Researchers use AI to design proteins that cut up other proteins

What happened

Researchers used AI-based protein design tools to retain the catalytic cores of two types of protease while replacing the rest of each protein. The resulting enzymes could be tuned to cut specific proteins in half, and the researchers demonstrated their effectiveness by cutting proteins associated with neurological diseases.

The story so far

Researchers used AI-based protein design tools to create enzymes tuned to cut specific proteins in half, demonstrating their effectiveness on proteins associated with neurological diseases. The researchers started with two types of protease—enzymes that cut other proteins—and retained each type’s catalytic core while replacing the rest of the protein. This approach let them change which proteins the enzymes targeted while preserving the machinery that performs the cutting.

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