Protein Splicing of Inteins: A Powerful Tool in Synthetic Biology
Hao Wang, Lin Wang, Baihua Zhong, Zhuojun Dai
Abstract
Inteins are protein segments that are capable of enabling the ligation of flanking extein into a new protein, a process known as protein splicing. Since its discovery, inteins have become powerful biotechnological tools for applications such as protein engineering. In the last 10 years, the development in synthetic biology has further endowed inteins with enhanced functions and diverse utilizations. Here we review these efforts and discuss the future directions.
Topics & Concepts
Synthetic biologyComputational biologyProtein engineeringProtein splicingRNA splicingBiologyComputer scienceGeneticsGeneBiochemistryRNAEnzymeRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsRNA modifications and cancerBacteriophages and microbial interactions