All life needs to depend on the function of the protein. The range of action of the protein is also very wide. It is known that this functional diversity is mainly due to the formation of specific sequences by hundreds of amino acids, and then the formation and processing of proteins to form specific The protein structure is realized. The side chains of these amino acids give the protein a huge chemical diversity and are the basis for the formation of numerous protein structures, such as a wide variety of enzymes and various carrier proteins. But apart from the complex structure and rich chemical diversity of proteins, are there some simple protein molecules with small chemical diversity that regulate cell function?

Inspired by this phenomenon, although viral proteins are relatively short, they are still able to trigger tumors across cell membranes. Yale researchers have designed a series of synthetic membrane proteins composed of 26 amino acids. The proteins they constructed contain only two amino acids that carry similar side chains. Although these proteins are extremely simple, some of them still exhibit biological activity.

The researchers said: "We may build the simplest proteins, but these proteins are not only very active, but also show good specificity. They can find specific targets in the cell and activate them, which can lead to The cells are mad. We are also thinking about whether there are similar proteins in the cells, but they have been ignored because they are too simple, and these proteins may cause cancer."

This study provides important information for the study of cancer mechanisms.