Fig. 1

Recombinant proteins: useful reagents for many different applications. Proteins can function as the object of scientific research but can also be used as reagents and tool molecules. For example, mechanistic insights into protein function can be obtained by elucidating the 3D structure and studying interactions with other proteins, nucleic acids, or small molecules by determining affinities and specificities. Antibodies can be helpful tools to identify targets, whereas proteins such as cytokines and growth factors can be used as reagents in cell biology assays