Patent ID: 7410761

Claim:
A method for identifying and selecting a desired protein or nucleic acid molecule comprising: providing an in vitro translation system; providing at least two candidate mRNA molecules, wherein at least one of said mRNA molecules is untranslatable beyond a particular codon selected from the group consisting of a nonsense codon, a codon for which tRNAs having an anticodon complementary thereto are absent or substantially depleted in said in vitro translation system, and a codon located on a 3′ end of a translatable reading frame of said mRNA molecule; translating at least two of said candidate mRNA molecules in said in vitro translation system to generate at least one translated protein, wherein a tRNA molecule accepts a peptide chain and holds said chain in a manner such that ribosomal peptidyl transferase cannot detach it because the message in subsequent codons is untranslatable; linking at least one of said candidate mRNA molecules to its corresponding translated protein at or near said particular codon via said tRNA molecule to form at least one cognate pair, wherein at least one of said candidate mRNA molecules is connected to said tRNA molecule by a crosslinker; identifying one or more of said cognate pairs based upon the properties of said translated protein or said mRNA molecule, thereby identifying said desired protein or said desired nucleic acid molecule; providing a plurality of said cognate pairs comprising said one or more identified cognate pairs, exposing said plurality of said cognate pairs to one or more binding agents; and selecting said desired protein or nucleic acid molecule based upon a reaction or lack of a reaction to said one or more binding agents; wherein the crosslinker is selected from the group consisting of a sulfur-substituted nucleotide and a halogen-substituted nucleotide.