Zinc-finger hydrolase: Computational selection of a linker and a sequence towards metal activation with a synthetic αββ protein

A minimal zinc-hydrolase: we present redesign of zinc-finger protein as an enzyme with zinc activated as a hydrolase. Leveraging the delinking of search of sequence over side chains and fold over main-chain, we report step wise exploration of folds over l and d structure, followed by functional fits over the alphabet in side chains.