Methods to screen peptide display libraries using minicell display

Abstract

A minicell display method has been developed which has significant advantages for screening peptide libraries for candidates that can bind and effectively modulate a particular biological process. The method, based on the small, anucleate minicell, has increased versatility in generating unique sequences to screen as well as increasing the size of the peptides to be screened. In vivo mutagenesis, at the level of protein synthesis, as well as DNA replication, increases diversification of the library to be screened and therefore substantially increases the number of potential peptides that can modulate a particular biological response or mechanism.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 274,039 filed on Mar. 7, 2001, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 306,946 filed on Jul. 20, 2001.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention is generally in the field of high throughput peptide screening, and in particular relates to a minicell display technology for generation and screening of random peptides. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The interaction between cognate proteins in receptor-ligand complexes, enzyme substrate reactions and antibody-antigen binding reactions has furthered the understanding of the molecular interactions required to effect a response in a wide range of processes. The search for new peptide molecules which can bind to selected targets and effectively modulate a particular biological process is at the forefront of agricultural, biological, and medicinal research. [0004] There are several examples of methods that use pepti...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This method enables the rapid and systematic preparation of novel peptide substrates with altered functional and binding activity, overcoming the limitations of existing systems by allowing larger peptides, in vivo incorporation of amino acid analogs, and simplifying the screening process.

Problems solved by technology

However, in most cases, the foreign protein interferes with localization, and thus, the fusion protein is unable to reach the cell surface.

Although the phage and bacterial display systems have provided unique routes to elucidating new peptides which can bind target molecules with new or enhanced binding properties, there are several important limitations that need to be considered.

Problems arise when larger peptide inserts (more than 100 amino acids) disrupt the function of the coat protein and therefore phage assembly.

Insert size constraints affect the applicability of these systems as well.

A limitation of the phage and bacterial display systems resides in the inability of these systems to incorporate amino acid analogs into peptide libraries in vivo.

In vivo, amino acid analogs disrupt the cellular machinery used to incorporate natural amino acids into essential proteins as well as the growing peptide chain of interest.

Technically cumbersome protocols can be time consuming when attempting the in vitro translation methods frequently used to incorporate amino acid analogs into a peptide sequence.

Peptides that are toxic to the bacterial cell and therefore lethal cannot be screened for in phage or bacterial display systems.

Phage and bacterial display also rely upon cumbersome and time consuming techniques in order to keep conditions optimal for cell growth and cell viability.

Infecting bacterial cells, harvesting the phage, and re-infecting several rounds is very time consuming.

Although the selection of specific mutations to be introduced into the gene is usually based on published reports describing the effects of the mutations on the activity or function of other homologous proteins, it is still difficult to predict the affect of the mutation or substitution.

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