As genomics gives way to proteomics as the focus of scientific imagination in the biological sciences, more emphasis will be placed on the technology and interpretation of protein engineering experiments. Protein engineers will become increasingly sophisticated in the questions that they pose and demanding of the tools available to change protein structure. The optimal way to introduce non-coded amino acids for mechanistic studies, or site-specific reporter atoms for spectroscopic structural biology, is by protein semisynthesis. In Protein Engineering by Semisynthesis, the leading practitioners of the method cover their individual protein of expertise forming a comprehensive illustration of the various methods developed. By covering the most recent philosophical and methodological approaches and developments of semisynthesis and peptide synthesis to date, this book provides further understanding of the principles of protein structure-function relationships gained from semisynthetic analog in addition to providing a comprehensive and comprehensible laboratory guide. This book focuses on recent developments which synergistically combine chemical and molecular biological techniques that have made semisynthetic manipulations much easier to undertake. Features

Protein Engineering: Approaches to the Manipulation of Protein Folding outlines the complexity of the protein-folding problem and the potential of using genetic tools which, in combination with physical techniques, are expected to shed new light. The book begins with an overview of the basic concepts of protein folding, along with prediction methods and protein-folding models. Separate chapters cover experimental approaches to in vitro protein folding; general approaches used to characterize the folding reaction, equilibrium and kinetic experiments; and strategies employed to elucidate structure/function relationships in proteins of unknown tertiary structure. Subsequent chapters cover the structural and functional features of the HIV envelope protein; x-ray diffraction of proteins; application of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to probe the secondary structure and orientation of membrane-associated proteins; and fluorescence measurements of proteins. The final chapters discuss nuclear magnetic resonance studies of proteins and the potential of the synthetic gene approach applied to the problem of protein folding.

In the past 20 years protein engineering has been used for the production of proteins mostly for biological applications. The incorporation of artificial amino acids and chemical handles into proteins had made possible the design and production of protein-based materials like hybrid inorganic-organic materials, smart/ responsive materials, monodisperse polymers, and nanoscale assemblies. In the current topic, we cover current uses and envision future applications of materials generated using protein engineering and biosynthesis techniques. I would like to acknowledge the U.S. Office of Naval Research for financial support and Dr. Cherise Bernard for her contributions during the early stages of the Research Topic.

Protein engineering has proved to be one of the more fruitful technological approaches in biotechnology, being both very powerful and able to generate valuable intellectual property. This book aims to present examples in which the application of protein engineering has successfully solved problems arising in industrial biotechnology. There is a sec