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Published 1983 | public
Book Section - Chapter

Chapter 24. In Vitro Mutagenesis:Relationships in Proteins Powerful New Techniques for Studying Structure-Function Relationships in Proteins

Abstract

To be able to generate, at will, any sequence of amino acids allows rational study of the relation between protein structure and function. For structure–function studies of proteins, a second powerfully complementary approach that takes advantage of the ability of biological systems to produce a very large number of random structural variants is also discussed in the chapter; these can then be screened for those variants that have a particular function. In this case, a particular function is specified, and then it is determined that the structures, of many millions that can be easily tested, have that function. The procedures useful in this approach are those of random mutagenesis, perhaps directed toward a particular region of the protein. This chapter describes particularly those aspects of mutagenesis that have a direct bearing on the study of protein function. These techniques have also been used to address a large variety of genetic problems as well as to probe structure–function relationships; the more general subject has been discussed extensively. The chapter discusses many techniques that have recently been developed that allow a variety of quite novel approaches to the studies of the relationship between the linear sequence and the function of proteins. Much of the discussion has focused on the procedures for manipulating the DNA to achieve proteins with altered function.

Additional Information

© 1983 Academic Press Inc.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
January 13, 2024