Design and construction of novel peptides and proteins by tailored incorporation of coenzyme functionality

Recent research in a number of laboratories has focused on devising strateg ies for the integration of coenzyme functionality into non-native biopolyme r scaffolds. The goal of this research is to influence the inherent chemica l reactivity of coenzymes to generate unique molecules with novel functiona l properties. This review will discuss the progress made in this area and d elineate the issues involved in using polypeptides and proteins to harness the chemical properties of selected coenzymes. The specific coenzymes that will be presented in this review are pyridoxal phosphate, thiazolium pyroph osphate, flavin and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.