Proteins as Amphipathic Biopolymeric Materials

Abstract

Many naturally-occurring macromolecules perform their respective native functions by changing conformation in response to local environmental changes. Of special interest are amphipathic transport proteins designed to capture and sequester hydrophobic molecules in water in a stimuli -responsive manner. Recombinant DNA methods have been utilized in our ongoing research with the eventual goal of exploiting physical and chemical attributes inherent to such native proteins. Reported in this chapter are (1) the design and synthesis of an artificial gene encoding desired microstructural sequences of a de novo protein, DN3L, and (2) the production of recombinantly modified proteins based on apolipophorin-III and hydrophobin.