Anàlisi i aplicacions biotecnològiques de proteases i inhibidors. De l'enginyeria de proteínas a la proteómica

The present project has a number of different objectives and uses various methodological approaches of applied and basic research to focus on the structural and functional characterization of proteases an their inhibitors obtained from different organisms (human, rat, annelids, insects, vegetables,...) with the aim of extending their characterization to potential biotechnological applications. The already consolidated protein engineering methodologies will be combined with a number of new ones, specific for experiemental or computational genomics and proteomics -either deriving from our own development or from acquired knowledge. Among the molecules that will be subject of study, metallocarboxypeptidases and their inhibitors will play an essential role. One of the main objectives will be the implementation and development of new strategies for the recombinant production of proteins and the application to the proteins studied in the project. The goals of this approach will be either to reach a high yield or the detection and design of those genic constructs that are adequate for the high-troughput production of proteins in structural genomics. The computational and mass spectrometry methods will be very relevant in this context. The newly isolated, characterized, designed or redesigned molecules -proteins, peptides and conjugates with organic compounds- will be used in the development of drugs or leader compounds with antifibrinolytic or antitumoral properties. The basic properties of these and other molecules and their possible future application or interest in other biotechnological fields such as breast cancer diagnostics, the formation of amyloid fibrils or the protection of vegetables in front of pest aggression will also be investigated. We feel that the combination of multiple methodologies and objectives is, albeit, its ample range of interests, feasible in our context given our previous experience in similar projects in the past