Phage Display Library

Phage display is a laboratory technique for the study of protein–protein, protein–

peptide, and protein–DNA interactions that uses bacteriophages (viruses that
infect bacteria) to connect proteins with the genetic information that encodes
them.

In this technique, a gene encoding a protein of interest is inserted into a phage

coat protein gene, causing the phage to "display" the protein on its outside
while containing the gene for the protein on its inside, resulting in a connection
between genotype and phenotype.

The most common bacteriophages used in phage display are M13 and fd
filamentous phage, though T4, T7, and λ phage have also been used.
History
Phage display was first described by George P. Smith in 1985, when he demonstrated
the display of peptides on filamentous phage by creating fusion of the virus's capsid
protein to a library of peptide sequences.

Phage display technology was further developed and improved by groups at the
Laboratory of Molecular Biology with Greg Winter and John McCafferty

Smith and Winter were awarded a half share of the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry for
their contribution to developing phage display. A patent by George Pieczenik claiming
priority from 1985 also describes the generation of peptide libraries.[8] [9]
Principle
Like the two-hybrid system, phage display is used for the high-throughput screening of
protein interactions.

In the case of M13 filamentous phage display, the DNA encoding the protein or
peptide of interest is ligated into the pIII or pVIII gene, encoding either the minor or
major coat protein, respectively.

Multiple cloning sites are sometimes used to ensure that the fragments are inserted in
all three possible reading frames so that the cDNA fragment is translated in the proper
frame.
Applications

• Applications of phage display technology include determination of interaction

partners of a protein (which would be used as the immobilised phage "bait"
with a DNA library consisting of all coding sequences of a cell, tissue or
organism) so that the function or the mechanism of the function of that protein
may be determined.

• Phage display is also a widely used method for in vitro protein evolution (also
called protein engineering).

• Phage display is a useful tool in drug discovery. It is used for finding new
ligands (enzyme inhibitors, receptor agonists and antagonists) to target
proteins.

• The technique is also used to determine tumour antigens (for use in diagnosis
and therapeutic targeting)and in searching for protein-DNA interactions using
specially-constructed DNA libraries with randomised segments.
Antibody maturation in vitro

Phage display of antibody libraries has become a powerful method for both
studying the immune response as well as a method to rapidly select and evolve
human antibodies for therapy.
Antibody Phage Display Library
Antibody libraries are constructed by the genomic information coding for antibody variable
domains, which can be derived from B cells of immune or naïve donors.

Antibodies are the first proteins which were successfully displayed on the surface of phage
by fusing the coding sequence of scFv or Fab to the coat protein.

Compared with the traditional hybridoma method, antibody phage display library has
distinct advantages on discovering novel monoclonal antibodies and even the fully human
antibody.

Able to construct immune antibody libraries and isolate monoclonal antibodies with high
specificity and affinity from a comprehensive list of species, which include human,monkey,
llama, camel, shark, alligator, mouse, rat, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit, chicken, dog, bovine,
goat, sheep, and ferret.
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA)
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is an artificially synthesized
polymer similar to DNA or RNA.

It was invented by Peter E. Nielsen (Univ. Copenhagen),

Michael Egholm (Univ. Copenhagen), Rolf H. Berg (Risø
National Lab), and Ole Buchardt (Univ. Copenhagen) in 1991.
Structure
DNA and RNA have a deoxyribose and ribose sugar backbone, respectively, whereas
PNA's backbone is composed of repeating N-(2-aminoethyl)-glycine units linked by
peptide bonds. The various purine and pyrimidine bases are linked to the backbone
by a methylene bridge (-CH2-) and a carbonyl group (-(C=O)-). PNAs are depicted like
peptides, with the N-terminus at the first (left) position and the C-terminus at the
last (right) position.
Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNAs) are synthetic DNA, or RNA mimics that consist of
nucleobases attached to a polyamide backbone.

PNAs can bind to both DNA and RNA targets in a sequence-specific manner to form
PNA/DNA and PNA/RNA duplex structures.

The ability of PNAs to sequence-specifically recognize duplex DNA has attracted

considerable interest because of their unparalleled ability to invade double-stranded
DNA.

Besides, PNA confers remarkable resistance to DNAses and proteinases. PNA provides
a powerful tool to study the mechanism of transcription and an innovative strategy to
regulate target gene expression, antisense, antigene agents, molecular probes, and
biosensors.
• PNA Applications

• Microarrays and biosensors: PNA microarray combined with PCR could detect
genetically modified organisms.
• PCR clamping and artificial restriction enzyme: PNA clamp complementary to wild type
sequence hybridizes specifically with wild type and blocks its amplification while
allowing amplification of mutant sequence of the imperfect match.
• Imaging probes and FISH: The fluorescent dye-conjugated PNA can bind to DNA or RNA
quickly, even under low salt.
• Antisense and antigene drugs: PNA can bind to a complementary sequence of mRNA
and change its function. PNA can break up DNA duplex and form PNA/DNA triplex or
double duplexes without denaturing the DNA duplex.
• miRNA inhibitors: PNA binds complementary RNA more strongly than DNA or RNA
does. PNA miRNA inhibitors can be conjugated to cell penetrating peptide without the
need for transfection reagents for cell entry.
• Double strand DNA invasion and capture: Because of its uncharged polyamide
backbone, PNA can hybridize to negatively charged DNA or RNA without electrostatic
repulsion.
Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP)