The development of methodology for attaching ligand binding sites to proteins of interest has accelerated biomedical science. Such protein tags have widespread applications as well as properties that significantly limit their utility. This review describes the mechanisms and applications of supramolecular systems comprising the synthetic receptors cucurbit[7]uril (Q7) or cucurbit[8]uril (Q8) and their polypeptide ligands. Molecular recognition of peptides and proteins occurs at sites of 1–3 amino acids with high selectivity and affinity via several distinct mechanisms, which are supported by extensive thermodynamic and structural studies in aqueous media. The commercial availability, low cost, high stability, and biocompatibility of these synthetic receptors has led to the development of myriad applications. This comprehensive review compiles the molecular recognition studies and the resulting applications with the goals of providing a valuable resource to the community and inspiring the next generation of innovation.

中文翻译：

---

葫芦[n]脲对肽和蛋白质的分子识别：系统和应用


将配体结合位点连接到目标蛋白质的方法的发展加速了生物医学科学的发展。这种蛋白质标签具有广泛的应用以及显着限制其实用性的特性。本文介绍了由合成受体葫芦[7]uril （Q7） 或cucurbit[8]uril （Q8） 及其多肽配体组成的超分子系统的机制和应用。肽和蛋白质的分子识别发生在 1-3 个氨基酸的位点，具有高选择性和亲和力，通过几种不同的机制，这得到了水性介质中广泛的热力学和结构研究的支持。这些合成受体的商业可用性、低成本、高稳定性和生物相容性导致了无数应用的发展。这篇全面的综述汇编了分子识别研究和由此产生的应用程序，旨在为社区提供宝贵的资源并激发下一代创新。