Evolved Proteases Selectively Cleave Target Sequences, Unlock Potential of âProteome Editingâ
February 26, 2021
Engineered botulinum toxin could lead to new treatments for a range of maladies, including nerve and brain damage, muscle injury, and rampant inflammation.
[The Liu lab]
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Clostridium botulinum bacteria is responsible for producing botulinum toxin. As botox, it can remove wrinkles. It can also be the reason for a lethal human infection. Also known as the “miracle poison,” botulinum toxin has been approved by the FDA to treat a suite of maladies like chronic migraines, uncontrolled blinking, and certain muscle spasms.
Now, researchers have, for the first time, evolved botulinum neurotoxin proteases to selectively cleave new targets, including a protein unrelated to those natively cleaved by these proteases. In doing so, they have created a suite of bespoke, super-selective proteases with the potential to aid in neuroregeneration, regulate growth hor