101
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Berkeley RF, Debelouchina GT. Chemical tools for study and modulation of biomolecular phase transitions. Chem Sci 2022; 13:14226-14245. [PMID: 36545140 PMCID: PMC9749140 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc04907d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular phase transitions play an important role in organizing cellular processes in space and time. Methods and tools for studying these transitions, and the intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that often drive them, are typically less developed than tools for studying their folded protein counterparts. In this perspective, we assess the current landscape of chemical tools for studying IDPs, with a specific focus on protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). We highlight methodologies that enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of these systems, including site-specific labeling with small molecules and the diverse range of capabilities offered by inteins and protein semisynthesis. We discuss strategies for introducing post-translational modifications that are central to IDP and LLPS function and regulation. We also investigate the nascent field of noncovalent small-molecule modulators of LLPS. We hope that this review of the state-of-the-art in chemical tools for interrogating IDPs and LLPS, along with an associated perspective on areas of unmet need, can serve as a valuable and timely resource for these rapidly expanding fields of study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond F. Berkeley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Galia T. Debelouchina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
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102
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Du Y, Li L, Zheng Y, Liu J, Gong J, Qiu Z, Li Y, Qiao J, Huo YX. Incorporation of Non-Canonical Amino Acids into Antimicrobial Peptides: Advances, Challenges, and Perspectives. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0161722. [PMID: 36416555 PMCID: PMC9746297 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01617-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a global health concern and calls for the development of novel antibiotic agents. Antimicrobial peptides seem to be promising candidates due to their diverse sources, mechanisms of action, and physicochemical characteristics, as well as the relatively low emergence of resistance. The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into antimicrobial peptides could effectively improve their physicochemical and pharmacological diversity. Recently, various antimicrobial peptides variants with improved or novel properties have been produced by the incorporation of single and multiple distinct noncanonical amino acids. In this review, we summarize strategies for the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into antimicrobial peptides, as well as their features and suitabilities. Recent applications of noncanonical amino acid incorporation into antimicrobial peptides are also presented. Finally, we discuss the related challenges and prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Du
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Li
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University (SCU), Chengdu, China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiaheng Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University (SCU), Chengdu, China
| | - Julia Gong
- Marymount High School, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Zekai Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yanni Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jianjun Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi-Xin Huo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
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103
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Abstract
Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is an emerging microbial chassis for biobased chemical production from renewable feedstocks and environmental bioremediation. However, tools for studying, engineering, and modulating protein complexes and biosynthetic enzymes in this organism are largely underdeveloped. Genetic code expansion for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids (unAAs) into proteins can advance such efforts and, furthermore, enable additional controls of biological processes of the strain. In this work, we established the orthogonality of two widely used archaeal tRNA synthetase and tRNA pairs in KT2440. Following the optimization of decoding systems, four unAAs were incorporated into proteins in response to a UAG stop codon at 34.6-78% efficiency. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of genetic code expansion through the incorporation of a photocross-linking amino acid, p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (pBpa), into glutathione S-transferase (GstA) and a chemosensory response regulator (CheY) for protein-protein interaction studies in KT2440. This work reported the successful genetic code expansion in KT2440 for the first time. Given the diverse structure and functions of unAAs that have been added to protein syntheses using the archaeal systems, our research lays down a solid foundation for future work to study and enhance the biological functions of KT2440.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan He
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
| | - Tianyu Gao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
| | - Kun Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
| | - Jiantao Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
- The Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication (NCIBC), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
| | - Wei Niu
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
- The Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication (NCIBC), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
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104
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Dowman LJ, Kulkarni SS, Alegre-Requena JV, Giltrap AM, Norman AR, Sharma A, Gallegos LC, Mackay AS, Welegedara AP, Watson EE, van Raad D, Niederacher G, Huhmann S, Proschogo N, Patel K, Larance M, Becker CFW, Mackay JP, Lakhwani G, Huber T, Paton RS, Payne RJ. Site-selective photocatalytic functionalization of peptides and proteins at selenocysteine. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6885. [PMID: 36371402 PMCID: PMC9653470 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34530-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of modified peptides and proteins for applications in drug discovery, and for illuminating biological processes at the molecular level, is fueling a demand for efficient methods that facilitate the precise modification of these biomolecules. Herein, we describe the development of a photocatalytic method for the rapid and efficient dimerization and site-specific functionalization of peptide and protein diselenides. This methodology, dubbed the photocatalytic diselenide contraction, involves irradiation at 450 nm in the presence of an iridium photocatalyst and a phosphine and results in rapid and clean conversion of diselenides to reductively stable selenoethers. A mechanism for this photocatalytic transformation is proposed, which is supported by photoluminescence spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The utility of the photocatalytic diselenide contraction transformation is highlighted through the dimerization of selenopeptides, and by the generation of two families of protein conjugates via the site-selective modification of calmodulin containing the 21st amino acid selenocysteine, and the C-terminal modification of a ubiquitin diselenide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J Dowman
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Sameer S Kulkarni
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Juan V Alegre-Requena
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1872, USA
| | - Andrew M Giltrap
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Alexander R Norman
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Ashish Sharma
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Liliana C Gallegos
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1872, USA
| | - Angus S Mackay
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Adarshi P Welegedara
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Emma E Watson
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Damian van Raad
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Gerhard Niederacher
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Huhmann
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicholas Proschogo
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Karishma Patel
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Mark Larance
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Christian F W Becker
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joel P Mackay
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Girish Lakhwani
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Thomas Huber
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Robert S Paton
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1872, USA
| | - Richard J Payne
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
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105
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Meganathan I, Pachaiyappan M, Aarthy M, Radhakrishnan J, Mukherjee S, Shanmugam G, You J, Ayyadurai N. Recombinant and genetic code expanded collagen-like protein as a tailorable biomaterial. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2022; 9:2698-2721. [PMID: 36189465 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh00652a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Collagen occurs in nature with a dedicated triple helix structure and is the most preferred biomaterial in commercialized medical products. However, concerns on purity, disease transmission, and the reproducibility of animal derived collagen restrict its applications and warrants alternate recombinant sources. The expression of recombinant collagen in different prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts has been reported with varying degrees of success, however, it is vital to elucidate the structural and biological characteristics of natural collagen. The recombinant production of biologically functional collagen is restricted by its high molecular weight and post-translational modification (PTM), especially the hydroxylation of proline to hydroxyproline. Hydroxyproline plays a key role in the structural stability and higher order self-assembly to form fibrillar matrices. Advancements in synthetic biology and recombinant technology are being explored for improving the yield and biomimicry of recombinant collagen. It emerges as reliable, sustainable source of collagen, promises tailorable properties and thereby custom-made protein biomaterials. Remarkably, the evolutionary existence of collagen-like proteins (CLPs) has been identified in single-cell organisms. Interestingly, CLPs exhibit remarkable ability to form stable triple helical structures similar to animal collagen and have gained increasing attention. Strategies to expand the genetic code of CLPs through the incorporation of unnatural amino acids promise the synthesis of highly tunable next-generation triple helical proteins required for the fabrication of smart biomaterials. The review outlines the importance of collagen, sources and diversification, and animal and recombinant collagen-based biomaterials and highlights the limitations of the existing collagen sources. The emphasis on genetic code expanded tailorable CLPs as the most sought alternate for the production of functional collagen and its advantages as translatable biomaterials has been highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilamaran Meganathan
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India.
| | - Mohandass Pachaiyappan
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India.
| | - Mayilvahanan Aarthy
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India.
| | - Janani Radhakrishnan
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Smriti Mukherjee
- Division of Organic and Bio-organic Chemistry, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India
| | - Ganesh Shanmugam
- Division of Organic and Bio-organic Chemistry, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Jingjing You
- Save Sight Institute, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Niraikulam Ayyadurai
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - CLRI, Chennai, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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106
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Lee J, Yang M, Song WJ. The expanded landscape of metalloproteins by genetic incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.12635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaehee Lee
- Department of Chemistry Seoul National University Seoul South Korea
| | - Minwoo Yang
- Department of Chemistry Seoul National University Seoul South Korea
| | - Woon Ju Song
- Department of Chemistry Seoul National University Seoul South Korea
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107
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Yu B, Li S, Tabata T, Wang N, Cao L, Kumar GR, Sun W, Liu J, Ott M, Wang L. Accelerating PERx reaction enables covalent nanobodies for potent neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and variants. Chem 2022; 8:2766-2783. [PMID: 35874165 PMCID: PMC9288967 DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2022.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic and increasing SARS-CoV-2 variants demand effective drugs for prophylactics and treatment. Protein-based biologics offer high specificity, yet their noncovalent interactions often lead to drug dissociation and incomplete inhibition. Here, we have developed covalent nanobodies capable of binding with SARS-CoV-2 irreversibly via a proximity-enabled reactive therapeutic (PERx) mechanism. A latent bioreactive amino acid (FFY) was designed and genetically encoded into nanobodies to accelerate the PERx reaction rate. Compared with the noncovalent wild-type nanobody, the FFY-incorporated covalent nanobodies neutralized both wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and its Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, Lambda, and Omicron variants with drastically higher potency. This PERx-enabled covalent-nanobody strategy and the related insights into increased potency can be valuable to developing effective therapeutics for various viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingchen Yu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Shanshan Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | | | - Nanxi Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | | | - Wei Sun
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Melanie Ott
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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108
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Protein delivery to living cells by thermal stimulation for biophysical investigation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17190. [PMID: 36229511 PMCID: PMC9561116 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying biomolecules in their native environment represents the ideal sample condition for structural biology investigations. Here we present a novel protocol which allows to delivery proteins into eukaryotic cells through a mild thermal stimulation. The data presented herein show the efficacy of this approach for delivering proteins in the intracellular environment of mammalian cells reaching a concentration range suitable for successfully applying biophysical methods, such as double electron electron resonance (DEER) measurements for characterising protein conformations.
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109
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Kjærsgaard NL, Nielsen TB, Gothelf KV. Chemical Conjugation to Less Targeted Proteinogenic Amino Acids. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200245. [PMID: 35781760 PMCID: PMC9796363 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Protein bioconjugates are in high demand for applications in biomedicine, diagnostics, chemical biology and bionanotechnology. Proteins are large and sensitive molecules containing multiple different functional groups and in particular nucleophilic groups. In bioconjugation reactions it can therefore be challenging to obtain a homogeneous product in high yield. Numerous strategies for protein conjugation have been developed, of which a vast majority target lysine, cysteine and to a lesser extend tyrosine. Likewise, several methods that involve recombinantly engineered protein tags have been reported. In recent years a number of methods have emerged for chemical bioconjugation to other amino acids and in this review, we present the progress in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna L. Kjærsgaard
- Center for Multifunctional Biomolecular Drug Design Interdisciplinary Nanoscience CenterAarhus UniversityGustav Wieds Vej 148000Aarhus CDenmark
- Department of ChemistryAarhus UniversityLangelandsgade 1408000Aarhus CDenmark
| | | | - Kurt V. Gothelf
- Center for Multifunctional Biomolecular Drug Design Interdisciplinary Nanoscience CenterAarhus UniversityGustav Wieds Vej 148000Aarhus CDenmark
- Department of ChemistryAarhus UniversityLangelandsgade 1408000Aarhus CDenmark
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110
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Wu K, Moore JA, Miller MD, Chen Y, Lee C, Xu W, Peng Z, Duan Q, Phillips GN, Uribe RA, Xiao H. Expanding the eukaryotic genetic code with a biosynthesized 21st amino acid. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4443. [PMID: 36173166 PMCID: PMC9601876 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion technology allows for the use of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) to create semisynthetic organisms for both biochemical and biomedical applications. However, exogenous feeding of chemically synthesized ncAAs at high concentrations is required to compensate for the inefficient cellular uptake and incorporation of these components into proteins, especially in the case of eukaryotic cells and multicellular organisms. To generate organisms capable of autonomously biosynthesizing an ncAA and incorporating it into proteins, we have engineered a metabolic pathway for the synthesis of O-methyltyrosine (OMeY). Specifically, we endowed organisms with a marformycins biosynthetic pathway-derived methyltransferase that efficiently converts tyrosine to OMeY in the presence of the co-factor S-adenosylmethionine. The resulting cells can produce and site-specifically incorporate OMeY into proteins at much higher levels than cells exogenously fed OMeY. To understand the structural basis for the substrate selectivity of the transferase, we solved the X-ray crystal structures of the ligand-free and tyrosine-bound enzymes. Most importantly, we have extended this OMeY biosynthetic system to both mammalian cells and the zebrafish model to enhance the utility of genetic code expansion. The creation of autonomous eukaryotes using a 21st amino acid will make genetic code expansion technology more applicable to multicellular organisms, providing valuable vertebrate models for biological and biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan‐Lin Wu
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Joshua A. Moore
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology ProgramRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | | | - Yuda Chen
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Catherine Lee
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Weijun Xu
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Zane Peng
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Qinghui Duan
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - George N. Phillips
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Rosa A. Uribe
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology ProgramRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Han Xiao
- Department of ChemistryRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Department of BioengineeringRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
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111
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Hirschi S, Ward TR, Meier WP, Müller DJ, Fotiadis D. Synthetic Biology: Bottom-Up Assembly of Molecular Systems. Chem Rev 2022; 122:16294-16328. [PMID: 36179355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The bottom-up assembly of biological and chemical components opens exciting opportunities to engineer artificial vesicular systems for applications with previously unmet requirements. The modular combination of scaffolds and functional building blocks enables the engineering of complex systems with biomimetic or new-to-nature functionalities. Inspired by the compartmentalized organization of cells and organelles, lipid or polymer vesicles are widely used as model membrane systems to investigate the translocation of solutes and the transduction of signals by membrane proteins. The bottom-up assembly and functionalization of such artificial compartments enables full control over their composition and can thus provide specifically optimized environments for synthetic biological processes. This review aims to inspire future endeavors by providing a diverse toolbox of molecular modules, engineering methodologies, and different approaches to assemble artificial vesicular systems. Important technical and practical aspects are addressed and selected applications are presented, highlighting particular achievements and limitations of the bottom-up approach. Complementing the cutting-edge technological achievements, fundamental aspects are also discussed to cater to the inherently diverse background of the target audience, which results from the interdisciplinary nature of synthetic biology. The engineering of proteins as functional modules and the use of lipids and block copolymers as scaffold modules for the assembly of functionalized vesicular systems are explored in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring the controlled assembly of these components into increasingly complex vesicular systems. Finally, all descriptions are presented in the greater context of engineering valuable synthetic biological systems for applications in biocatalysis, biosensing, bioremediation, or targeted drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Hirschi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Molecular Systems Engineering, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas R Ward
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,Molecular Systems Engineering, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang P Meier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,Molecular Systems Engineering, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel J Müller
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Molecular Systems Engineering, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dimitrios Fotiadis
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Molecular Systems Engineering, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
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112
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Fluorinated Protein and Peptide Materials for Biomedical Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15101201. [PMID: 36297312 PMCID: PMC9609677 DOI: 10.3390/ph15101201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorination represents one of the most powerful modern design strategies to impart biomacromolecules with unique functionality, empowering them for widespread application in the biomedical realm. However, the properties of fluorinated protein materials remain unpredictable due to the heavy context-dependency of the surrounding atoms influenced by fluorine’s strong electron-withdrawing tendencies. This review aims to discern patterns and elucidate design principles governing the biochemical synthesis and rational installation of fluorine into protein and peptide sequences for diverse biomedical applications. Several case studies are presented to deconvolute the overgeneralized fluorous stabilization effect and critically examine the duplicitous nature of the resultant enhanced chemical and thermostability as it applies to use as biomimetic therapeutics, drug delivery vehicles, and bioimaging modalities.
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113
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Zhang H, Zheng Z, Dong L, Shi N, Yang Y, Chen H, Shen Y, Xia Q. Rational incorporation of any unnatural amino acid into proteins by machine learning on existing experimental proofs. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:4930-4941. [PMID: 36147660 PMCID: PMC9472073 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.08.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The unnatural amino acid (UAA) incorporation technique through genetic code expansion has been extensively used in protein engineering for the last two decades. Mutations into UAAs offer more dimensions to tune protein structures and functions. However, the huge library of optional UAAs and various circumstances of mutation sites on different proteins urge rational UAA incorporations guided by artificial intelligence. Here we collected existing experimental proofs of UAA-incorporated proteins in literature and established a database of known UAA substitution sites. By program designing and machine learning on the database, we showed that UAA incorporations into proteins are predictable by the observed evolutional, steric and physiochemical factors. Based on the predicted probability of successful UAA substitutions, we tested the model performance using literature-reported and freshly-designed experimental proofs, and demonstrated its potential in screening UAA-incorporated proteins. This work expands structure-based computational biology and virtual screening to UAA-incorporated proteins, and offers a useful tool to automate the rational design of proteins with any UAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zhetao Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Liangzhen Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ningning Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuelin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hongmin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuxuan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qing Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
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114
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Leveson‐Gower RB, Roelfes G. Biocatalytic Friedel-Crafts Reactions. ChemCatChem 2022; 14:e202200636. [PMID: 36606067 PMCID: PMC9804301 DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202200636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation reactions are important methodologies in synthetic and industrial chemistry for the construction of aryl-alkyl and aryl-acyl linkages that are ubiquitous in bioactive molecules. Nature also exploits these reactions in many biosynthetic processes. Much work has been done to expand the synthetic application of these enzymes to unnatural substrates through directed evolution. The promise of such biocatalysts is their potential to supersede inefficient and toxic chemical approaches to these reactions, with mild operating conditions - the hallmark of enzymes. Complementary work has created many bio-hybrid Friedel-Crafts catalysts consisting of chemical catalysts anchored into biomolecular scaffolds, which display many of the same desirable characteristics. In this Review, we summarise these efforts, focussing on both mechanistic aspects and synthetic considerations, concluding with an overview of the frontiers of this field and routes towards more efficient and benign Friedel-Crafts reactions for the future of humankind.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gerard Roelfes
- Stratingh Institute for ChemistryUniversity of Groningen9747 AGGroningenThe Netherlands
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115
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Chen Y, Jin S, Zhang M, Hu Y, Wu KL, Chung A, Wang S, Tian Z, Wang Y, Wolynes PG, Xiao H. Unleashing the potential of noncanonical amino acid biosynthesis to create cells with precision tyrosine sulfation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5434. [PMID: 36114189 PMCID: PMC9481576 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33111-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the great promise of genetic code expansion technology to modulate structures and functions of proteins, external addition of ncAAs is required in most cases and it often limits the utility of genetic code expansion technology, especially to noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with poor membrane internalization. Here, we report the creation of autonomous cells, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, with the ability to biosynthesize and genetically encode sulfotyrosine (sTyr), an important protein post-translational modification with low membrane permeability. These engineered cells can produce site-specifically sulfated proteins at a higher yield than cells fed exogenously with the highest level of sTyr reported in the literature. We use these autonomous cells to prepare highly potent thrombin inhibitors with site-specific sulfation. By enhancing ncAA incorporation efficiency, this added ability of cells to biosynthesize ncAAs and genetically incorporate them into proteins greatly extends the utility of genetic code expansion methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuda Chen
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Shikai Jin
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Mengxi Zhang
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Yu Hu
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Kuan-Lin Wu
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Anna Chung
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Shichao Wang
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Zeru Tian
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Yixian Wang
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Peter G. Wolynes
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Physics, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
| | - Han Xiao
- grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA ,grid.21940.3e0000 0004 1936 8278Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 USA
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116
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Olson NM, Johnson JA, Peterson KE, Henisch SC, Marshall AP, Smanski MJ, Carlson EE, Pomerantz WC. Development of a single culture E. coli expression system for the enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated tyrosine and its incorporation into proteins. J Fluor Chem 2022; 261-262. [PMID: 37197608 PMCID: PMC10187777 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfluchem.2022.110014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Current experiments that rely on biosynthetic metabolic protein labeling with 19F often require fluorinated amino acids, which in the case of 2- and 3-fluorotyrosine can be expensive. However, using these amino acids has provided valuable insight into protein dynamics, structure, and function. Here, we develop a new in-cell method for fluorinated tyrosine generation from readily available substituted phenols and subsequent metabolic labeling of proteins in a single bacterial expression culture. This approach uses a dual-gene plasmid encoding for a model protein BRD4(D1) and a tyrosine phenol lyase from Citrobacter freundii, which catalyzes the formation of tyrosine from phenol, pyruvate, and ammonium. Our system demonstrated both enzymatic fluorotyrosine production and expression of 19F-labeled proteins as analyzed by 19F NMR and LC-MS methods. Further optimization of our system should provide a cost-effective alternative to a variety of traditional protein-labeling strategies.
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117
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Ranji Charna A, Des Soye BJ, Ntai I, Kelleher NL, Jewett MC. An efficient cell-free protein synthesis platform for producing proteins with pyrrolysine-based noncanonical amino acids. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2200096. [PMID: 35569121 PMCID: PMC9452482 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202200096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins opens new opportunities in biotechnology and synthetic biology. Pyrrolysine (Pyl)-based ncAAs are some of the most predominantly used, but expression systems suffer from low yields. Here, we report a highly efficient cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) platform for site-specific incorporation of Pyl-based ncAAs into proteins using amber suppression. This platform is based on cellular extracts derived from genomically recoded Escherichia coli lacking release factor 1 and enhanced through deletion of endonuclease A. To enable ncAA incorporation, orthogonal translation system (OTS) components (i.e., the orthogonal transfer RNA [tRNA] and orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase) were coexpressed in the source strain prior to lysis and the orthogonal tRNACUA Pyl that decodes the amber codon was further enriched in the CFPS reaction via co-synthesis with the product. Using this platform, we demonstrate production of up to 442 ± 23 µg/mL modified superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) containing a single Pyl-based ncAA at high (>95%) suppression efficiency, as well as sfGFP variants harboring multiple, identical ncAAs. Our CFPS platform can be used for the synthesis of modified proteins containing multiple precisely positioned, genetically encoded Pyl-based ncAAs. We anticipate that it will facilitate more general use of CFPS in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaz Ranji Charna
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Benjamin J Des Soye
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Ioanni Ntai
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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118
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Pastore AJ, Ficaretta E, Chatterjee A, Davidson VL. Substitution of the sole tryptophan of the cupredoxin, amicyanin, with 5-hydroxytryptophan alters fluorescence properties and energy transfer to the type 1 copper site. J Inorg Biochem 2022; 234:111895. [PMID: 35696758 PMCID: PMC9753554 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.111895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Amicyanin is a type 1 copper protein with a single tryptophan residue. Using genetic code expansion, the tryptophan was selectively replaced with the unnatural amino acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). The 5-HTP substituted amicyanin exhibited absorbance at 300-320 nm, characteristic of 5-HTP and not seen in native amicyanin. The fluorescence emission maximum in 5-HTP substituted amicyanin is redshifted from 318 nm in native amicyanin to 331 nm and to 348 nm in the unfolded protein. The fluorescence quantum yield of 5-HTP substituted amicyanin mutant was much less than that of native amicyanin. Differences in intrinsic fluorescence are explained by differences in the excited states of tryptophan versus 5-HTP and the intraprotein environment. The substitution of tryptophan with 5-HTP did not affect the visible absorbance and redox potential of the copper, which is 10 Å away. In amicyanin and other cupredoxins, an unexplained quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence by the bound copper is observed. However, the fluorescence of 5-HTP substituted amicyanin is not quenched by the copper. It is shown that the mechanism of quenching in native amicyanin is Förster, or fluorescence, resonance energy transfer (FRET). This does not occur in 5-HTP substituted amicyanin because the fluorescence quantum yield is significantly lower and the red-shift of fluorescence emission maximum decreases overlap with the near UV absorbance of copper. Characterization of the distinct fluorescence properties of 5-HTP relative to tryptophan in amicyanin provides a basis for spectroscopic interrogation of the protein microenvironment using 5-HTP, and long-distance interactions with transition metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Pastore
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32827, USA
| | - Elise Ficaretta
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Victor L Davidson
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32827, USA.
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119
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Kumar V, Turnbull WB, Kumar A. Review on Recent Developments in Biocatalysts for Friedel–Crafts Reactions. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c01134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vajinder Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Akal University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab 151302, India
| | - W. Bruce Turnbull
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Avneesh Kumar
- Department of Botany, Akal University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab 151302, India
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120
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Pei X, Luo Z, Qiao L, Xiao Q, Zhang P, Wang A, Sheldon RA. Putting precision and elegance in enzyme immobilisation with bio-orthogonal chemistry. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:7281-7304. [PMID: 35920313 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01004b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The covalent immobilisation of enzymes generally involves the use of highly reactive crosslinkers, such as glutaraldehyde, to couple enzyme molecules to each other or to carriers through, for example, the free amino groups of lysine residues, on the enzyme surface. Unfortunately, such methods suffer from a lack of precision. Random formation of covalent linkages with reactive functional groups in the enzyme leads to disruption of the three dimensional structure and accompanying activity losses. This review focuses on recent advances in the use of bio-orthogonal chemistry in conjunction with rec-DNA to affect highly precise immobilisation of enzymes. In this way, cost-effective combination of production, purification and immobilisation of an enzyme is achieved, in a single unit operation with a high degree of precision. Various bio-orthogonal techniques for putting this precision and elegance into enzyme immobilisation are elaborated. These include, for example, fusing (grafting) peptide or protein tags to the target enzyme that enable its immobilisation in cell lysate or incorporating non-standard amino acids that enable the application of bio-orthogonal chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Pei
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Zhiyuan Luo
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Li Qiao
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Qinjie Xiao
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Anming Wang
- College of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Roger A Sheldon
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, PO Wits, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa. .,Department of Biotechnology, Section BOC, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
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121
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Prabhakar A, Krahn N, Zhang J, Vargas-Rodriguez O, Krupkin M, Fu Z, Acosta-Reyes FJ, Ge X, Choi J, Crnković A, Ehrenberg M, Puglisi EV, Söll D, Puglisi J. Uncovering translation roadblocks during the development of a synthetic tRNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:10201-10211. [PMID: 35882385 PMCID: PMC9561287 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomes are remarkable in their malleability to accept diverse aminoacyl-tRNA substrates from both the same organism and other organisms or domains of life. This is a critical feature of the ribosome that allows the use of orthogonal translation systems for genetic code expansion. Optimization of these orthogonal translation systems generally involves focusing on the compatibility of the tRNA, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, and a non-canonical amino acid with each other. As we expand the diversity of tRNAs used to include non-canonical structures, the question arises as to the tRNA suitability on the ribosome. Specifically, we investigated the ribosomal translation of allo-tRNAUTu1, a uniquely shaped (9/3) tRNA exploited for site-specific selenocysteine insertion, using single-molecule fluorescence. With this technique we identified ribosomal disassembly occurring from translocation of allo-tRNAUTu1 from the A to the P site. Using cryo-EM to capture the tRNA on the ribosome, we pinpointed a distinct tertiary interaction preventing fluid translocation. Through a single nucleotide mutation, we disrupted this tertiary interaction and relieved the translation roadblock. With the continued diversification of genetic code expansion, our work highlights a targeted approach to optimize translation by distinct tRNAs as they move through the ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Miri Krupkin
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5126, USA
| | - Ziao Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Francisco J Acosta-Reyes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xueliang Ge
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 24, Sweden
| | - Junhong Choi
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5126, USA
| | - Ana Crnković
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Måns Ehrenberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 24, Sweden
| | | | - Dieter Söll
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Dieter Söll.
| | - Joseph Puglisi
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 650 498 4397;
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122
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Thommen M, Draycheva A, Rodnina MV. Ribosome selectivity and nascent chain context in modulating the incorporation of fluorescent non-canonical amino acid into proteins. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12848. [PMID: 35896582 PMCID: PMC9329280 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16932-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence reporter groups are important tools to study the structure and dynamics of proteins. Genetic code reprogramming allows for cotranslational incorporation of non-canonical amino acids at any desired position. However, cotranslational incorporation of bulky fluorescence reporter groups is technically challenging and usually inefficient. Here we analyze the bottlenecks for the cotranslational incorporation of NBD-, BodipyFL- and Atto520-labeled Cys-tRNACys into a model protein using a reconstituted in-vitro translation system. We show that the modified Cys-tRNACys can be rejected during decoding due to the reduced ribosome selectivity for the modified aa-tRNA and the competition with native near-cognate aminoacyl-tRNAs. Accommodation of the modified Cys-tRNACys in the A site of the ribosome is also impaired, but can be rescued by one or several Gly residues at the positions −1 to −4 upstream of the incorporation site. The incorporation yield depends on the steric properties of the downstream residue and decreases with the distance from the protein N-terminus to the incorporation site. In addition to the full-length translation product, we find protein fragments corresponding to the truncated N-terminal peptide and the C-terminal fragment starting with a fluorescence-labeled Cys arising from a StopGo-like event due to a defect in peptide bond formation. The results are important for understanding the reasons for inefficient cotranslational protein labeling with bulky reporter groups and for designing new approaches to improve the yield of fluorescence-labeled protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Thommen
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Albena Draycheva
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marina V Rodnina
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
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123
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Abstract
The application of biocatalysis in conquering challenging synthesis requires the constant input of new enzymes. Developing novel biocatalysts by absorbing catalysis modes from synthetic chemistry has yielded fruitful new-to-nature enzymes. Organocatalysis was originally bio-inspired and has become the third pillar of asymmetric catalysis. Transferring organocatalytic reactions back to enzyme platforms is a promising approach for biocatalyst creation. Herein, we summarize recent developments in the design of novel biocatalysts that adopt iminium catalysis, a fundamental branch in organocatalysis. By repurposing existing enzymes or constructing artificial enzymes, various biocatalysts for iminium catalysis have been created and optimized via protein engineering to promote valuable abiological transformations. Recent advances in iminium biocatalysis illustrate the power of combining chemomimetic biocatalyst design and directed evolution to generate useful new-to-nature enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangcai Xu
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical BiologyGroningen Research Institute of PharmacyUniversity of GroningenAntonius Deusinglaan 19713AV GroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Gerrit J. Poelarends
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical BiologyGroningen Research Institute of PharmacyUniversity of GroningenAntonius Deusinglaan 19713AV GroningenThe Netherlands
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124
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Wang P, Zhang G, Xu Z, Chen Z, Liu X, Wang C, Zheng C, Wang J, Zhang H, Yan A. Whole-cell FRET monitoring of transcription factor activities enables functional annotation of signal transduction systems in living bacteria. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102258. [PMID: 35839853 PMCID: PMC9396075 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria adapt to their constantly changing environments largely by transcriptional regulation through the activities of various transcription factors (TFs). However, techniques that monitor TF–promoter interactions in situ in living bacteria are lacking. Herein, we developed a whole-cell TF–promoter binding assay based on the intermolecular FRET between an unnatural amino acid, l-(7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl) ethylglycine, which labels TFs with bright fluorescence through genetic encoding (donor fluorophore) and the live cell nucleic acid stain SYTO 9 (acceptor fluorophore). We show that this new FRET pair monitors the intricate TF–promoter interactions elicited by various types of signal transduction systems, including one-component (CueR) and two-component systems (BasSR and PhoPQ), in bacteria with high specificity and sensitivity. We demonstrate that robust CouA incorporation and FRET occurrence is achieved in all these regulatory systems based on either the crystal structures of TFs or their simulated structures, if 3D structures of the TFs were unavailable. Furthermore, using CueR and PhoPQ systems as models, we demonstrate that the whole-cell FRET assay is applicable for the identification and validation of complex regulatory circuit and novel modulators of regulatory systems of interest. Finally, we show that the FRET system is applicable for single-cell analysis and monitoring TF activities in Escherichia coli colonizing a Caenorhabditis elegans host. In conclusion, we established a tractable and sensitive TF–promoter binding assay, which not only complements currently available approaches for DNA–protein interactions but also provides novel opportunities for functional annotation of bacterial signal transduction systems and studies of the bacteria–host interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengchao Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Guangming Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zeling Xu
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zhe Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chenyin Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chaogu Zheng
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jiangyun Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Hongmin Zhang
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China.
| | - Aixin Yan
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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125
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Wan N, Wang N, Yu S, Zhang H, Tang S, Wang D, Lu W, Li H, Delafield DG, Kong Y, Wang X, Shao C, Lv L, Wang G, Tan R, Wang N, Hao H, Ye H. Cyclic immonium ion of lactyllysine reveals widespread lactylation in the human proteome. Nat Methods 2022; 19:854-864. [PMID: 35761067 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01523-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Lactylation was initially discovered on human histones. Given its nascence, its occurrence on nonhistone proteins and downstream functional consequences remain elusive. Here we report a cyclic immonium ion of lactyllysine formed during tandem mass spectrometry that enables confident protein lactylation assignment. We validated the sensitivity and specificity of this ion for lactylation through affinity-enriched lactylproteome analysis and large-scale informatic assessment of nonlactylated spectral libraries. With this diagnostic ion-based strategy, we confidently determined new lactylation, unveiling a wide landscape beyond histones from not only the enriched lactylproteome but also existing unenriched human proteome resources. Specifically, by mining the public human Meltome Atlas, we found that lactylation is common on glycolytic enzymes and conserved on ALDOA. We also discovered prevalent lactylation on DHRS7 in the draft of the human tissue proteome. We partially demonstrated the functional importance of lactylation: site-specific engineering of lactylation into ALDOA caused enzyme inhibition, suggesting a lactylation-dependent feedback loop in glycolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wan
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Nian Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Siqin Yu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hanqing Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuo Tang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Dexiang Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenjie Lu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.,School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huanhuan Li
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Daniel G Delafield
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ying Kong
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.,School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinmiao Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chang Shao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.,School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Langlang Lv
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guangji Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Renxiang Tan
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Nanxi Wang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
| | - Haiping Hao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China. .,School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Hui Ye
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
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126
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Probing the Conformational States of Thimet Oligopeptidase in Solution. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137297. [PMID: 35806299 PMCID: PMC9266445 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Thimet oligopeptidase (TOP) is a metallopeptidase involved in the metabolism of oligopeptides inside and outside cells of various tissues. It has been proposed that substrate or inhibitor binding in the TOP active site induces a large hinge-bending movement leading to a closed structure, in which the bound ligand is enclosed. The main goal of the present work was to study this conformational change, and fluorescence techniques were used. Four active TOP mutants were created, each equipped with a single-Trp residue (fluorescence donor) and a p-nitro-phenylalanine (pNF) residue as fluorescence acceptor at opposite sides of the active site. pNF was biosynthetically incorporated with high efficiency using the amber codon suppression technology. Inhibitor binding induced shorter Donor-Acceptor (D-A) distances in all mutants, supporting the view that a hinge-like movement is operative in TOP. The activity of TOP is known to be dependent on the ionic strength of the assay buffer and D-A distances were measured at different ionic strengths. Interestingly, a correlation between the D-A distance and the catalytic activity of TOP was observed: the highest activities corresponded to the shortest D-A distances. In this study for the first time the hinge-bending motion of a metallopeptidase in solution could be studied, yielding insight about the position of the equilibrium between the open and closed conformation. This information will contribute to a more detailed understanding of the mode of action of these enzymes, including therapeutic targets like neurolysin and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
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127
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Katoh T, Suga H. In Vitro Genetic Code Reprogramming for the Expansion of Usable Noncanonical Amino Acids. Annu Rev Biochem 2022; 91:221-243. [PMID: 35729073 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-040320-103817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Genetic code reprogramming has enabled us to ribosomally incorporate various nonproteinogenic amino acids (npAAs) into peptides in vitro. The repertoire of usable npAAs has been expanded to include not only l-α-amino acids with noncanonical sidechains but also those with noncanonical backbones. Despite successful single incorporation of npAAs, multiple and consecutive incorporations often suffer from low efficiency or are even unsuccessful. To overcome this stumbling block, engineering approaches have been used to modify ribosomes, EF-Tu, and tRNAs. Here, we provide an overview of these in vitro methods that are aimed at optimal expansion of the npAA repertoire and their applications for the development of de novo bioactive peptides containing various npAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Katoh
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; ,
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; ,
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128
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Klauser PC, Berdan VY, Cao L, Wang L. Encoding latent SuFEx reactive meta-fluorosulfate tyrosine to expand covalent bonding of proteins. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:6861-6864. [PMID: 35621237 PMCID: PMC9816398 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc01902g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of new covalent bonds into proteins is affording novel avenues for protein research and applications, yet it remains difficult to generate covalent linkages at all possible sites and across diverse protein classes. Herein, we genetically encoded meta-fluorosulfate-L-tyrosine (mFSY) to selectively react with lysine, tyrosine, and histidine via proximity-enabled SuFEx reaction. mFSY was able to target residues that were elusive for previous unnatural amino acids, and permitted engineering of various proteins including affibody, nanobody, and Fab into covalent binders that irreversibly cross-linked EGFR and HER2. mFSY is thus valuable for developing covalent proteins for biological research, synthetic biology, and biotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul C. Klauser
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Viktoriya Y. Berdan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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129
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Fu X, Huang Y, Shen Y. Improving the Efficiency and Orthogonality of Genetic Code Expansion. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9896125. [PMID: 37850140 PMCID: PMC10521639 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9896125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The site-specific incorporation of the noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) into proteins via genetic code expansion (GCE) has enabled the development of new and powerful ways to learn, regulate, and evolve biological functions in vivo. However, cellular biosynthesis of ncAA-containing proteins with high efficiency and fidelity is a formidable challenge. In this review, we summarize up-to-date progress towards improving the efficiency and orthogonality of GCE and enhancing intracellular compatibility of introduced translation machinery in the living cells by creation and optimization of orthogonal translation components, constructing genomically recoded organism (GRO), utilization of unnatural base pairs (UBP) and quadruplet codons (four-base codons), and spatial separation of orthogonal translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Fu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen 518120China
| | - Yijian Huang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yue Shen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen 518120China
- Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
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130
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Clark ET, Sievers EE, Debelouchina GT. A Chemical Biology Primer for NMR Spectroscopists. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE OPEN 2022; 10-11:100044. [PMID: 35494416 PMCID: PMC9053072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmro.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Among structural biology techniques, NMR spectroscopy offers unique capabilities that enable the atomic resolution studies of dynamic and heterogeneous biological systems under physiological and native conditions. Complex biological systems, however, often challenge NMR spectroscopists with their low sensitivity, crowded spectra or large linewidths that reflect their intricate interaction patterns and dynamics. While some of these challenges can be overcome with the development of new spectroscopic approaches, chemical biology can also offer elegant and efficient solutions at the sample preparation stage. In this tutorial, we aim to present several chemical biology tools that enable the preparation of selectively and segmentally labeled protein samples, as well as the introduction of site-specific spectroscopic probes and post-translational modifications. The four tools covered here, namely cysteine chemistry, inteins, native chemical ligation, and unnatural amino acid incorporation, have been developed and optimized in recent years to be more efficient and applicable to a wider range of proteins than ever before. We briefly introduce each tool, describe its advantages and disadvantages in the context of NMR experiments, and offer practical advice for sample preparation and analysis. We hope that this tutorial will introduce beginning researchers in the field to the possibilities chemical biology can offer to NMR spectroscopists, and that it will inspire new and exciting applications in the quest to understand protein function in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan T. Clark
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Elanor E. Sievers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Galia T. Debelouchina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
- Corresponding author: Galia Debelouchina, University of California, San Diego, Natural Sciences Building 4322, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, 858-534-3038,
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131
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New opportunities for genetic code expansion in synthetic yeast. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 75:102691. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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132
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Kimoto M, Hirao I. Genetic Code Engineering by Natural and Unnatural Base Pair Systems for the Site-Specific Incorporation of Non-Standard Amino Acids Into Proteins. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:851646. [PMID: 35685243 PMCID: PMC9171071 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.851646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Amino acid sequences of proteins are encoded in nucleic acids composed of four letters, A, G, C, and T(U). However, this four-letter alphabet coding system limits further functionalities of proteins by the twenty letters of amino acids. If we expand the genetic code or develop alternative codes, we could create novel biological systems and biotechnologies by the site-specific incorporation of non-standard amino acids (or unnatural amino acids, unAAs) into proteins. To this end, new codons and their complementary anticodons are required for unAAs. In this review, we introduce the current status of methods to incorporate new amino acids into proteins by in vitro and in vivo translation systems, by focusing on the creation of new codon-anticodon interactions, including unnatural base pair systems for genetic alphabet expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ichiro Hirao
- *Correspondence: Michiko Kimoto, ; Ichiro Hirao,
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133
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Xi Z, Davis L, Baxter K, Tynan A, Goutou A, Greiss S. Using a quadruplet codon to expand the genetic code of an animal. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4801-4812. [PMID: 34882769 PMCID: PMC9122531 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic code expansion in multicellular organisms is currently limited to the use of repurposed amber stop codons. Here, we introduce a system for the use of quadruplet codons to direct incorporation of non-canonical amino acids in vivo in an animal, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. We develop hybrid pyrrolysyl tRNA variants to incorporate non-canonical amino acids in response to the quadruplet codon UAGA. We demonstrate the efficiency of the quadruplet decoding system by incorporating photocaged amino acids into two proteins widely used as genetic tools. We use photocaged lysine to express photocaged Cre recombinase for the optical control of gene expression and photocaged cysteine to express photo-activatable caspase for light inducible cell ablation. Our approach will facilitate the routine adoption of quadruplet decoding for genetic code expansion in eukaryotic cells and multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyan Xi
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lloyd Davis
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kieran Baxter
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ailish Tynan
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Angeliki Goutou
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sebastian Greiss
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
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134
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Mala P, Saraogi I. Enhanced Codon-Anticodon Interaction at In-Frame UAG Stop Codon Improves the Efficiency of Non-Natural Amino Acid Mutagenesis. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1051-1060. [PMID: 35532803 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of non-natural amino acids into proteins through the stop codon readthrough methodology has been used to design proteins for diverse applications. However, this method suffers from low yields of the modified protein, as the suppressor tRNA that recognizes the stop codon is unable to compete effectively with release factor 1 (RF1), which terminates translation. We reasoned that a suppressor tRNA with improved interaction with the UAG stop codon on the mRNA will be able to compete more effectively with RF1. To test this idea, we inserted two 2,6-diaminopurine (D) units in the tRNA anticodon stem loop, including one at the third position of the tRNA anticodon. The modified suppressor tRNA could potentially form additional H-bonds between the N2-exocyclic amine of D and the C2 carbonyl group of uracil, thereby enhancing mRNA-tRNA interaction and/or altering tRNA conformation. The stronger interaction at the codon-anticodon interface resulted in improved UAG decoding efficiency and a higher yield of the modified protein containing a non-natural amino acid at multiple sites. Our findings are consistent with the importance of hydrogen bonding and tRNA conformation at the tRNA-mRNA duplex interface during in-frame UAG suppression, which improves protein translation at multiple UAG stop sites. This work provides valuable inputs toward improved non-natural amino acid mutagenesis for creating designer proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purnima Mala
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Ishu Saraogi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
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135
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Landrieu I, Dupré E, Sinnaeve D, El Hajjar L, Smet-Nocca C. Deciphering the Structure and Formation of Amyloids in Neurodegenerative Diseases With Chemical Biology Tools. Front Chem 2022; 10:886382. [PMID: 35646824 PMCID: PMC9133342 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.886382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into highly ordered, regularly repeated cross-β sheet structures called amyloid fibrils is closely associated to human disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, or systemic diseases like type II diabetes. Yet, in some cases, such as the HET-s prion, amyloids have biological functions. High-resolution structures of amyloids fibrils from cryo-electron microscopy have very recently highlighted their ultrastructural organization and polymorphisms. However, the molecular mechanisms and the role of co-factors (posttranslational modifications, non-proteinaceous components and other proteins) acting on the fibril formation are still poorly understood. Whether amyloid fibrils play a toxic or protective role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, such aberrant protein-protein interactions challenge the search of small-molecule drugs or immunotherapy approaches targeting amyloid formation. In this review, we describe how chemical biology tools contribute to new insights on the mode of action of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, defining their structural signature and aggregation pathways by capturing their molecular details and conformational heterogeneity. Challenging the imagination of scientists, this constantly expanding field provides crucial tools to unravel mechanistic detail of amyloid formation such as semisynthetic proteins and small-molecule sensors of conformational changes and/or aggregation. Protein engineering methods and bioorthogonal chemistry for the introduction of protein chemical modifications are additional fruitful strategies to tackle the challenge of understanding amyloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Landrieu
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Davy Sinnaeve
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Léa El Hajjar
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Caroline Smet-Nocca
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
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136
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Xu G, Poelarends GJ. Unlocking New Reactivities in Enzymes by Iminium Catalysis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202203613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guangcai Xu
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology NETHERLANDS
| | - Gerrit J. Poelarends
- University of Groningen Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology Antonius Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV Groningen NETHERLANDS
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137
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Morgan HE, Turnbull WB, Webb ME. Challenges in the use of sortase and other peptide ligases for site-specific protein modification. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:4121-4145. [PMID: 35510539 PMCID: PMC9126251 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01148g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific protein modification is a widely-used biochemical tool. However, there are many challenges associated with the development of protein modification techniques, in particular, achieving site-specificity, reaction efficiency and versatility. The engineering of peptide ligases and their substrates has been used to address these challenges. This review will focus on sortase, peptidyl asparaginyl ligases (PALs) and variants of subtilisin; detailing how their inherent specificity has been utilised for site-specific protein modification. The review will explore how the engineering of these enzymes and substrates has led to increased reaction efficiency mainly due to enhanced catalytic activity and reduction of reversibility. It will also describe how engineering peptide ligases to broaden their substrate scope is opening up new opportunities to expand the biochemical toolkit, particularly through the development of techniques to conjugate multiple substrates site-specifically onto a protein using orthogonal peptide ligases. We highlight chemical and biochemical strategies taken to optimise peptide and protein modification using peptide ligases.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly E Morgan
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - W Bruce Turnbull
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Michael E Webb
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
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138
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Hecht SM. Expansion of the Genetic Code Through the Use of Modified Bacterial Ribosomes. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167211. [PMID: 34419431 PMCID: PMC9990327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Biological protein synthesis is mediated by the ribosome, and employs ~20 proteinogenic amino acids as building blocks. Through the use of misacylated tRNAs, presently accessible by any of several strategies, it is now possible to employ in vitro and in vivo protein biosynthesis to elaborate proteins containing a much larger variety of amino acid building blocks. However, the incorporation of this broader variety of amino acids is limited to those species utilized by the ribosome. As a consequence, virtually all of the substrates utilized over time have been L-α-amino acids. In recent years, a variety of structural and biochemical studies have provided important insights into those regions of the 23S ribosomal RNA that are involved in peptide bond formation. Subsequent experiments, involving the randomization of key regions of 23S rRNA required for peptide bond formation, have afforded libraries of E. coli harboring plasmids with the rrnB gene modified in the key regions. Selections based on the use of modified puromycin derivatives with altered amino acids then identified clones uniquely sensitive to individual puromycin derivatives. These clones often recognized misacylated tRNAs containing altered amino acids similar to those in the modified puromycins, and incorporated the amino acid analogues into proteins. In this fashion, it has been possible to realize the synthesis of proteins containing D-amino acids, β-amino acids, phosphorylated amino acids, as well as long chain and cyclic amino acids in which the nucleophilic amino group is not in the α-position. Of special interest have been dipeptides and dipeptidomimetics of diverse utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidney M Hecht
- Center for BioEnergetics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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139
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Leveson‐Gower RB, de Boer RM, Roelfes G. Tandem Friedel-Crafts-Alkylation-Enantioselective-Protonation by Artificial Enzyme Iminium Catalysis. ChemCatChem 2022; 14:e202101875. [PMID: 35915643 PMCID: PMC9313897 DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202101875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The incorporation of organocatalysts into protein scaffolds holds the promise of overcoming some of the limitations of this powerful catalytic approach. Previously, we showed that incorporation of the non-canonical amino acid para-aminophenylalanine into the non-enzymatic protein scaffold LmrR forms a proficient and enantioselective artificial enzyme (LmrR_pAF) for the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with enals. The unnatural aniline side-chain is directly involved in catalysis, operating via a well-known organocatalytic iminium-based mechanism. In this study, we show that LmrR_pAF can enantioselectively form tertiary carbon centres not only during C-C bond formation, but also by enantioselective protonation, delivering a proton to one face of a prochiral enamine intermediate. The importance of various side-chains in the pocket of LmrR is distinct from the Friedel-Crafts reaction without enantioselective protonation, and two particularly important residues were probed by exhaustive mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruben M. de Boer
- Stratingh Institute for ChemistryUniversity of Groningen9747 AGGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Gerard Roelfes
- Stratingh Institute for ChemistryUniversity of Groningen9747 AGGroningenThe Netherlands
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140
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Algov I, Alfonta L. Use of Protein Engineering to Elucidate Electron Transfer Pathways between Proteins and Electrodes. ACS MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AU 2022; 2:78-90. [PMID: 36785727 PMCID: PMC9836065 DOI: 10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.1c00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we review protein engineering tools for electron transfer enhancement and investigation in bioelectrochemical systems. We present recent studies in the field while focusing on how electron transfer investigation and measurements were performed and discuss the use of protein engineering to interpret electron transfer mechanisms.
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141
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G Protein-coupled Receptor (GPCR) Reconstitution and Labeling for Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Studies of the Structural Basis of Transmembrane Signaling. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27092658. [PMID: 35566006 PMCID: PMC9101874 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large membrane protein family found in higher organisms, including the human body. GPCRs mediate cellular responses to diverse extracellular stimuli and thus control key physiological functions, which makes them important targets for drug design. Signaling by GPCRs is related to the structure and dynamics of these proteins, which are modulated by extrinsic ligands as well as by intracellular binding partners such as G proteins and arrestins. Here, we review some basics of using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in solution for the characterization of GPCR conformations and intermolecular interactions that relate to transmembrane signaling.
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142
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Joest EF, Winter C, Wesalo JS, Deiters A, Tampé R. Efficient Amber Suppression via Ribosomal Skipping for In Situ Synthesis of Photoconditional Nanobodies. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1466-1476. [PMID: 35060375 PMCID: PMC9157392 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion is a versatile method for in situ synthesis of modified proteins. During mRNA translation, amber stop codons are suppressed to site-specifically incorporate non-canonical amino acids. Thus, nanobodies can be equipped with photocaged amino acids to control target binding on demand. The efficiency of amber suppression and protein synthesis can vary with unpredictable background expression, and the reasons are hardly understood. Here, we identified a substantial limitation that prevented synthesis of nanobodies with N-terminal modifications for light control. After systematic analyses, we hypothesized that nanobody synthesis was severely affected by ribosomal inaccuracy during the early phases of translation. To circumvent a background-causing read-through of a premature stop codon, we designed a new suppression concept based on ribosomal skipping. As an example, we generated intrabodies with photoactivated target binding in mammalian cells. The findings provide valuable insights into the genetic code expansion and describe a versatile synthesis route for the generation of modified nanobodies that opens up new perspectives for efficient site-specific integration of chemical tools. In the area of photopharmacology, our flexible intrabody concept builds an ideal platform to modulate target protein function and interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eike F Joest
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Christian Winter
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Joshua S Wesalo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Robert Tampé
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt/M, Germany
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143
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Zhao H, Liu C, Ding W, Tang L, Fang Y, Chen Y, Hu L, Yuan Y, Fang D, Lin S. Manipulating Cation-π Interactions with Genetically Encoded Tryptophan Derivatives. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:6742-6748. [PMID: 35380832 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cation-π interactions are the major noncovalent interactions for molecular recognition and play a central role in a broad area of chemistry and biology. Despite tremendous success in understanding the origin and biological importance of cation-π interactions, the design and synthesis of stronger cation-π interactions remain elusive. Here, we report an approach that greatly increases the binding energy of cation-π interactions by replacing Trp in the aromatic box with an electron-rich Trp derivative using the genetic code expansion strategy. The binding affinity between histone H3K4me3 and its reader is increased more than eightfold using genetically encoded 6-methoxy-Trp. Furthermore, through a systematic engineering process, we construct an H3K4me3 Super-Reader with single-digit nM affinity for H3K4me3 detection and imaging. More broadly, this approach paves the way for manipulating cation-π interactions for a variety of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Zhao
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wenlong Ding
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ling Tang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yu Fang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yulin Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Linzhen Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ying Yuan
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Dong Fang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shixian Lin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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144
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Barber C, De Souza VA, Paterson RL, Martin‐Urdiroz M, Mulakkal NC, Srikannathasan V, Connolly M, Phillips G, Foong‐Leong T, Pengelly R, Karuppiah V, Grant T, Dembek M, Verma A, Gibbs‐Howe D, Blicher TH, Knox A, Robinson RA, Cole DK, Leonard S. Structure-guided stabilization of pathogen-derived peptide-HLA-E complexes using non-natural amino acids conserves native TCR recognition. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:618-632. [PMID: 35108401 PMCID: PMC9306587 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The nonpolymorphic class Ib molecule, HLA-E, primarily presents peptides from HLA class Ia leader peptides, providing an inhibitory signal to NK cells via CD94/NKG2 interactions. Although peptides of pathogenic origin can also be presented by HLA-E to T cells, the molecular basis underpinning their role in antigen surveillance is largely unknown. Here, we solved a co-complex crystal structure of a TCR with an HLA-E presented peptide (pHLA-E) from bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) origin, and the first TCR-pHLA-E complex with a noncanonically presented peptide from viral (HIV) origin. The structures provided a molecular foundation to develop a novel method to introduce cysteine traps using non-natural amino acid chemistry that stabilized pHLA-E complexes while maintaining native interface contacts between the TCRs and different pHLA-E complexes. These pHLA-E monomers could be used to isolate pHLA-E-specific T cells, with obvious utility for studying pHLA-E restricted T cells, and for the identification of putative therapeutic TCRs.
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145
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Kneuttinger AC. A guide to designing photocontrol in proteins: methods, strategies and applications. Biol Chem 2022; 403:573-613. [PMID: 35355495 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Light is essential for various biochemical processes in all domains of life. In its presence certain proteins inside a cell are excited, which either stimulates or inhibits subsequent cellular processes. The artificial photocontrol of specifically proteins is of growing interest for the investigation of scientific questions on the organismal, cellular and molecular level as well as for the development of medicinal drugs or biocatalytic tools. For the targeted design of photocontrol in proteins, three major methods have been developed over the last decades, which employ either chemical engineering of small-molecule photosensitive effectors (photopharmacology), incorporation of photoactive non-canonical amino acids by genetic code expansion (photoxenoprotein engineering), or fusion with photoreactive biological modules (hybrid protein optogenetics). This review compares the different methods as well as their strategies and current applications for the light-regulation of proteins and provides background information useful for the implementation of each technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Kneuttinger
- Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
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146
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Cory MB, Hostetler ZM, Kohli RM. Kinetic dissection of macromolecular complex formation with minimally perturbing fluorescent probes. Methods Enzymol 2022; 664:151-171. [PMID: 35331372 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The formation of macromolecular complexes containing multiple protein binding partners is at the core of many biochemical pathways. Studying the kinetics of complex formation can offer significant biological insights and complement static structural snapshots or approaches that reveal thermodynamic affinities. However, determining the kinetics of macromolecular complex formation can be difficult without significant manipulations to the system. Fluorescence anisotropy using a fluorophore-labeled constituent of the biologic complex offers potential advantages in obtaining time-resolved signals tracking complex assembly. However, an inherent challenge of traditional post-translational protein labeling is the orthogonality of labeling chemistry with regards to protein target and the potential disruption of complex formation. In this chapter, we will discuss the application of unnatural amino acid labeling as a means for generating a minimally perturbing reporter. We then describe the use of fluorescence anisotropy to define the kinetics of complex formation, using the key protein-protein-nucleic acid complex governing the bacterial DNA damage response-RecA nucleoprotein filaments binding to LexA-as a model system. We will also show how this assay can be expanded to ask questions about the kinetics of complex formation for unlabeled variants, thus assessing assembly kinetics in more native contexts and broadening its utility. We discuss the optimization process for our model system and offer guidelines for applying the same principles to other macromolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Cory
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Zachary M Hostetler
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Rahul M Kohli
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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147
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Liu T. Recent advances in Genetic Code Expansion: from cell engineering to protein design. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167565. [PMID: 35341745 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Chemical Biology Center, Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China.
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148
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Yu B, Li S, Tabata T, Wang N, Kumar GR, Liu J, Ott MM, Wang L. Accelerating PERx Reaction Enables Covalent Nanobodies for Potent Neutralization of SARS-Cov-2 and Variants. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022. [PMID: 35313590 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.11.483867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic and increasing SARS-CoV-2 variants demand effective drugs for prophylactics and treatment. Protein-based biologics offer high specificity yet their noncovalent interactions often lead to drug dissociation and incomplete inhibition. Here we developed covalent nanobodies capable of binding with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein irreversibly via proximity-enabled reactive therapeutic (PERx) mechanism. A novel latent bioreactive amino acid FFY was designed and genetically encoded into nanobodies to accelerate PERx reaction rate. After covalent engineering, nanobodies binding with the Spike in the down state, but not in the up state, were discovered to possess striking enhancement in inhibiting viral infection. In comparison with the noncovalent wildtype nanobody, the FFY-incorporated covalent nanobody neutralized both authentic SARS-CoV-2 and its Alpha and Delta variants with potency drastically increased over tens of folds. This PERx-enabled covalent nanobody strategy and uncovered insights on potency increase can be valuable to developing effective therapeutics for various viral infections.
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149
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McLure RJ, Radford SE, Brockwell DJ. High-throughput directed evolution: a golden era for protein science. TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trechm.2022.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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150
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Zang J, Chen Y, Liu C, Lin S. Probing the Role of Aurora Kinase A Threonylation with Site-Specific Lysine Threonylation. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 18:674-678. [PMID: 35230082 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Protein post-translational modifications play central roles in regulating protein functions. Lysine threonylation is a newly discovered reversible post-translational modification. However, the biological effect of lysine threonylation on proteins remains largely elusive. Here we report a chemical biology approach for site-specific incorporation of Nε-threonyllysine into proteins with high efficiency and investigate the biological effect of lysine threonylation on Aurora kinase A. Using this unnatural amino acid mutagenesis approach, we find that threonylation of Lys162 of Aurora kinase A inhibits its kinase activity both in vitro and in vivo and that the inhibitory effect can be reversed by the deacetylase Sirtuin 3, which removes the threonylated group from the lysine. Additionally, threonylation of Aurora kinase A makes its substrate p53 more stable in the cell. Therefore, our study demonstrates that site-specific lysine threonylation is a powerful method for probing the biological effect of protein threonylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Zang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yulin Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shixian Lin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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