| abstract |
The present invention relates to a method of identifying a protein that binds to a target molecule and has intracellular functionality. This method includes providing a construct comprising a deoxyribonucleic acid molecule encoding the protein which binds to the target molecule, with the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule being coupled to a stall sequence. A host cell is transformed with the construct and then cultured under conditions effective to form, within the host cell, a complex of the protein whose translation has been stalled, the mRNA encoding the protein, and ribosomes. The protein in the complex is in a properly folded, active form and the complex is recovered from the cell. This method can be carried out with a cell-free extract preparation containing ribosomes instead of a host cell. The present invention also relates to a construct which includes a deoxyribonucleic acid molecule encoding a protein that binds to a target molecule and an SecM stalling sequence coupled to the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule. The deoxyribonucleic acid molecule and the SecM stalling sequence are coupled with sufficient distance between them to permit expression of their encoded protein, within the cell, in a properly folded, active form. |