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Homing Endonucleases and Inteins pp 193–210Cite as

Inteins — A Historical Perspective

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Part of the book series: Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology ((NUCLEIC,volume 16))

Abstract

Protein splicing elements, termed inteins, were first identified in 1990. Since then, post-translational protein splicing has been demonstrated and the selfcatalytic mechanism deciphered. The robust nature of these single turnover enzymes is evidenced by the expanding list of naturally occurring variations in the protein splicing mechanism. Protein splicing must be efficient and neutral, and must not cause detrimental effects to the spliced extein; otherwise, selective pressure would lead to intein loss. Inteins are probably ancient elements, but their original function can only be speculated upon, because invasion by homing endonucleases mobilized them into new locations and converted them into selfish DNA. To date, there is no evidence of regulation of protein splicing in native systems. The sporadic distribution of inteins may relate more to the types of genes found in mobile elements capable of spreading inteins, than to the function of those genes. Inteins tend to be found in conserved host protein motifs, which may be due to conservation of homing endonuclease recognition sites, difficulty in removing inteins from essential regions or the ease of accepting an insertion sequence in a conserved substrate or cofactor binding site designed to interact with the environment. The ability to cleave peptide bonds, to ligate protein fragments and to generate carboxy-terminal alpha-thioesters have made inteins the fastest growing tool for protein engineering and biotechnology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New England Biolabs, Inc., 32 Tozer Road, Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915, USA

    Francine B. Perler

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  1. Francine B. Perler
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wadsworth Center/NYSDOH, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY, 12208, USA

    Marlene Belfort  & Victoria Derbyshire  & 

  2. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, A417 Engineering Quadrangle, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA

    David W. Wood

  3. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, Center Institute, 1100 Fairview Ave. N. Mailstop A3-023, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Barry L. Stoddard

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Perler, F.B. (2005). Inteins — A Historical Perspective. In: Belfort, M., Wood, D.W., Stoddard, B.L., Derbyshire, V. (eds) Homing Endonucleases and Inteins. Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology, vol 16. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29474-0_12

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