Understanding and exploiting allostery of AI-designed protein switches. Allostery allows proteins to convert incoming biochemical signals into functional responses. Despite its biological and technolo

Description

Understanding and exploiting allostery of AI-designed protein switches. Allostery allows proteins to convert incoming biochemical signals into functional responses. Despite its biological and technological importance, our understanding of allostery is fragmented, and our ability to engineer it is woefully underdeveloped. We discovered that allostery spontaneously emerges in AI-designed ligand-binding proteins that can be used to construct highly efficient protein biosensors. We will uncover the biophysical basis of synthetic allostery and use this knowledge for predictable design of biosensors with the desired properties. The project will reveal the fundamental mechanisms of protein allostery, advance protein engineering while delivering transformative analytical, diagnostic, and bioengineering applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: Prof Kirill Alexandrov