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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Forum => Topic started by: hunter-gatherer on March 07, 2010, 08:39:19 PM

Title: Logistics on generating vast protein libraries (chemical genetics)
Post by: hunter-gatherer on March 07, 2010, 08:39:19 PM
I'm taking a class right now (Chemical Biology) in which we have to make a proposal as our end-of-the-quarter project.  My proposal involves finding proteins that can bind to a particular carbohydrate displayed on certain cells in the body.  The point is to generate molecular competition against a (protein) toxin made by a certain bacterium.  The toxin is composed of two known parts, one of which binds to the carbohydrate on cells and the other which is the enzymatic payload. 

Assuming I know/have the genetic sequence for the toxin, what are the logistics in using DNA shuffling/mutagenesis/ (any other technique that generates a large library of similar molecules) in order to make a large array of (similar to the toxin) proteins to test against the target carbohydrate-bearing cells?  I know that making large libraries is a good way of directing searches for new molecules, but I am having trouble conceiving how, for example,

1.  to MAKE all the proteins that correspond to all the varieties of DNA that I have generated
2.  and to even affix all those proteins onto an array that allows me to run selections. 


Thanks.