Computer-Designed Proteins Recognize and Bind Small Molecules 70
vinces99 writes "Computer-designed proteins that can recognize and interact with small biological molecules are now a reality. Scientists have succeeded in creating a protein molecule that can be programmed to unite with three different steroids. The achievement could have far wider ranging applications in medicine and other fields, according to the Protein Design Institute at the University of Washington. 'This is a major step toward building proteins for use as biosensors or molecular sponges, or in synthetic biology — giving organisms new tools to perform a task,' said one of the lead researchers, Christine E. Tinberg, a UW postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry."
Re:Recognize? (Score:2, Informative)
Really, proteins can recognize small biological molecules? Here I thought that proteins, like other molecules would react with other molecules in a bio-chemical reaction, but to find out that they can actually recognize other molecules is really amazing!
Proteins can recognize biological molecules as much as people can recognize other people. Or do you think there's anything but biochemical reactions involved.
I don't think there's an established limit of complexity of the biochemical reactions where we're supposed to attribute or stop attributing meaning to what's no more than a chemical inevitable consequence.
I would like to see an explanation as to how a protein can recognize anything. Last I checked, there is not even the simplest nervous system. To recognize implies a higher brain function and if proteins have developed that, then we better all be worried. On the other hand, I do understand that proteins can be designed, as in this article, to target certain other molecules, but that is a simple chemical process.
Re:Recognize? (Score:5, Informative)
But on a site that is supposed to cater to educated people (nerds per the masthead), why not use a more technical description instead of one you might find in USA Today or some other media directed to a 6th grade education? Even the word target is much more accurate than recognize.
The term "recognize" is used all the time in the technical literature when discussing how proteins bind to, well, pretty much anything - DNA, small molecules, or other proteins. In fact, the abstract for the actual Nature article [nature.com] uses the phrase "molecular recognition". You may find this unacceptably colloquial, but it's common usage in the field at this point.
(Yes, I am a biochemist.)
Re:This can be the greatest breakthrough (Score:3, Informative)
Breakthroughs are for sciences with hard walls to break.
The protein folding problem has long been one of those hard walls. It was first identified as a problem 50 years ago [sciencemag.org].