and reporters for cellular and clinical applications¹. However, the number of such switches is limited, and reengineering them is challenging. Here we show that a general class of protein-based biosensors can be created by inverting the flow of information through de novo designed protein switches in which the binding of a peptide key triggers biological outputs of interest². The designed sensors are modular molecular devices with a closed dark state and an open luminescent state; analyte binding drives the switch from the closed to the open state. Because the sensor is based on the thermodynamic coupling of analyte binding to sensor activation, only one target binding domain i

SUBMITTER: Quijano-Rubio A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8074680 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature