This versatile high-throughput screening system tests the effects of millions of random peptide sequences on growth and development of a variety of organisms. As an example, this system has been used to introduce novel peptide sequences that affect the morphology and physical characteristics of plants. Peptides that produce specific phenotypic effects, such as longer roots or increased pest resistance could have an immense array of potential applications such as creating more colorful flowers, increasing crop yield, or developing environmentally safe, low toxicity herbicides. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a system for identifying new or previously unknown peptides with biological activities can be used to identify new leads for both agriculture and human medicine.
System to identify novel peptides that have useful biologically activities
This screening system generates a library of DNA sequences coding for a random string of amino acids, flanked by cysteine residues. These sequences, when expressed in a plant, frequently resulting in a conspicuous phenotype. Plants which show potentially valuable traits are further analyzed to identify the nucleotide sequence and peptide that produced the effect. Because peptides can have such a broad array of effects, this system can effectively identify everything from ways of improving growth rate to changing the colors of flowers. In addition to plants, this screening approach can be used to inform drug design by allowing identification of specific chemical targets that interact with biological processes in animals and bacteria, which could lead to the development of new antibiotics.
