The use of phage display in neurobiology

Phage display is a technique that involves the coupling of phenotype to genotype in a selectable format. It has been extensively used in molecular biology to study protein-protein interactions, receptor and antibody binding sites, and immune responses; to modify protein properties; and to select antibodies against a wide range of different antigens. In the format most often used, a polypeptide is displayed on the surface of a filamentous phage by genetic fusion to one of the coat proteins, creating a chimeric coat protein. As the gene encoding the chimeric coat protein is packaged within the phage, selection of the phage on the basis of the binding properties of the polypeptide displayed on the surface simultaneously results in the isolation of the gene encoding the polypeptide. This unit describes the background of the technique and illustrates how it has been applied to a number of different problems, each of which has its neurobiological counterparts.