Protein Structure Design and Engineering

Abstract

Metal ion sensors are an important yet challenging field in analytical chemistry. Despite much effort, only a limited number of metal ion sensors are available for practical use because sensor design is often a trial-and-errordependent process. DNAzyme-based sensors, in contrast, can be developed through a systematic selection that is generalizable for a wide range of metal ions. Here, we summarize recent progress in the design of DNAzyme-based fluorescent, colorimetric, and electrochemical sensors for metal ions, such as Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ , Hg 2+ , and UO 2 2+ . In addition, we also describe metal ion sensors based on related DNA molecules, including T-T or C-C mismatches and G-quadruplexes.

Protein preliminaries and structure prediction fundamentals for computer scientists

“…Many fatal diseases such as prion disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and cancer are associated with the aggregation of non-functional proteins due to misfolding [23], [24], [25], [26]. The 3D structures of proteins are decidedly important in rational drug design [27], [28], protein engineering [29], [30], and biotechnology [31], [32]; thus, the protein structure prediction has emerged as an important multi-disciplinary research problem.…”