Proteins possess unique molecular recognition capabilities and enzymatic activities, features that are usually tied to a particular tertiary structure. To make use of proteins for biotechnological and biomedical purposes, it is often required to enforce their tertiary structure in order to ensure sufficient stability under the conditions inherent to the application of interest. The introduction of intramolecular crosslinks has proven efficient in stabilizing native protein folds. Herein, we give an overview of methods that allow the macrocyclization of expressed proteins, discussing involved reaction mechanisms and structural implications.
Keywords: INCYPRO; disulfide mimetics; expressed protein ligation; split inteins; unnatural amino acids.
© 2021 The Authors. ChemBioChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.