Directed evolution is an iterative, selection-driven process that generates heritable molecular diversity and enriches variants according to a defined functional criterion [1][2]. In protein engineering, a campaign typically begins with a parent gene or a library of genes encoding protein variants, and the encoded proteins are evaluated by screening or selection [2]. Molecular diversity is introduced through mutagenesis and recombination, and sequences associated with the selected phenotype are recovered to seed the next round of diversification [1][2]. This iterative cycle requires a recoverable linkage between the measured or selected phenotype and its encoding nucleic acid sequence, so that functional information can be translated back into sequence information [3]. The outcome of a directed-evolution campaign is therefore determined by the starting sequence population, the accessible variation, the assay and selection conditions, and the number of iterative rounds; the final sequence distribution reflects both the variants generated and the functional constraints imposed during evaluation [4].
- genetic diversity
- selection
- protein variants
- iterative evolution
🔵 Evolution and Genetic Dynamics • 🟣 Genetics • 🟡 Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology • 🔴 Life Sciences
References
- David Medina-Ortiz; Ashkan Khalifeh; Hoda Anvari-Kazemabad; Mehdi D. Davari; Interpretable and Explainable Predictive Machine Learning Models for Data-driven Protein Engineering. Biotechnol. Adv. 2024, 79, 108495, 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108495.
- Frances H. Arnold; Directed Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 57, 4143-4148, 10.1002/anie.201708408.
- David Medina-Ortiz; Ashkan Khalifeh; Hoda Anvari-Kazemabad; Mehdi D. Davari; Interpretable and Explainable Predictive Machine Learning Models for Data-driven Protein Engineering. Biotechnol. Adv. 2024, 79, 108495, 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108495.
- Alexandre Barrozo; Rok Borstnar; Gaël Marloie; Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin; Computational Protein Engineering: Bridging the Gap between Rational Design and Laboratory Evolution. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13, 12428-12460, 10.3390/ijms131012428.