earticle

영어

Following the success of genome sequencing projects, attention has now turned to studies on the function and structures of proteins. Although cell-based expression systems have been widely used, they have certain limitations in view of the quality, quantity, or high-throughput production of proteins. Many of those limitations can be circumvented by the use of cell-free translation systems. In the past few years, advances in the use of cell-free system have been made. Among such systems, the wheat germ-based system is of special interest for its eukaryotic nature. Since the protocol bypasses most of the time-consuming steps, it may provide a powerful means of rapid and systematic screening in many applications, such as high-throughput enzymatic testing of a large number of gene products for functional annotation; construction of protein-protein interaction identification systems; high-throughput identification of the 3D structure through NMR or X-ray diffraction; and industrial-scale protein production systems.Here we will highlight a new high-throughput screening method for searching substrate proteins for modifying enzymes and for the antigen discovery adapted to modern analytical systems such as AlphascreenTM (ParkinElmer). The information accumulated on gene product function and structure should revolutionize understanding of biology and fundamentally alter the practice of medicine, possibly influencing other industries as well.