Poster Abstract
Abstract Index Forum Home HST Home
		Design and Characterization of Oligomeric bba Mini-Proteins Mayssam H. Ali Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Kevin A. McDonnell, Adam R. Mezo Department of Chemistry, MIT Barbara Imperiali Professor of Chemistry/Biology, MIT
		De novo mini-protein design is a powerful tool for the elucidation of the physical forces that determine protein structure. We have explored a series of oligomeric mini-proteins derived from the zinc finger inspired mini-protein BBA5, a twenty-three amino acid bba peptide. A shortened linker between helix and hairpin regions exposes the hydrophobic core and produces a peptide that is prone to self-association. The winning peptide from a small library was found to exist as a discrete trimer in aqueous solution. Biophysical and mutational studies have been used to characterize the trimer, and for the discovery of dimeric and tetrameric BBAs. X-ray crystallographic structural determination is ongoing, and will be of significant value in the rational design of additional oligomers of defined aggregation state.
		Previous			Next
(last modified 3/12/03)