I’ve been reading a lot of recent news about how proteins are being engineered to better break down plastic (
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.10.463845v1) or perhaps better detect and fight cancer cells. So that got me thinking: how exactly can we “engineer” proteins?
I’ve learned that we can use the Cas-9 protein to cut and insert certain types of genes, to “genetically engineer cells,” but can we do the same thing with proteins? How do we just cut and paste certain amino acids without disrupting their structure?
Apparently, protein structure has been very important in CAR T-cell therapy for genetically modifying T-cells from a patient to better recognize their own cancer cells:
https://newsroom.uw.edu/news/designed-switch-allows-unprecedented-control-over-cells.
Another recent technology is designing a “LOCKR” protein that will get “unlocked” by a certain type of other molecule, which will unlock a “cage” to bind to that particular molecule:
https://www.ipd.uw.edu/2019/07/introducing-lockr-a-bioactive-protein-switch/.
Which apparently the company Amunix is actually using to design proteases to are activated by proteins abnormally produced by tumor cells:
https://www.amunix.com/technology/.
So, my question is: how do scientists just design these proteins, and how do we visualize them? Do we usually use microscopes? Are these proteins usually those globular looking proteins, or are they small? What’s the current advancement of proteomics?
If you are a scientist (a professional or just a high schooler), I’d love to hear back! If you do indeed answer, please attach links for where you found your information for the next person to read. Thanks, and happy reading!
