The University of Queensland

Viktor Stein

Kirill Alexandrov

Matt Trau

A biosensor molecule comprises: a protease amino acid sequence; at least one sensor comprising at least one sensor amino acid sequence which is responsive to at least one target molecule; and an inhibitor of the protease activity of said protease amino acid sequence; wherein the biosensor is switchable from a protease active to a protease inactive state, or from a protease inactive to a protease active state when said sensor responds to said target molecule. The biosensor protease may be a protease of a virus such as a Potyvirus or a Flavivirus wherein the inhibitor is an autoinhibitory peptide derived from the virus. The biosensor may respond to the target molecule allosterically or may be cleaved by a target protease molecule.

Protease-based biosensor

A biosensor comprises first and second molecular components and is capable of displaying protease activity in response to a binding event mediated by first and second binding partners of the biosensor. The first and second binding partners may bind each other directly or may both bind a target molecule. At least the first molecular component comprises an autoinhibited protease, whereby the binding event switches the protease frora an autoinhibited inactive state to a protease active state. The second molecular component may activate the protease of the first molecular component by binding a cross-binder which releases the autoinhibitor or by cleaving a linker which releases the autoinhibitor. The first and second molecular components may both have autoinhibited proteases which reciprocally activate each other.

Growing community of inventors

St. Lucia, Australia

Viktor Stein