Creus, M.

Protein Expression Purif. 2011, 77, 131-139, 10.1016/j.pep.2011.01.003

The avidin–biotin technology has many applications, including molecular detection; immobilization; protein purification; construction of supramolecular assemblies and artificial metalloenzymes. Here we present the recombinant expression of novel biotin-binding proteins from bacteria and the purification and characterization of a secreted burkavidin from the human pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei. Expression of the native burkavidin in Escherichia coli led to periplasmic secretion and formation of a biotin-binding, thermostable, tetrameric protein containing an intra-monomeric disulphide bond. Burkavidin showed one main species as measured by isoelectric focusing, with lower isoelectric point (pI) than streptavidin. To exemplify the potential use of burkavidin in biotechnology, an artificial metalloenzyme was generated using this novel protein-scaffold and shown to exhibit enantioselectivity in a rhodium-catalysed hydrogenation reaction.

Sigman, D.S.

Science 1987, 237, 1197-1201, 10.1126/science.2820056

The tryptophan gene (trp) repressor of Escherichia coli has been converted into a site-specific nuclease by covalently attaching it to the 1,10-phenanthroline-copper complex. In its cuprous form, the coordination complex with hydrogen peroxide as a coreactant cleaves DNA by oxidatively attacking the deoxyribose moiety. The chemistry for the attachment of 1,10-phenanthroline to the trp repressor involves modification of lysyl residues with iminothiolane followed by alkylation of the resulting sulfhydryl groups with 5-iodoacetamido-1,10-phenanthroline. The modified trp repressor cleaves the operators of aroH and trpEDCBA upon the addition of cupric ion and thiol in a reaction dependent on the corepressor L-tryptophan. Scission was restricted to the binding site for the repressor, defined by deoxyribonuclease I footprinting. Since DNA-binding proteins have recognition sequences approximately 20 base pairs long, the nucleolytic activities derived from them could be used to isolate long DNA fragments for sequencing or chromosomal mapping.

Creus, M.; Ward, T.R.

Prog. Inorg. Chem. 2011, 203-253, 10.1002/9781118148235.ch4

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