DESIGN OF MOLECULAR FUNCTION - CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

The ultimate goal in protein design is to elucidate the fundamental pr inciples that determine structure. With increased understanding of the molecular basis underlying the sequence-structure relationship may co me the ability to control it and, thereby, to generate proteins with d esired specifications. Channel proteins, which mediate cell signaling, are ideally suitable for protein design. Plausible molecular blueprin ts for the pore-forming structure are bundles of amphipathic alpha-hel ices or beta-barrels that cluster together to generate a hydrophilic c hannel. This review focuses on the progress achieved to produce such d esigns and on the approximation of the synthetic channels to the targe ted biological function.