Advances in Rational Protein Engineering toward Functional Architectures and Their Applications in Food Science

Abstract

Protein biomolecules including enzymes, cagelike proteins, and specific peptides have been continuously exploited as functional biomaterials applied in catalysis, nutrient delivery, and food preservation in food-related areas. However, natural proteins usually function well in physiological conditions, not industrial conditions, or may possess undesirable physical and chemical properties. Currently, rational protein design as a valuable technology has attracted extensive attention for the rational engineering or fabrication of ideal protein biomaterials with novel properties and functionality. This article starts with the underlying knowledge of protein folding and assembly and is followed by the introduction of the principles and strategies for rational protein design. Basic strategies for rational protein engineering involving experienced protein tailoring, computational prediction, computation redesign, and de novo protein design are summarized. Then, we focus on the recent progress of rational protein engineering or design in the application of food science, and a comprehensive summary ranging from enzyme manufacturing to cagelike protein nanocarriers engineering and antimicrobial peptides preparation is given. Overall, this review highlights the importance of rational protein engineering in food biomaterial preparation which could be beneficial for food science.

Enhancing activity of food protein‐derived peptides: An overview of pretreatment, preparation, and modification methods

“…Additionally, bioactive peptides can enhance digestive enzyme activity, aiding in nutrient digestion and absorption (Zhang, Huang, et al., 2019c). In the realm of sports nutrition, bioactive peptides with increased bioavailability and muscle‐building effects can support muscle recovery, performance, and exercise outcomes (Chen, Ma, et al., 2022). These examples highlight the diverse applications of bioactive peptides in functional foods, providing convenient and accessible ways to deliver bioactive compounds for improved health and well‐being.…”

“…Proteins, as vital macromolecules, play a fundamental role in the structure and functioning of living organisms. Composed of elongated chains of amino acids, they serve various functions, including providing structural support, catalyzing enzymatic reactions, and facilitating the transport of molecules across cellular membranes (Chen, Ma, et al., 2022). Protein can be sourced from a wide array of foods, encompassing animal‐derived products like meat, dairy, and eggs (Shaviklo & Etemadian, 2019), as well as plant‐based sources such as beans, nuts, and grains (Singh et al., 2022) (Figure 1).…”

High-Throughput Screening Techniques for the Selection of Thermostable Enzymes

“…14,15 Rational design entails making predetermined changes at specific amino acid sites based on a comprehensive understanding of the protein's three-dimensional structure, function, and molecular mechanism, and these changes are then introduced via site-directed mutagenesis. 16 design combines the advantages of both rational design and directed evolution. It employs various combinations of methods to improve efficiency by reducing library size while preserving necessary diversity provided by directed evolution.…”

“…This approach involves physical/chemical mutagenesis, error-prone PCR, and other techniques for introducing random mutations into target genes to generate mutant libraries . Following the screening, mutants exhibiting improved performance are selected, and additional rounds of mutation and screening are conducted to accumulate beneficial mutations. , Rational design entails making predetermined changes at specific amino acid sites based on a comprehensive understanding of the protein’s three-dimensional structure, function, and molecular mechanism, and these changes are then introduced via site-directed mutagenesis. , Semirational design combines the advantages of both rational design and directed evolution. It employs various combinations of methods to improve efficiency by reducing library size while preserving necessary diversity provided by directed evolution. , Combinatorial active-site saturation test (CAST) and iterative saturation mutagenesis (ISM) have emerged as prominent approaches in semirational design for enhancing enzyme activity and selectivity .…”

Self-Assembled Peptide Nanostructures for ECM Biomimicry

“…Proteins exert a wide variety of functions in cells and living organisms and can be considered one of the key building blocks of life. It is thus not surprising that they are very popular components in the development of new solutions as biomaterials for applications in medicine [1][2][3][4], cosmetics [5,6] and food science [7], including highly biotechnological products, such as cultured meat [8]. Collagen [9,10], gelatin [11][12][13][14], keratin [15][16][17], and silk fibroin [18,19] are amongst the most widely used proteins to develop biomaterials.…”