ERIC Number: EJ916138
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
A Practical Teaching Course in Directed Protein Evolution Using the Green Fluorescent Protein as a Model
Ruller, Roberto; Silva-Rocha, Rafael; Silva, Artur; Schneider, Maria Paula Cruz; Ward, Richard John
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v39 n1 p21-27 Jan-Feb 2011
Protein engineering is a powerful tool, which correlates protein structure with specific functions, both in applied biotechnology and in basic research. Here, we present a practical teaching course for engineering the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from "Aequorea victoria" by a random mutagenesis strategy using error-prone polymerase chain reaction. Screening of bacterial colonies transformed with random mutant libraries identified GFP variants with increased fluorescence yields. Mapping the three-dimensional structure of these mutants demonstrated how alterations in structural features such as the environment around the fluorophore and properties of the protein surface can influence functional properties such as the intensity of fluorescence and protein solubility. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table, and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Chemistry, Biotechnology, Engineering, Scientific Research, Scientific Concepts, Models, Teacher Education, Foreign Countries, Graduate Students, Science Education, Higher Education
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Subscription Department, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. Tel: 800-825-7550; Tel: 201-748-6645; Fax: 201-748-6021; e-mail: subinfo@wiley.com; Web site: https://secure.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/112782101
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A