| Proteins are biological macromolecules composed of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. The side chains of these amino acids provide a diverse set of interactions amongst the variety of hydrophobic, polar and ionizable groups which yields complex structures and functionality. The advent of recombinant DNA technology has allowed researchers control over the amino acid sequence resulting in proteins with improved structure and function. This control has spawned the development of the biotechnology industry. Recently, the exploration of naturally occruing protein diversity and the introduction of non-natural amino acids have been employed to further expand the biotechnology industry. Outlined in the subsequent chapters are investigations of proteins interacting with small molecules as well as other proteins and how these interactions can assist in developing new protein biotechnologies. |
