Chemists use programmable DNA as ‘molecular glue’ to direct protein crystallization

This article was originally posted on Chemical Engineering Online.

Summary

Based on the provided excerpt: Northwestern University chemists have developed a programmable DNA “molecular glue” that directs proteins to assemble into crystals, replacing much of the traditional trial-and-error. By encoding sequence-specific interactions, the approach aims to make protein crystallization more predictable and broadly applicable, potentially accelerating X-ray structure determination for drug discovery, enzyme engineering, and disease research.

What do you see as the biggest hurdle to making DNA-guided protein crystallization routine—robust DNA–protein conjugation across many targets, crystal quality at scale, or something else?

For decades, scientists have largely relied on painstaking trial and error to coax proteins into crystalline forms. Crystallization enables scientists to determine the molecular structures of proteins, which can provide a blueprint for designing drugs, engineering enzymes, and understanding disease. Now, chemists at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) have developed a new approach that replaces a […]

The post Chemists use programmable DNA as ‘molecular glue’ to direct protein crystallization appeared first on Chemical Engineering.

Chemists use programmable DNA as ‘molecular glue’ to direct protein crystallization

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