A POLYPEPTIDE MOLECULAR SWITCH

摘要

A polypeptide can conduct electricity in a closed circuit. Conformational changes in the polypeptide due to posttranslational modifications or ligand binding can effect the conductive properties of the polypeptide which can be measured. In such a closed circuit, a polypeptide having at least one residue capable of reversible modification can be used as a molecular switch. Circuits comprising such molecular switches can be used, for example, in methods for assessing the modification state of a polypeptide, determining the activity of an enzyme of interest, identifying compounds that affect the activity of an enzyme of interest, storing data, detecting the presence of a compound and identifying inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.