Cell-free protein synthesis: The state of the art

James W. Whittaker

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    40 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Cell-free protein synthesis harnesses the synthetic power of biology, programming the ribosomal translational machinery of the cell to create macromolecular products. Like PCR, which uses cellular replication machinery to create a DNA amplifier, cell-free protein synthesis is emerging as a transformative technology with broad applications in protein engineering, biopharmaceutical development, and post-genomic research. By breaking free from the constraints of cell-based systems, it takes the next step towards synthetic biology. Recent advances in reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis (Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements expression systems) are creating new opportunities to tailor the reactions for specialized applications including in vitro protein evolution, printing protein microarrays, isotopic labeling, and incorporating nonnatural amino acids.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)143-152
    Number of pages10
    JournalBiotechnology Letters
    Volume35
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Feb 2013

    Keywords

    • Cell-free translation
    • PURE expression
    • Protein engineering
    • Protein synthesis
    • Synthetic biology

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Biotechnology
    • Bioengineering
    • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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