Towards the directed evolution of protein materials
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Synthetic Biology Prospective
Towards the directed evolution of protein materials Anton Kan, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA Neel S. Joshi, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Address all correspondence to Neel S. Joshi at [email protected] (Received 8 December 2018; accepted 22 February 2019)
Abstract Protein-based materials are a powerful instrument for a new generation of biological materials, with many chemical and mechanical capabilities. Through the manipulation of DNA, researchers can design proteins at the molecular level, engineering a vast array of structural building blocks. However, our capability to rationally design and predict the properties of such materials is limited by the vastness of possible sequence space. Directed evolution has emerged as a powerful tool to improve biological systems through mutation and selection, presenting another avenue to produce novel protein materials. In this prospective review, we discuss the application of directed evolution for protein materials, reviewing current examples and developments that could facilitate the evolution of protein for material applications.
Introduction A cornerstone of human technology has been harnessing and repurposing the materials available in our environments. Many such materials, such as wood, silk, or bone, are harvested from living organisms. These materials are exquisitely ordered structures, often with impressive properties, and are robustly grown by living systems from relatively simple feedstocks under mild conditions. For most of human history, we have grown and harvested these natural materials, however in recent decades this relationship has started to change. Increasingly, we have taken greater control over biological systems at a molecular level, programing biological materials through DNA manipulation and manufacturing using biological platforms. Recent developments in biotechnology have facilitated huge advances in biological engineering of living systems. Breakthroughs in DNA synthesis and sequencing technology have facilitated the study and reliable construction of DNA encoding for increasingly more complex systems. The discipline of synthetic biology has emerged alongside these technologies, seeking to apply engineering principles to biology[1] and develop tools for the manipulation of these systems. Using an engineering approach, researchers have begun to characterize and develop biological systems, from genetic components,[2] to genetic circuits,[3] and towards whole organisms[4] or even microbial ecosystems.[5] The tools developed within the field of synthetic biology have been applied in many ways, from helping to understand fundamental principles of biology,[6] to the biosynthesis of high-value chemicals.[7] As the discipline grows and develops, it continues to find new and innovative applications.
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