Protein Engineering
Proteins are the molecules that are most obvious in biological systems. Fingernails, hair, skin, blood, muscle, and eyes are all made of protein. Many diseases are protein-based. Some frightening ones, such as mad cow disease and Creuzfeld-Jacob disease, simply arise because a protein is shaped improperly (misfolded). Misfolded proteins also cause several of the genetically inherited diseases, such as Tay-Sachs and sickle cell anemia.
Like DNA and polymers, protein molecules consist of long strings of subunits. In proteins, there are 20 natural subunits that are called amino acids. A given protein consists of a long chain selected from these 20 amino acids, which then assembles itself into a complex folded structure.
Artificial ...
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