Combination of Structure-Based and Envolutionary Approaches
Non-homologous recombination between distantly related or even unrelated DNA sequences can also produce sequences, encoding new functional proteins. Several techniques and methods are actually being developed for in vitro screening of libraries.
Combinatorial libraries can be further improved through evolutionary tuning. In a recent study, an α/β barrel enzyme with indol-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase activity was converted into phorphoribosyl anthranilase isomerase, by combining structure-based design with evolutionary approach.
Structure- based computa­tional methods can also be used, so that experimental search is greatly reduced. For instance, vast regions of sequence space made available through genomics research, can be searched using computers, thus providing solutions to protein-design problems.