Chapter 1:Making Maquette Models of Bioenergetic Structures

A practical understanding of first-principles directed protein folding in de novo protein design and the factors that control intraprotein electron tunnelling in both natural and artificial proteins allows the planned design of artificial counterparts of natural bioenergetic proteins. Such designs allow reverse engineering of natural proteins to separate out protein elements that are important for function from those that are remnants of the legacy of evolution. Furthermore, these practical understandings allow us to go beyond natural protein designs that are dedicated to natural cellular needs, to engineer robust novel electron-transfer systems directed instead towards human needs such as solar energy trapping in renewable fuels.