蛋白内含子与蛋白剪接

蛋白内含子和蛋白剪接是蛋白质研究的前沿领域。重点介绍了蛋白内含子的结构和蛋白剪接机理的最新研究成果 ;蛋白内含子如同RNA剪接中的内含子 ,也是一类可移动的遗传元件 ;蛋白内含子目前研究的热点是蛋白内含子的功能研究及其在蛋白质工程和其它生物工程领域的用。

Intein and Protein-splicing

Intein is a self splicing protein and can excise itself from the host protein and at same time splices/joins then the two flanking host protein sequences,named the extein by a normal peptide bond.This process is termed the protein splicing.Therefore,protein splicing is a form of posttranslational processing and could be viewed as the equivalent of intron and RNA splicing.A intein can be divided three independent parts,N terminal and C terminal domain located at two ends and endonuclease domain located at the middle of the intein.Protein splicing involves a series of four intramolecular reaction,the first three of which occur at a singlecatalytic centre of the N terminal and C terminal domain of intein.Endonuclease domain has homing function and make the intein become a mobile genetic element.Intein has been practical uses in protein engineering.