Kinetic Control of One-Pot Trans-Splicing Reactions by Using a Wild-Type and Designed Split Intein

摘要

Coulombic forces play an important role in facilitating protein-protein interactions. It has been demonstrated that a strong electrostatic potential between two interacting proteins correlates with a fast rate of association and a strong binding affinity. Indeed, this principle has been exploited to enhance the binding properties of engineered protein interfaces. Nonetheless, little research has focused on utilizing intermolecular ion pairs to modulate specificity in protein-protein interactions. Naturally split inteins are a potentially interesting system for engineering electrostatically driven specificity, as the formation of a catalytically competent structure requires the association of two oppositely charged protomers.