Molecular studies by chimeragenesis and mutagenesis

The development of the current techniques for chimeragenesis and mutagenesis has greatly increased our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of action of a large number of proteins, including enzymes, transporters and ion channels. They have also been instrumental in elucidating how a wide variety of compounds interact with specific receptor sites on these proteins. In this chapter, we will describe the principles underlying the techniques of chimeragenesis and mutagenesis, provide examples of how they can be best implemented, and summarize how these techniques have been used in alcohol research. The limitations of these techniques, as well as possible future applications, are also discussed.