De novo protein components for oxidoreductase assembly and biological integration

Abstract

Manmade protein design is founded on the concept that a protein with minimal evolutionary complexity is a viable scaffold for incorporating simple engineering elements responsible for function in natural proteins and enzymes. There has been significant, recent success both in fabricating manmade protein components that exhibit functional elements inspired by natural oxidoreductases, and the functional integration of this componentry with natural proteins and biochemical pathways. Here we discuss the state of the art in de novo oxidoreductase construction, focusing on the diverse manmade componentry available and how their functions might be interfaced and integrated within living organisms.