With advances in the understanding of protein secretion and cell physiology, protein production by genetic engineering has become an active and far-reaching aspect of biotechnology. Many of the rapidly expanding pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are making medically and industrially important enzymes by this process, with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually. A primary focus of the Protein Engineering Group has been on investigating approaches for maximizing protein yield.

Protein Engineering Group

John Houghton
(Ph.D., Texas A&M University>

Parjit Kaur
(Ph.D., Panjab University>

Phang C. Tai
(Ph.D., University of California-Davis>

W. William Walthall
(Ph.D., State University of New York-Albany>

Projects directed by the Protein Engineering Group:

• study of protein secretion mechanisms
• optimization of the bacterial environment to prevent protein aggregation
• use of Pseudomonas putida as a host for protein overproduction
• characterization of proteins specifying arsenic resistance
• study of protein transport through membranes