Designing glycosyltransferase expression constructs for improved purification, protein yield, and crystallization

Abstract

Glycosyltransferases in bacteria are built using only four known architectures, but this structural core is often supplemented by fusions with a wide variety of other domains, including those that help recruit them to the membrane. Structural and functional characterization of these proteins is often simplified by making a subconstruct that is better behaved in solution, and perhaps monofunctional. In this chapter we review bioinformatics tools and strategies that can be used for designing such constructs of glycosyltransferases.