2021/11/08 by Joshua T. Benton, Charles Bayly-Jones · 1 voice
Engineering · Environmental Science · Medicine · #Bacteriophages and microbial interactions #Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies #Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
paper · pdf · doi:10.1042/bst20210706
openalex publication_date 2021/11/08 · openalex created_date 2021/11/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/09
Pore-forming proteins (PFPs) are a broad class of molecules that comprise various families, structural folds, and assembly pathways. In nature, PFPs are most often deployed by their host organisms to defend against other organisms. In humans, this is apparent in the immune system, where several immune effectors possess pore-forming activity. Furthermore, applications of PFPs are found in next-generation low-cost DNA sequencing, agricultural crop protection, pest control, and biosensing. The advent of cryoEM has propelled the field forward. Nevertheless, significant challenges and knowledge-gaps remain. Overcoming these challenges is particularly important for the development of custom, purpose-engineered PFPs with novel or desired properties. Emerging single-molecule techniques and methods are helping to address these unanswered questions. Here we review the current challenges, problems, and approaches to studying PFPs.