201
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Vistrup-Parry M, Chen X, Johansen TL, Bach S, Buch-Larsen SC, Bartling CRO, Ma C, Clemmensen LS, Nielsen ML, Zhang M, Strømgaard K. Site-specific phosphorylation of PSD-95 dynamically regulates the postsynaptic density as observed by phase separation. iScience 2021; 24:103268. [PMID: 34761188 PMCID: PMC8567388 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Postsynaptic density protein 95 is a key scaffolding protein in the postsynaptic density of excitatory glutamatergic neurons, organizing signaling complexes primarily via its three PSD-95/Discs-large/Zona occludens domains. PSD-95 is regulated by phosphorylation, but technical challenges have limited studies of the molecular details. Here, we genetically introduced site-specific phosphorylations in single, tandem, and full-length PSD-95 and generated a total of 11 phosphorylated protein variants. We examined how these phosphorylations affected binding to known interaction partners and the impact on phase separation of PSD-95 complexes and identified two new phosphorylation sites with opposing effects. Phosphorylation of Ser78 inhibited phase separation with the glutamate receptor subunit GluN2B and the auxiliary protein stargazin, whereas phosphorylation of Ser116 induced phase separation with stargazin only. Thus, by genetically introducing phosphoserine site-specifically and exploring the impact on phase separation, we have provided new insights into the regulation of PSD-95 by phosphorylation and the dynamics of the PSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Vistrup-Parry
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xudong Chen
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Thea L Johansen
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sofie Bach
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sara C Buch-Larsen
- Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian R O Bartling
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Chenxue Ma
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Louise S Clemmensen
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael L Nielsen
- Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mingjie Zhang
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke Innovation Center, Guangqiao Road, Guangming District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kristian Strømgaard
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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202
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Ling X, Chang L, Chen H, Gao X, Yin J, Zuo Y, Huang Y, Zhang B, Hu J, Liu T. Improving the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas12a-based genome editing with site-specific covalent Cas12a-crRNA conjugates. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4747-4756.e7. [PMID: 34648747 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas12a system shows unique features compared with widely used Cas9, making it an attractive and potentially more precise alternative. However, the adoption of this system has been hindered by its relatively low editing efficiency. Guided by physical chemical principles, we covalently conjugated 5' terminal modified CRISPR RNA (crRNA) to a site-specifically modified Cas12a through biorthogonal chemical reaction. The genome editing efficiency of the resulting conjugated Cas12a complex (cCas12a) was substantially higher than that of the wild-type complex. We also demonstrated that cCas12a could be used for precise gene knockin and multiplex gene editing in a chimeric antigen receptor T cell preparation with efficiency much higher than that of the wild-type system. Overall, our findings indicate that covalently linking Cas nuclease and crRNA is an effective approach to improve the Cas12a-based genome editing system and could potentially provide an insight into engineering other Cas family members with low efficiency as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Liying Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Heqi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiaoqin Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jianhang Yin
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yi Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yujia Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Jiazhi Hu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China.
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203
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Giri P, Pagar AD, Patil MD, Yun H. Chemical modification of enzymes to improve biocatalytic performance. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 53:107868. [PMID: 34774927 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Improvement in intrinsic enzymatic features is in many instances a prerequisite for the scalable applicability of many industrially important biocatalysts. To this end, various strategies of chemical modification of enzymes are maturing and now considered as a distinct way to improve biocatalytic properties. Traditional chemical modification methods utilize reactivities of amine, carboxylic, thiol and other side chains originating from canonical amino acids. On the other hand, noncanonical amino acid- mediated 'click' (bioorthogoal) chemistry and dehydroalanine (Dha)-mediated modifications have emerged as an alternate and promising ways to modify enzymes for functional enhancement. This review discusses the applications of various chemical modification tools that have been directed towards the improvement of functional properties and/or stability of diverse array of biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritam Giri
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Amol D Pagar
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Mahesh D Patil
- Department of Nanomaterials and Application Technology, Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB), Sector-81, PO Manauli, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India
| | - Hyungdon Yun
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
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204
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Lee BS, Choi WJ, Lee SW, Ko BJ, Yoo TH. Towards Engineering an Orthogonal Protein Translation Initiation System. Front Chem 2021; 9:772648. [PMID: 34765589 PMCID: PMC8576571 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.772648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last two decades, methods to incorporate non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into specific positions of a protein have advanced significantly; these methods have become general tools for engineering proteins. However, almost all these methods depend on the translation elongation process, and strategies leveraging the initiation process have rarely been reported. The incorporation of a ncAA specifically at the translation initiation site enables the installation of reactive groups for modification at the N-termini of proteins, which are attractive positions for introducing abiological groups with minimal structural perturbations. In this study, we attempted to engineer an orthogonal protein translation initiation system. Introduction of the identity elements of Escherichia coli initiator tRNA converted an engineered Methanococcus jannaschii tRNATyr into an initiator tRNA. The engineered tRNA enabled the site-specific incorporation of O-propargyl-l-tyrosine (OpgY) into the amber (TAG) codon at the translation initiation position but was inactive toward the elongational TAG codon. Misincorporation of Gln was detected, and the engineered system was demonstrated only with OpgY. We expect further engineering of the initiator tRNA for improved activity and specificity to generate an orthogonal translation initiation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byeong Sung Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Woon Jong Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sang Woo Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Byoung Joon Ko
- School of Biopharmaceutical and Medical Sciences, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Tae Hyeon Yoo
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
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205
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Guo J, Niu W. Genetic Code Expansion Through Quadruplet Codon Decoding. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167346. [PMID: 34762896 PMCID: PMC9018476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Noncanonical amino acid mutagenesis has emerged as a powerful tool for the study of protein structure and function. While triplet nonsense codons, especially the amber codon, have been widely employed, quadruplet codons have attracted attention for the potential of creating additional blank codons for noncanonical amino acids mutagenesis. In this review, we discuss methodologies and applications of quadruplet codon decoding in genetic code expansion both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiantao Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 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, United States; The Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication (NCIBC), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, United States
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206
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Hauptstein N, Pouyan P, Kehrein J, Dirauf M, Driessen MD, Raschig M, Licha K, Gottschaldt M, Schubert US, Haag R, Meinel L, Sotriffer C, Lühmann T. Molecular Insights into Site-Specific Interferon-α2a Bioconjugates Originated from PEG, LPG, and PEtOx. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:4521-4534. [PMID: 34643378 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Conjugation of biologics with polymers modulates their pharmacokinetics, with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the gold standard. We compared alternative polymers and two types of cyclooctyne linkers (BCN/DBCO) for bioconjugation of interferon-α2a (IFN-α2a) using 10 kDa polymers including linear mPEG, poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx), and linear polyglycerol (LPG). IFN-α2a was azide functionalized via amber codon expansion and bioorthogonally conjugated to all cyclooctyne linked polymers. Polymer conjugation did not impact IFN-α2a's secondary structure and only marginally reduced IFN-α2a's bioactivity. In comparison to PEtOx, the LPG polymer attached via the less rigid cyclooctyne linker BCN was found to stabilize IFN-α2a against thermal stress. These findings were further detailed by molecular modeling studies which showed a modulation of protein flexibility upon PEtOx conjugation and a reduced amount of protein native contacts as compared to PEG and LPG originated bioconjugates. Polymer interactions with IFN-α2a were further assessed via a limited proteolysis (LIP) assay, which resulted in comparable proteolytic cleavage patterns suggesting weak interactions with the protein's surface. In conclusion, both PEtOx and LPG bioconjugates resulted in a similar biological outcome and may become promising PEG alternatives for bioconjugation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Hauptstein
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paria Pouyan
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Josef Kehrein
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Dirauf
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstr. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Marc D Driessen
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martina Raschig
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kai Licha
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Gottschaldt
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstr. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Ulrich S Schubert
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstr. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Rainer Haag
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorenz Meinel
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Sotriffer
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tessa Lühmann
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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207
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Zhu HQ, Tang XL, Zheng RC, Zheng YG. Recent advancements in enzyme engineering via site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 37:213. [PMID: 34741210 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03177-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
With increased attention to excellent biocatalysts, evolving methods based on nature or unnatural amino acid (UAAs) mutagenesis have become an important part of enzyme engineering. The emergence of powerful method through expanding the genetic code allows to incorporate UAAs with unique chemical functionalities into proteins, endowing proteins with more structural and functional features. To date, over 200 diverse UAAs have been incorporated site-specifically into proteins via this methodology and many of them have been widely exploited in the field of enzyme engineering, making this genetic code expansion approach possible to be a promising tool for modulating the properties of enzymes. In this context, we focus on how this robust method to specifically incorporate UAAs into proteins and summarize their applications in enzyme engineering for tuning and expanding the functional properties of enzymes. Meanwhile, we aim to discuss how the benefits can be achieved by using the genetically encoded UAAs. We hope that this method will become an integral part of the field of enzyme engineering in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang-Qin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Ling Tang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren-Chao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China. .,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
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208
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Hu QL, Liu JT, Li J, Ge Y, Song Z, Chan ASC, Xiong XF. Demethylative Alkylation of Methionine Residue by Employing the Sulfonium as the Key Intermediate. Org Lett 2021; 23:8543-8548. [PMID: 34669410 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c03241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Methionine (Met) offers a valuable handle to achieve peptide chemical modification owing to its unique thioether functional group. In contrast with cysteine, the site-selective functionalization of the hydrophobic and redox-sensitive thioether motif on peptides is still challenging, and strategies for diversification on the Met residue are rarely disclosed. Herein we report a transition-metal-free and redox-neutral approach for Met diversification with substrate diversity, which could be applied to synthesize cyclic peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Long Hu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jia-Tian Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jian Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yang Ge
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Zhendong Song
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Albert S C Chan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Feng Xiong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
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209
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Lammers M. Post-translational Lysine Ac(et)ylation in Bacteria: A Biochemical, Structural, and Synthetic Biological Perspective. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:757179. [PMID: 34721364 PMCID: PMC8556138 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.757179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ac(et)ylation is a post-translational modification present in all domains of life. First identified in mammals in histones to regulate RNA synthesis, today it is known that is regulates fundamental cellular processes also in bacteria: transcription, translation, metabolism, cell motility. Ac(et)ylation can occur at the ε-amino group of lysine side chains or at the α-amino group of a protein. Furthermore small molecules such as polyamines and antibiotics can be acetylated and deacetylated enzymatically at amino groups. While much research focused on N-(ε)-ac(et)ylation of lysine side chains, much less is known about the occurrence, the regulation and the physiological roles on N-(α)-ac(et)ylation of protein amino termini in bacteria. Lysine ac(et)ylation was shown to affect protein function by various mechanisms ranging from quenching of the positive charge, increasing the lysine side chains’ size affecting the protein surface complementarity, increasing the hydrophobicity and by interfering with other post-translational modifications. While N-(ε)-lysine ac(et)ylation was shown to be reversible, dynamically regulated by lysine acetyltransferases and lysine deacetylases, for N-(α)-ac(et)ylation only N-terminal acetyltransferases were identified and so far no deacetylases were discovered neither in bacteria nor in mammals. To this end, N-terminal ac(et)ylation is regarded as being irreversible. Besides enzymatic ac(et)ylation, recent data showed that ac(et)ylation of lysine side chains and of the proteins N-termini can also occur non-enzymatically by the high-energy molecules acetyl-coenzyme A and acetyl-phosphate. Acetyl-phosphate is supposed to be the key molecule that drives non-enzymatic ac(et)ylation in bacteria. Non-enzymatic ac(et)ylation can occur site-specifically with both, the protein primary sequence and the three dimensional structure affecting its efficiency. Ac(et)ylation is tightly controlled by the cellular metabolic state as acetyltransferases use ac(et)yl-CoA as donor molecule for the ac(et)ylation and sirtuin deacetylases use NAD+ as co-substrate for the deac(et)ylation. Moreover, the accumulation of ac(et)yl-CoA and acetyl-phosphate is dependent on the cellular metabolic state. This constitutes a feedback control mechanism as activities of many metabolic enzymes were shown to be regulated by lysine ac(et)ylation. Our knowledge on lysine ac(et)ylation significantly increased in the last decade predominantly due to the huge methodological advances that were made in fields such as mass-spectrometry, structural biology and synthetic biology. This also includes the identification of additional acylations occurring on lysine side chains with supposedly different regulatory potential. This review highlights recent advances in the research field. Our knowledge on enzymatic regulation of lysine ac(et)ylation will be summarized with a special focus on structural and mechanistic characterization of the enzymes, the mechanisms underlying non-enzymatic/chemical ac(et)ylation are explained, recent technological progress in the field are presented and selected examples highlighting the important physiological roles of lysine ac(et)ylation are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lammers
- Synthetic and Structural Biochemistry, Institute for Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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210
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Giaveri S, Schmitt AM, Roset Julià L, Scamarcio V, Murello A, Cheng S, Menin L, Ortiz D, Patiny L, Bolisetty S, Mezzenga R, Maerkl SJ, Stellacci F. Nature-Inspired Circular-Economy Recycling for Proteins: Proof of Concept. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2104581. [PMID: 34554608 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202104581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The billion tons of synthetic-polymer-based materials (i.e. plastics) produced yearly are a great challenge for humanity. Nature produces even more natural polymers, yet they are sustainable. Proteins are sequence-defined natural polymers that are constantly recycled when living systems feed. Digestion is the protein depolymerization into amino acids (the monomers) followed by their re-assembly into new proteins of arbitrarily different sequence and function. This breaks a common recycling paradigm where a material is recycled into itself. Organisms feed off of random protein mixtures that are "recycled" into new proteins whose identity depends on the cell's specific needs. In this study, mixtures of several peptides and/or proteins are depolymerized into their amino acid constituents, and these amino acids are used to synthesize new fluorescent, and bioactive proteins extracellularly by using an amino-acid-free, cell-free transcription-translation (TX-TL) system. Specifically, three peptides (magainin II, glucagon, and somatostatin 28) are digested using thermolysin first and then using leucine aminopeptidase. The amino acids so produced are added to a commercial TX-TL system to produce fluorescent proteins. Furthermore, proteins with high relevance in materials engineering (β-lactoglobulin films, used for water filtration, or silk fibroin solutions) are successfully recycled into biotechnologically relevant proteins (fluorescent proteins, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase).
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Giaveri
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Adeline Marie Schmitt
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- Faculty of Chemistry, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Laura Roset Julià
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Vincenzo Scamarcio
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Anna Murello
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Shiyu Cheng
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Laure Menin
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Ortiz
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Luc Patiny
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Sreenath Bolisetty
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zürich, 8093, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Josef Maerkl
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Stellacci
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
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211
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Mills EM, Barlow VL, Jones AT, Tsai YH. Development of mammalian cell logic gates controlled by unnatural amino acids. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2021; 1:100073. [PMID: 35474893 PMCID: PMC9017196 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2021.100073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian cell logic gates hold great potential for wide-ranging applications. However, most of those currently available are controlled by drug(-like) molecules with inherent biological activities. To construct truly orthogonal circuits and artificial regulatory pathways, biologically inert molecules are ideal molecular switches. Here, we applied genetic code expansion and engineered logic gates controlled by two biologically inert unnatural amino acids. Genetic code expansion relies on orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs for co-translational and site-specific unnatural amino acid incorporation conventionally in response to an amber (UAG) codon. By screening 11 quadruplet-decoding pyrrolysyl tRNA variants from the literature, we found that all variants decoding CUAG or AGGA tested here are functional in mammalian cells. Using a quadruplet-decoding orthogonal pair together with an amber-decoding pair, we constructed logic gates that can be successfully controlled by two different unnatural amino acids, expanding the scope of genetic code expansion and mammalian cell logic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Mills
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Victoria L. Barlow
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518132, China
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212
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Plasmid Curing and Exchange Using a Novel Counter-Selectable Marker Based on Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporation at a Sense Codon. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111482. [PMID: 34768910 PMCID: PMC8583848 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111482] [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: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A protocol was designed for plasmid curing using a novel counter-selectable marker, named pylSZK-pylT, in Escherichia coli. The pylSZK-pylT marker consists of the archaeal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and its cognate tRNA (tRNApyl) with modification, and incorporates an unnatural amino acid (Uaa), Nε-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-lysine (ZK), at a sense codon in ribosomally synthesized proteins, resulting in bacterial growth inhibition or killing. Plasmid curing is performed by exerting toxicity on pylSZK-pylT located on the target plasmid, and selecting only proliferative bacteria. All tested bacteria obtained using this protocol had lost the target plasmid (64/64), suggesting that plasmid curing was successful. Next, we attempted to exchange plasmids with the identical replication origin and an antibiotic resistance gene without plasmid curing using a modified protocol, assuming substitution of plasmids complementing genomic essential genes. All randomly selected bacteria after screening had only the substitute plasmid and no target plasmid (25/25), suggesting that plasmid exchange was also accomplished. Counter-selectable markers based on PylRS-tRNApyl, such as pylSZK-pylT, may be scalable in application due to their independence from the host genotype, applicability to a wide range of species, and high tunability due to the freedom of choice of target codons and Uaa’s to be incorporated.
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213
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Shestibratov KA, Baranov OY, Mescherova EN, Kiryanov PS, Panteleev SV, Mozharovskaya LV, Krutovsky KV, Padutov VE. Structure and Phylogeny of the Curly Birch Chloroplast Genome. Front Genet 2021; 12:625764. [PMID: 34671379 PMCID: PMC8521055 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.625764] [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: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Curly birch [Betula pendula var. carelica (Merckl.) Hämet-Ahti] is a relatively rare variety of silver birch (B. pendula Roth) that occurs mainly in Northern Europe and northwest part of Russia (Karelia). It is famous for the beautiful decorative texture of wood. Abnormal xylogenesis underlying this trait is heritable, but its genetic mechanism has not yet been fully understood. The high number of potentially informative genetic markers can be identified through sequencing nuclear and organelle genomes. Here, the de novo assembly, complete nucleotide sequence, and annotation of the chloroplast genome (plastome) of curly birch are presented for the first time. The complete plastome length is 160,523 bp. It contains 82 genes encoding structural and enzymatic proteins, 37 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and eight ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). The chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) is AT-rich containing 31.5% of A and 32.5% of T nucleotides. The GC-rich regions represent inverted repeats IR1 and IR2 containing genes of rRNAs (5S, 4.5S, 23S, and 16S) and tRNAs (trnV, trnI, and trnA). A high content of GC was found in rRNA (55.2%) and tRNA (53.2%) genes, but only 37.0% in protein-coding genes. In total, 384 microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were found, mostly with mononucleotide motifs (92% of all loci) and predominantly A or T motifs (94% of all mononucleotide motifs). Comparative analysis of cpDNA in different plant species revealed high structural and functional conservatism in organization of the angiosperm plastomes, while the level of differences depends on the phylogenetic relationship. The structural and functional organization of plastome in curly birch was similar to cpDNA in other species of woody plants. Finally, the identified cpDNA sequence variation will allow to develop useful genetic markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin A Shestibratov
- Forest Biotechnology Group, Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia.,Forestry Faculty, G. F. Morozov Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies, Voronezh, Russia
| | - Oleg Yu Baranov
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Forest Research Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Eugenia N Mescherova
- Forest Biotechnology Group, Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
| | - Pavel S Kiryanov
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Forest Research Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Stanislav V Panteleev
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Forest Research Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Ludmila V Mozharovskaya
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Forest Research Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Konstantin V Krutovsky
- Forestry Faculty, G. F. Morozov Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies, Voronezh, Russia.,Department of Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, George-August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Laboratory of Population Genetics, N. I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Forest Genomics, Genome Research and Education Center, Institute of Fundamental Biology and Biotechnology, Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir E Padutov
- Department of Genetics, Tree Breeding and Biotechnology, Forest Research Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus
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214
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Kim S, Yi H, Kim YT, Lee HS. Engineering Translation Components for Genetic Code Expansion. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167302. [PMID: 34673113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The expansion of the genetic code consisting of four bases and 20 amino acids into diverse building blocks has been an exciting topic in synthetic biology. Many biochemical components are involved in gene expression; therefore, adding a new component to the genetic code requires engineering many other components that interact with it. Genetic code expansion has advanced significantly for the last two decades with the engineering of several components involved in protein synthesis. These components include tRNA/aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, new codons, ribosomes, and elongation factor Tu. In addition, biosynthesis and enhanced uptake of non-canonical amino acids have been attempted and have made meaningful progress. This review discusses the efforts to engineer these translation components, to improve the genetic code expansion technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sooin Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeomro Mapogu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Hanbin Yi
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeomro Mapogu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Yurie T Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeomro Mapogu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Soo Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeomro Mapogu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea.
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215
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Koch NG, Goettig P, Rappsilber J, Budisa N. Engineering Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase for the Incorporation of Non-Canonical Amino Acids with Smaller Side Chains. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11194. [PMID: 34681855 PMCID: PMC8538471 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins has emerged as a universal tool for systems bioengineering at the interface of chemistry, biology, and technology. The diversification of the repertoire of the genetic code has been achieved for amino acids with long and/or bulky side chains equipped with various bioorthogonal tags and useful spectral probes. Although ncAAs with relatively small side chains and similar properties are of great interest to biophysics, cell biology, and biomaterial science, they can rarely be incorporated into proteins. To address this gap, we report the engineering of PylRS variants capable of incorporating an entire library of aliphatic "small-tag" ncAAs. In particular, we performed mutational studies of a specific PylRS, designed to incorporate the shortest non-bulky ncAA (S-allyl-l-cysteine) possible to date and based on this knowledge incorporated aliphatic ncAA derivatives. In this way, we have not only increased the number of translationally active "small-tag" ncAAs, but also determined key residues responsible for maintaining orthogonality, while engineering the PylRS for these interesting substrates. Based on the known plasticity of PylRS toward different substrates, our approach further expands the reassignment capacities of this enzyme toward aliphatic amino acids with smaller side chains endowed with valuable functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaj G. Koch
- Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Institut für Biotechnologie-Bioanalytik, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Peter Goettig
- Structural Biology Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Institut für Biotechnologie-Bioanalytik, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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216
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Ficaretta ED, Wrobel CJJ, Roy SJS, Erickson SB, Italia JS, Chatterjee A. A Robust Platform for Unnatural Amino Acid Mutagenesis in E. coli Using the Bacterial Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167304. [PMID: 34655653 PMCID: PMC9005579 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
We report the development of a robust user-friendly Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system, derived from the BL21(DE3) strain, for site-specifically incorporating unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins using engineered E. coli tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (EcTrpRS)-tRNATrp pairs. This was made possible by functionally replacing the endogenous EcTrpRS-tRNATrp pair in BL21(DE3) E. coli with an orthogonal counterpart from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and reintroducing it into the resulting altered translational machinery tryptophanyl (ATMW-BL21) E. coli strain as an orthogonal nonsense suppressor. The resulting expression system benefits from the favorable characteristics of BL21(DE3) as an expression host, and is compatible with the broadly used T7-driven recombinant expression system. Furthermore, the vector expressing the nonsense-suppressing engineered EcTrpRS-tRNATrp pair was systematically optimized to significantly enhance the incorporation efficiency of various tryptophan analogs. Together, the improved strain and the optimized suppressor plasmids enable efficient UAA incorporation (up to 65% of wild-type levels) into several different proteins. This robust and user-friendly platform will significantly expand the scope of the genetically encoded tryptophan-derived UAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise D Ficaretta
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Chester J J Wrobel
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Soumya J S Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Sarah B Erickson
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - James S Italia
- 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.
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217
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Zhang H, Han Y, Yang Y, Lin F, Li K, Kong L, Liu H, Dang Y, Lin J, Chen PR. Covalently Engineered Nanobody Chimeras for Targeted Membrane Protein Degradation. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:16377-16382. [PMID: 34596400 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c08521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The targeted degradation of membrane proteins would afford an attractive and general strategy for treating various diseases that remain difficult with the current proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) methodology. We herein report a covalent nanobody-based PROTAC strategy, termed GlueTAC, for targeted membrane protein degradation with high specificity and efficiency. We first established a mass-spectrometry-based screening platform for the rapid development of a covalent nanobody (GlueBody) that allowed proximity-enabled cross-linking with surface antigens on cancer cells. By conjugation with a cell-penetrating peptide and a lysosomal-sorting sequence, the resulting GlueTAC chimera triggered the internalization and degradation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which provides a new avenue to target and degrade cell-surface proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yu Han
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuanfan Yang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Feng Lin
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Kexin Li
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Linghao Kong
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | | | - Yongjun Dang
- Center for Novel Target and Therapeutic Intervention, Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Jian Lin
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peng R Chen
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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218
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Synthetic biomolecular condensates to engineer eukaryotic cells. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 64:174-181. [PMID: 34600419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The compartmentalization of specific functions into specialized organelles is a key feature of eukaryotic life. In particular, dynamic biomolecular condensates that are not membrane enclosed offer exciting opportunities for synthetic biology. In recent years, multiple approaches to generate and control condensates have been reported. Notably, multiple orthogonally translating organelles were designed that enable precise protein engineering inside living cells. Despite being built from only very few components, orthogonal translation can be engineered with subresolution precision at different places inside the same cell to create mammalian cells with multiple expanded genetic codes. This provides a pathway to engineer multiple proteins with multiple and distinct functionalities inside living eukaryotes and provides a general strategy toward spatially orthogonal enzyme engineering.
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219
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Lyu Z, Genereux JC. Methodologies for Measuring Protein Trafficking across Cellular Membranes. Chempluschem 2021; 86:1397-1415. [PMID: 34636167 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202100304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nearly all proteins are synthesized in the cytosol. The majority of this proteome must be trafficked elsewhere, such as to membranes, to subcellular compartments, or outside of the cell. Proper trafficking of nascent protein is necessary for protein folding, maturation, quality control and cellular and organismal health. To better understand cellular biology, molecular and chemical technologies to properly characterize protein trafficking (and mistrafficking) have been developed and applied. Herein, we take a biochemical perspective to review technologies that enable spatial and temporal measurement of protein distribution, focusing on both the most widely adopted methodologies and exciting emerging approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqi Lyu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, 501 Big Springs Road, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Joseph C Genereux
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, 501 Big Springs Road, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA
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220
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DeBenedictis EA, Carver GD, Chung CZ, Söll D, Badran AH. Multiplex suppression of four quadruplet codons via tRNA directed evolution. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5706. [PMID: 34588441 PMCID: PMC8481270 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25948-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic code expansion technologies supplement the natural codon repertoire with assignable variants in vivo, but are often limited by heterologous translational components and low suppression efficiencies. Here, we explore engineered Escherichia coli tRNAs supporting quadruplet codon translation by first developing a library-cross-library selection to nominate quadruplet codon-anticodon pairs. We extend our findings using a phage-assisted continuous evolution strategy for quadruplet-decoding tRNA evolution (qtRNA-PACE) that improved quadruplet codon translation efficiencies up to 80-fold. Evolved qtRNAs appear to maintain codon-anticodon base pairing, are typically aminoacylated by their cognate tRNA synthetases, and enable processive translation of adjacent quadruplet codons. Using these components, we showcase the multiplexed decoding of up to four unique quadruplet codons by their corresponding qtRNAs in a single reporter. Cumulatively, our findings highlight how E. coli tRNAs can be engineered, evolved, and combined to decode quadruplet codons, portending future developments towards an exclusively quadruplet codon translation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika A DeBenedictis
- The Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Christina Z Chung
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dieter Söll
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ahmed H Badran
- The Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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221
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Zhao J, Hu H, Wang S, Wang L, Wang R. Regulation and Site-Specific Covalent Labeling of NSUN2 via Genetic Encoding Expansion. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1488. [PMID: 34680884 PMCID: PMC8535899 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In living organisms, RNA regulates gene expression, cell migration, differentiation, and cell death. 5-Methylcytosine is a post-transcriptional RNA modification in a wide range of RNA species, including messenger RNAs. The addition of m5C to RNA cytosines is enabled by the NSUN enzyme family, a critical RNA methyltransferase. In this study, natural lysines modified with special groups were synthesized. Through two rounds of positive screening and one round of negative screening, we evaluated and identified the MbPylRS-tRNACUA unnatural lysine substitution system, which specifically recognizes lysine with a defined group. Moreover, non-natural lysine substitution at C271 of NSUN2 active site and the subsequent fluorescent labeling was realized through the click reaction. Then, the function of the NSUN2 mutant and its upregulated CDK1 gene as well as its effect on cell proliferation were evaluated. Efficient labeling and regulation of NSUN2 was achieved, laying the basis for further studies on the function and regulatory mechanism of upregulated genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jizhong Zhao
- The Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Resource and Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China; (J.Z.); (H.H.); (S.W.)
| | - Hongmei Hu
- The Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Resource and Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China; (J.Z.); (H.H.); (S.W.)
| | - Sheng Wang
- The Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Resource and Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China; (J.Z.); (H.H.); (S.W.)
| | - Li Wang
- Wuhan No.1 Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 225 Zhongshan Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China;
| | - Rui Wang
- Wuhan No.1 Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 225 Zhongshan Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China;
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222
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González S, Ad O, Shah B, Zhang Z, Zhang X, Chatterjee A, Schepartz A. Genetic Code Expansion in the Engineered Organism Vmax X2: High Yield and Exceptional Fidelity. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2021; 7:1500-1507. [PMID: 34584951 PMCID: PMC8461772 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We report that the recently introduced commercial strain of Vibrio natriegens (Vmax X2) supports robust unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, generating exceptional yields of soluble protein containing up to 5 noncanonical α-amino acids (ncAA). The isolated yields of ncAA-containing superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) expressed in Vmax X2 are up to 25-fold higher than those achieved using commercial expression strains (Top10 and BL21) and more than 10-fold higher than those achieved using two different genomically recodedEscherichia colistrains that lack endogenous UAG stop codons and release factor 1 and have been optimized for improved fitness and preferred growth temperature (C321.ΔA.opt and C321.ΔA.exp). In addition to higher yields of soluble protein, Vmax X2 cells also generate proteins with significantly lower levels of misincorporated natural α-amino acids at the UAG-programmed position, especially in cases where the ncAA is a moderate substrate for the chosen orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (aaRS). This increase in fidelity implies that the use of Vmax X2 cells as the expression host can obviate the need for time-consuming directed evolution experiments to improve the selectivity of an aaRS toward highly desired but suboptimal ncAA substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Omer Ad
- Department
of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Bhavana Shah
- Process
Development, Attribute Sciences, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Zhongqi Zhang
- Process
Development, Attribute Sciences, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Xizi Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Department
of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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223
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Lechner VM, Nappi M, Deneny PJ, Folliet S, Chu JCK, Gaunt MJ. Visible-Light-Mediated Modification and Manipulation of Biomacromolecules. Chem Rev 2021; 122:1752-1829. [PMID: 34546740 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chemically modified biomacromolecules-i.e., proteins, nucleic acids, glycans, and lipids-have become crucial tools in chemical biology. They are extensively used not only to elucidate cellular processes but also in industrial applications, particularly in the context of biopharmaceuticals. In order to enable maximum scope for optimization, it is pivotal to have a diverse array of biomacromolecule modification methods at one's disposal. Chemistry has driven many significant advances in this area, and especially recently, numerous novel visible-light-induced photochemical approaches have emerged. In these reactions, light serves as an external source of energy, enabling access to highly reactive intermediates under exceedingly mild conditions and with exquisite spatiotemporal control. While UV-induced transformations on biomacromolecules date back decades, visible light has the unmistakable advantage of being considerably more biocompatible, and a spectrum of visible-light-driven methods is now available, chiefly for proteins and nucleic acids. This review will discuss modifications of native functional groups (FGs), including functionalization, labeling, and cross-linking techniques as well as the utility of oxidative degradation mediated by photochemically generated reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, transformations at non-native, bioorthogonal FGs on biomacromolecules will be addressed, including photoclick chemistry and DNA-encoded library synthesis as well as methods that allow manipulation of the activity of a biomacromolecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian M Lechner
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel Nappi
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick J Deneny
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Folliet
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - John C K Chu
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Gaunt
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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224
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Reinkemeier CD, Lemke EA. Dual film-like organelles enable spatial separation of orthogonal eukaryotic translation. Cell 2021; 184:4886-4903.e21. [PMID: 34433013 PMCID: PMC8480389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Engineering new functionality into living eukaryotic systems by enzyme evolution or de novo protein design is a formidable challenge. Cells do not rely exclusively on DNA-based evolution to generate new functionality but often utilize membrane encapsulation or formation of membraneless organelles to separate distinct molecular processes that execute complex operations. Applying this principle and the concept of two-dimensional phase separation, we develop film-like synthetic organelles that support protein translation on the surfaces of various cellular membranes. These sub-resolution synthetic films provide a path to make functionally distinct enzymes within the same cell. We use these film-like organelles to equip eukaryotic cells with dual orthogonal expanded genetic codes that enable the specific reprogramming of distinct translational machineries with single-residue precision. The ability to spatially tune the output of translation within tens of nanometers is not only important for synthetic biology but has implications for understanding the function of membrane-associated protein condensation in cells. 2D phase separation was utilized to design orthogonal enzymes Film-like organelles maintained distinct suppressor tRNA microenvironments Dual film-like synthetic organelles enabled orthogonal translation in eukaryotes Cells were equipped with two expanded genetic codes in addition to the canonical one
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Reinkemeier
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 17, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Structural and Computational Biology Unit and Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edward A Lemke
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 17, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Structural and Computational Biology Unit and Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
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225
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Liu L, Wang B, Li S, Xu F, He Q, Pan C, Gao X, Yao W, Song X. Convenient Genetic Encoding of Phenylalanine Derivatives through Their α-Keto Acid Precursors. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11091358. [PMID: 34572570 PMCID: PMC8470325 DOI: 10.3390/biom11091358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity and function of proteins can be improved by incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs). To avoid the tedious synthesis of a large number of chiral phenylalanine derivatives, we synthesized the corresponding phenylpyruvic acid precursors. Escherichia coli strain DH10B and strain C321.ΔA.expΔPBAD were selected as hosts for phenylpyruvic acid bioconversion and genetic code expansion using the MmPylRS/pyltRNACUA system. The concentrations of keto acids, PLP and amino donors were optimized in the process. Eight keto acids that can be biotransformed and their coupled genetic code expansions were identified. Finally, the genetic encoded ncAAs were tested for incorporation into fluorescent proteins with keto acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
| | - Bohao Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
| | - Sheng Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
| | - Fengyuan Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
| | - Qi He
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
| | - Chun Pan
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China;
| | - Xiangdong Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
- Correspondence: (X.G.); (W.Y.); (X.S.)
| | - Wenbing Yao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
- Correspondence: (X.G.); (W.Y.); (X.S.)
| | - Xiaoda Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (L.L.); (B.W.); (S.L.); (F.X.); (Q.H.)
- Correspondence: (X.G.); (W.Y.); (X.S.)
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226
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High-throughput characterization of photocrosslinker-bearing ion channel variants to map residues critical for function and pharmacology. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001321. [PMID: 34491979 PMCID: PMC8448361 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) can endow proteins with novel functionalities, such as crosslinking or fluorescence. In ion channels, the function of these variants can be studied with great precision using standard electrophysiology, but this approach is typically labor intensive and low throughput. Here, we establish a high-throughput protocol to conduct functional and pharmacological investigations of ncAA-containing human acid-sensing ion channel 1a (hASIC1a) variants in transiently transfected mammalian cells. We introduce 3 different photocrosslinking ncAAs into 103 positions and assess the function of the resulting 309 variants with automated patch clamp (APC). We demonstrate that the approach is efficient and versatile, as it is amenable to assessing even complex pharmacological modulation by peptides. The data show that the acidic pocket is a major determinant for current decay, and live-cell crosslinking provides insight into the hASIC1a–psalmotoxin 1 (PcTx1) interaction. Further, we provide evidence that the protocol can be applied to other ion channels, such as P2X2 and GluA2 receptors. We therefore anticipate the approach to enable future APC-based studies of ncAA-containing ion channels in mammalian cells. This study describes a method to rapidly screen hundreds of ion channel variants containing non-canonical amino acids. A proof-of-principle introducing photocrosslinking non-canonical amino acids into the human ion channel hASIC1a shows how this approach can provide insights into function and pharmacology.
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227
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Kato Y. An Unnatural Amino Acid-Regulated Growth Controller Based on Informational Disturbance. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11090920. [PMID: 34575069 PMCID: PMC8467816 DOI: 10.3390/life11090920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We designed a novel growth controller regulated by feeding of an unnatural amino acid, Nε-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-lysine (ZK), using a specific incorporation system at a sense codon. This system is constructed by a pair of modified pyrrolisyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and its cognate tRNA (tRNApyl). Although ZK is non-toxic for normal organisms, the growth of Escherichia coli carrying the ZK incorporation system was inhibited in a ZK concentration-dependent manner without causing rapid bacterial death, presumably due to generation of non-functional or toxic proteins. The extent of growth inhibition strongly depended on the anticodon sequence of the tRNApyl gene. Taking advantage of the low selectivity of PylRS for tRNApyl anticodons, we experimentally determined the most effective anticodon sequence among all 64 nucleotide sequences in the anticodon region of tRNApyl gene. The results suggest that the ZK-regulated growth controller is a simple, target-specific, environmental noise-resistant and titratable system. This technique may be applicable to a wide variety of organisms because the growth inhibitory effects are caused by "informational disturbance", in which the highly conserved system for transmission of information from DNA to proteins is perturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kato
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Oowashi 1-2, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
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228
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Dunkelmann DL, Oehm SB, Beattie AT, Chin JW. A 68-codon genetic code to incorporate four distinct non-canonical amino acids enabled by automated orthogonal mRNA design. Nat Chem 2021; 13:1110-1117. [PMID: 34426682 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00764-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Orthogonal (O) ribosome-mediated translation of O-mRNAs enables the incorporation of up to three distinct non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli). However, the general and efficient incorporation of multiple distinct ncAAs by O-ribosomes requires scalable strategies for both creating efficiently and specifically translated O-mRNAs, and the compact expression of multiple O-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (O-aaRS)/O-tRNA pairs. We automate the discovery of O-mRNAs that lead to up to 40 times more protein, and are up to 50-fold more orthogonal, than previous O-mRNAs; protein yields from our O-mRNAs match or exceed those from wild-type mRNAs. These advances enable a 33-fold increase in yield for incorporating three distinct ncAAs. We automate the creation of operons for O-tRNA genes, and develop operons for O-aaRS genes. Combining our advances creates a 68-codon, 24-amino-acid genetic code to efficiently incorporate four distinct ncAAs into a single protein in response to four distinct quadruplet codons.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sebastian B Oehm
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adam T Beattie
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jason W Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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229
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van Husen LS, Katsori AM, Meineke B, Tjernberg LO, Schedin-Weiss S, Elsässer SJ. Engineered Human Induced Pluripotent Cells Enable Genetic Code Expansion in Brain Organoids. Chembiochem 2021; 22:3208-3213. [PMID: 34431592 PMCID: PMC9290828 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100399] [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: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology has revolutionized studies on human biology. A wide range of cell types and tissue models can be derived from hiPSCs to study complex human diseases. Here, we use PiggyBac-mediated transgenesis to engineer hiPSCs with an expanded genetic code. We demonstrate that genomic integration of expression cassettes for a pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS), pyrrolysyl-tRNA (PylT) and the target protein of interest enables site-specific incorporation of a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) in response to an amber stop codon. Neural stem cells, neurons and brain organoids derived from the engineered hiPSCs continue to express the amber suppression machinery and produce ncAA-bearing reporter. The incorporated ncAA can serve as a minimal bioorthogonal handle for further modifications by labeling with fluorescent dyes. Site-directed ncAA mutagenesis will open a wide range of applications to probe and manipulate proteins in brain organoids and other hiPSC-derived cell types and complex tissue models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea S van Husen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17165, Stockholm, Sweden.,Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 17164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna-Maria Katsori
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Birthe Meineke
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars O Tjernberg
- Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 17164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sophia Schedin-Weiss
- Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 17164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simon J Elsässer
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17165, Stockholm, Sweden
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230
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Engineering with NanoLuc: a playground for the development of bioluminescent protein switches and sensors. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 48:2643-2655. [PMID: 33242085 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The small engineered luciferase NanoLuc has rapidly become a powerful tool in the fields of biochemistry, chemical biology, and cell biology due to its exceptional brightness and stability. The continuously expanding NanoLuc toolbox has been employed in applications ranging from biosensors to molecular and cellular imaging, and currently includes split complementation variants, engineering techniques for spectral tuning, and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based concepts. In this review, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art NanoLuc-based sensors and switches with a focus on the underlying protein engineering approaches. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various strategies with respect to sensor sensitivity, modularity, and dynamic range of the sensor and provide a perspective on future strategies and applications.
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231
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Höllmüller E, Greiner K, Kienle SM, Scheffner M, Marx A, Stengel F. Interactome of Site-Specifically Acetylated Linker Histone H1. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:4443-4451. [PMID: 34351766 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Linker histone H1 plays a key role in chromatin organization and maintenance, yet our knowledge of the regulation of H1 functions by post-translational modifications is rather limited. In this study, we report on the generation of site-specifically mono- and di-acetylated linker histone H1.2 by genetic code expansion. We used these modified histones to identify and characterize the acetylation-dependent cellular interactome of H1.2 by affinity purification mass spectrometry and show that site-specific acetylation results in overlapping but distinct groups of interacting partners. Among these, we find multiple translational initiation factors and transcriptional regulators such as the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1, which we demonstrate to act on acetylated H1.2. Taken together, our data suggest that site-specific acetylation of H1.2 plays a role in modulating protein-protein interactions.
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232
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Davis L, Radman I, Goutou A, Tynan A, Baxter K, Xi Z, O'Shea JM, Chin JW, Greiss S. Precise optical control of gene expression in C. elegans using improved genetic code expansion and Cre recombinase. eLife 2021; 10:67075. [PMID: 34350826 PMCID: PMC8448529 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic strategies for optically controlling gene expression may enable the precise spatiotemporal control of genes in any combination of cells that cannot be targeted with specific promoters. We develop an improved genetic code expansion system in Caenorhabditis elegans and use it to create a photoactivatable Cre recombinase. We laser-activate Cre in single neurons within a bilaterally symmetric pair to selectively switch on expression of a loxP-controlled optogenetic channel in the targeted neuron. We use the system to dissect, in freely moving animals, the individual contributions of the mechanosensory neurons PLML/PLMR to the C. elegans touch response circuit, revealing distinct and synergistic roles for these neurons. We thus demonstrate how genetic code expansion and optical targeting can be combined to break the symmetry of neuron pairs and dissect behavioural outputs of individual neurons that cannot be genetically targeted. Animal behaviour and movement emerges from the stimulation of nerve cells that are connected together like a circuit. Researchers use various tools to investigate these neural networks in model organisms such as roundworms, fruit flies and zebrafish. The trick is to activate some nerve cells, but not others, so as to isolate their specific role within the neural circuit. One way to do this is to switch genes on or off in individual cells as a way to control their neuronal activity. This can be achieved by building a photocaged version of the enzyme Cre recombinase which is designed to target specific genes. The modified Cre recombinase contains an amino acid (the building blocks of proteins) that inactivates the enzyme. When the cell is illuminated with UV light, a part of the amino acid gets removed allowing Cre recombinase to turn on its target gene. However, cells do not naturally produce these photocaged amino acids. To overcome this, researchers can use a technology called genetic code expansion which provides cells with the tools they need to build proteins containing these synthetic amino acids. Although this technique has been used in live animals, its application has been limited due to the small amount of proteins it produces. Davis et al. therefore set out to improve the efficiency of genetic code expansion so that it can be used to study single nerve cells in freely moving roundworms. In the new system, named LaserTAC, individual cells are targeted with UV light that ‘uncages’ the Cre recombinase enzyme so it can switch on a gene for a protein that controls neuronal activity. Davis et al. used this approach to stimulate a pair of neurons sensitive to touch to see how this impacted the roundworm’s behaviour. This revealed that individual neurons within this pair contribute to the touch response in different ways. However, input from both neurons is required to produce a robust reaction. These findings show that the LaserTAC system can be used to manipulate gene activity in single cells, such as neurons, using light. It allows researchers to precisely control in which cells and when a given gene is switched on or off. Also, with the improved efficiency of the genetic code expansion, this technology could be used to modify proteins other than Cre recombinase and be applied to other artificial amino acids that have been developed in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lloyd Davis
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Inja Radman
- Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angeliki Goutou
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ailish Tynan
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran Baxter
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Zhiyan Xi
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jack M O'Shea
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jason W Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Greiss
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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233
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Iadevaia G, Swain JA, Núñez-Villanueva D, Bond AD, Hunter CA. Folding and duplex formation in mixed sequence recognition-encoded m-phenylene ethynylene polymers. Chem Sci 2021; 12:10218-10226. [PMID: 34377409 PMCID: PMC8336474 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc02288a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligomers equipped with complementary recognition units have the potential to encode and express chemical information in the same way as nucleic acids. The supramolecular assembly properties of m-phenylene ethynylene polymers equipped with H-bond donor (D = phenol) and H-bond acceptor (A = phosphine oxide) side chains have been investigated in chloroform solution. Polymerisation of a bifunctional monomer in the presence of a monofunctional chain stopper was used for the one pot synthesis of families of m-phenylene ethynylene polymers with sequences ADnA or DAnD (n = 1-5), which were separated by chromatography. All of the oligomers self-associate due to intermolecular H-bonding interactions, but intramolecular folding of the monomeric single strands can be studied in dilute solution. NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy show that the 3-mers ADA and DAD do not fold, but there are intramolecular H-bonding interactions for all of the longer sequences. Nevertheless, 1 : 1 mixtures of sequence complementary oligomers all form stable duplexes. Duplex stability was quantified using DMSO denaturation experiments, which show that the association constant for duplex formation increases by an order of magnitude for every base-pairing interaction added to the chain, from 103 M-1 for ADA·DAD to 105 M-1 for ADDDA·DAAAD. Intramolecular folding is the major pathway that competes with duplex formation between recognition-encoded oligomers and limits the fidelity of sequence-selective assembly. The experimental approach described here provides a practical strategy for rapid evaluation of suitability for the development of programmable synthetic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Iadevaia
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Jonathan A Swain
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Diego Núñez-Villanueva
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Andrew D Bond
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Christopher A Hunter
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
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234
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Ortmayer M, Hardy FJ, Quesne MG, Fisher K, Levy C, Heyes DJ, Catlow CRA, de Visser SP, Rigby SEJ, Hay S, Green AP. A Noncanonical Tryptophan Analogue Reveals an Active Site Hydrogen Bond Controlling Ferryl Reactivity in a Heme Peroxidase. JACS AU 2021; 1:913-918. [PMID: 34337604 PMCID: PMC8317151 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nature employs high-energy metal-oxo intermediates embedded within enzyme active sites to perform challenging oxidative transformations with remarkable selectivity. Understanding how different local metal-oxo coordination environments control intermediate reactivity and catalytic function is a long-standing objective. However, conducting structure-activity relationships directly in active sites has proven challenging due to the limited range of amino acid substitutions achievable within the constraints of the genetic code. Here, we use an expanded genetic code to examine the impact of hydrogen bonding interactions on ferryl heme structure and reactivity, by replacing the N-H group of the active site Trp51 of cytochrome c peroxidase by an S atom. Removal of a single hydrogen bond stabilizes the porphyrin π-cation radical state of CcP W191F compound I. In contrast, this modification leads to more basic and reactive neutral ferryl heme states, as found in CcP W191F compound II and the wild-type ferryl heme-Trp191 radical pair of compound I. This increased reactivity manifests in a >60-fold activity increase toward phenolic substrates but remarkably has negligible effects on oxidation of the biological redox partner cytc. Our data highlight how Trp51 tunes the lifetimes of key ferryl intermediates and works in synergy with the redox active Trp191 and a well-defined substrate binding site to regulate catalytic function. More broadly, this work shows how noncanonical substitutions can advance our understanding of active site features governing metal-oxo structure and reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ortmayer
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Florence J. Hardy
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew G. Quesne
- Research
Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0FA, United
Kingdom
- Cardiff
University, School of Chemistry, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10
3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Fisher
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Colin Levy
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Derren J. Heyes
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - C. Richard A. Catlow
- Research
Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0FA, United
Kingdom
- Cardiff
University, School of Chemistry, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10
3AT, United Kingdom
- Kathleen
Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, Western Central 1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Sam P. de Visser
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science & Manchester Institute
of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen E. J. Rigby
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Hay
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony P. Green
- Department
of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom
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235
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Yang X, Miao H, Xiao R, Wang L, Zhao Y, Wu Q, Ji Y, Du J, Qin H, Xuan W. Diverse protein manipulations with genetically encoded glutamic acid benzyl ester. Chem Sci 2021; 12:9778-9785. [PMID: 34349951 PMCID: PMC8299518 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01882e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Site-specific modification of proteins has significantly advanced the use of proteins in biological research and therapeutics development. Among various strategies aimed at this end, genetic code expansion (GCE) allows structurally and functionally distinct non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) to be incorporated into specific sites of a protein. Herein, we genetically encode an esterified glutamic acid analogue (BnE) into proteins, and demonstrate that BnE can be applied in different types of site-specific protein modifications, including N-terminal pyroglutamation, caging Glu in the active site of a toxic protein, and endowing proteins with metal chelator hydroxamic acid and versatile reactive handle acyl hydrazide. Importantly, novel epigenetic mark Gln methylation is generated on histones via the derived acyl hydrazide handle. This work provides useful and unique tools to modify proteins at specific Glu or Gln residues, and complements the toolbox of GCE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Yang
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Hui Miao
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Ruotong Xiao
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Luyao Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University 30 Shuangqing Rd. Beijing China
| | - Yan Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University 30 Shuangqing Rd. Beijing China
| | - Qifan Wu
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Yanli Ji
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Juanjuan Du
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University 30 Shuangqing Rd. Beijing China
| | - Hongqiang Qin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Weimin Xuan
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
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236
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Fimmel E, Gumbel M, Starman M, Strüngmann L. Robustness against point mutations of genetic code extensions under consideration of wobble-like effects. Biosystems 2021; 208:104485. [PMID: 34280517 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many theories of the evolution of the genetic code assume that the genetic code has always evolved in the direction of increasing the supply of amino acids to be encoded (Barbieri, 2019; Di Giulio, 2005; Wong, 1975). In order to reduce the risk of the formation of a non-functional protein due to point mutations, nature is said to have built in control mechanisms. Using graph theory the authors have investigated in Blazej et al. (2019) if this robustness is optimal in the sense that a different codon-amino acid assignment would not generate a code that is even more robust. At present, efforts to expand the genetic code are very relevant in biotechnological applications, for example, for the synthesis of new drugs (Anderson et al., 2004; Chin, 2017; Dien et al., 2018; Kimoto et al., 2009; Neumann et al., 2010). In this paper we generalize the approach proposed in Blazej et al. (2019) and will explore hypothetical extensions of the standard genetic code with respect to their optimal robustness in two ways: (1) We keep the usual genetic alphabet but move from codons to longer words, such as tetranucleotides. This increases the supply of coding words and thus makes it possible to encode non-canonical amino acids. (2) We expand the genetic alphabet by introducing non-canonical base pairs. In addition, the approach from Blazej et al. (2019) and Blazej et al. (2018) is extended by incorporating the weights of single point-mutations into the model. The weights can be interpreted as probabilities (appropriately normalized) or degrees of severity of a single point mutation. In particular, this new approach allows us to take a closer look at the wobble effects in the translation of codons into amino acids. According to the results from Blazej et al. (2019) and Blazej et al. (2018), the standard genetic code is not optimal in terms of its robustness to point mutations if the weights of single point mutations are not taken into account. After incorporation into the model weights that mimic the wobble effect, the results of the present work show that it is much more robust, almost optimal in that respect. We hope, that this theoretical analysis might help to assess extended genetic codes and their abilities to encode new amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Fimmel
- Competence Center in Medicine, Biology, and Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, 68163 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - M Gumbel
- Competence Center in Medicine, Biology, and Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, 68163 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - M Starman
- Competence Center in Medicine, Biology, and Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, 68163 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - L Strüngmann
- Competence Center in Medicine, Biology, and Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, 68163 Mannheim, Germany.
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237
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A CDR-based approach to generate covalent inhibitory antibody for human rhinovirus protease. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 42:116219. [PMID: 34077853 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covalent target modulation with small molecules has been emerging as a promising strategy for drug discovery. However, covalent inhibitory antibody remains unexplored due to the lack of efficient strategies to engineer antibody with desired bioactivity. Herein, we developed an intracellular selection method to generate covalent inhibitory antibody against human rhinovirus 14 (HRV14) 3C protease through unnatural amino acid mutagenesis along the heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR-H3). A library of antibody mutants was thus constructed and screened in vivo through co-expression with the target protease. Using this screening strategy, six covalent antibodies with proximity-enabled bioactivity were identified, which were shown to covalently target HRV14-3C protease with high inhibitory potency and exquisite selectivity. Compared to structure-based rational design, this library-based screening method provides a simple and efficient way for the discovery and engineering of covalent antibody for enzyme inhibition.
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238
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Bartoschek MD, Ugur E, Nguyen TA, Rodschinka G, Wierer M, Lang K, Bultmann S. Identification of permissive amber suppression sites for efficient non-canonical amino acid incorporation in mammalian cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e62. [PMID: 33684219 PMCID: PMC8216290 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The genetic code of mammalian cells can be expanded to allow the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) by suppressing in-frame amber stop codons (UAG) with an orthogonal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS)/tRNAPylCUA (PylT) pair. However, the feasibility of this approach is substantially hampered by unpredictable variations in incorporation efficiencies at different stop codon positions within target proteins. Here, we apply a proteomics-based approach to quantify ncAA incorporation rates at hundreds of endogenous amber stop codons in mammalian cells. With these data, we compute iPASS (Identification of Permissive Amber Sites for Suppression; available at www.bultmannlab.eu/tools/iPASS), a linear regression model to predict relative ncAA incorporation efficiencies depending on the surrounding sequence context. To verify iPASS, we develop a dual-fluorescence reporter for high-throughput flow-cytometry analysis that reproducibly yields context-specific ncAA incorporation efficiencies. We show that nucleotides up- and downstream of UAG synergistically influence ncAA incorporation efficiency independent of cell line and ncAA identity. Additionally, we demonstrate iPASS-guided optimization of ncAA incorporation rates by synonymous exchange of codons flanking the amber stop codon. This combination of in silico analysis followed by validation in living mammalian cells substantially simplifies identification as well as adaptation of sites within a target protein to confer high ncAA incorporation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Bartoschek
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Enes Ugur
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany.,Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Tuan-Anh Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Synthetic Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Geraldine Rodschinka
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Michael Wierer
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Kathrin Lang
- Department of Chemistry, Synthetic Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Sebastian Bultmann
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
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239
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Kempes CP, Krakauer DC. The Multiple Paths to Multiple Life. J Mol Evol 2021; 89:415-426. [PMID: 34254169 PMCID: PMC8318961 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-021-10016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
We argue for multiple forms of life realized through multiple different historical pathways. From this perspective, there have been multiple origins of life on Earth—life is not a universal homology. By broadening the class of originations, we significantly expand the data set for searching for life. Through a computational analogy, the origin of life describes both the origin of hardware (physical substrate) and software (evolved function). Like all information-processing systems, adaptive systems possess a nested hierarchy of levels, a level of function optimization (e.g., fitness maximization), a level of constraints (e.g., energy requirements), and a level of materials (e.g., DNA or RNA genome and cells). The functions essential to life are realized by different substrates with different efficiencies. The functional level allows us to identify multiple origins of life by searching for key principles of optimization in different material form, including the prebiotic origin of proto-cells, the emergence of culture, economic, and legal institutions, and the reproduction of software agents.
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240
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Pott M, Tinzl M, Hayashi T, Ota Y, Dunkelmann D, Mittl PRE, Hilvert D. Noncanonical Heme Ligands Steer Carbene Transfer Reactivity in an Artificial Metalloenzyme*. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:15063-15068. [PMID: 33880851 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202103437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Changing the primary metal coordination sphere is a powerful strategy for tuning metalloprotein properties. Here we used amber stop codon suppression with engineered pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetases, including two newly evolved enzymes, to replace the proximal histidine in myoglobin with Nδ -methylhistidine, 5-thiazoylalanine, 4-thiazoylalanine and 3-(3-thienyl)alanine. In addition to tuning the heme redox potential over a >200 mV range, these noncanonical ligands modulate the protein's carbene transfer activity with ethyl diazoacetate. Variants with increased reduction potential proved superior for cyclopropanation and N-H insertion, whereas variants with reduced Eo values gave higher S-H insertion activity. Given the functional importance of histidine in many enzymes, these genetically encoded analogues could be valuable tools for probing mechanism and enabling new chemistries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Pott
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Tinzl
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Takahiro Hayashi
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yusuke Ota
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Dunkelmann
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peer R E Mittl
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
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241
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Pott M, Tinzl M, Hayashi T, Ota Y, Dunkelmann D, Mittl PRE, Hilvert D. Noncanonical Heme Ligands Steer Carbene Transfer Reactivity in an Artificial Metalloenzyme**. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202103437] [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)
- Moritz Pott
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry ETH Zürich 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Matthias Tinzl
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry ETH Zürich 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Takahiro Hayashi
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry ETH Zürich 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Yusuke Ota
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry ETH Zürich 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | | | - Peer R. E. Mittl
- Department of Biochemistry University of Zürich 8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry ETH Zürich 8093 Zürich Switzerland
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242
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Breunig SL, Tirrell DA. Incorporation of proline analogs into recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. Methods Enzymol 2021; 656:545-571. [PMID: 34325798 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Proline residues are unique in the extent to which they constrain the conformational space available to the protein backbone. Because the conformational preferences of proline cannot be recapitulated by any of the other proteinogenic amino acids, standard mutagenesis approaches that seek to introduce new chemical functionality at proline positions unavoidably perturb backbone flexibility. Here, we detail the incorporation of proline analogs into recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli via a residue-specific mutagenesis strategy. This approach results in global replacement of proline residues with high yields of the recombinant protein of interest, minimal genetic manipulation, and maintenance of backbone conformational constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Breunig
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - David A Tirrell
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States.
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243
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Robertson WE, Funke LFH, de la Torre D, Fredens J, Elliott TS, Spinck M, Christova Y, Cervettini D, Böge FL, Liu KC, Buse S, Maslen S, Salmond GPC, Chin JW. Sense codon reassignment enables viral resistance and encoded polymer synthesis. Science 2021; 372:1057-1062. [PMID: 34083482 DOI: 10.1126/science.abg3029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
It is widely hypothesized that removing cellular transfer RNAs (tRNAs)-making their cognate codons unreadable-might create a genetic firewall to viral infection and enable sense codon reassignment. However, it has been impossible to test these hypotheses. In this work, following synonymous codon compression and laboratory evolution in Escherichia coli, we deleted the tRNAs and release factor 1, which normally decode two sense codons and a stop codon; the resulting cells could not read the canonical genetic code and were completely resistant to a cocktail of viruses. We reassigned these codons to enable the efficient synthesis of proteins containing three distinct noncanonical amino acids. Notably, we demonstrate the facile reprogramming of our cells for the encoded translation of diverse noncanonical heteropolymers and macrocycles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Louise F H Funke
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Julius Fredens
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas S Elliott
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin Spinck
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yonka Christova
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Franz L Böge
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kim C Liu
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Salvador Buse
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah Maslen
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Jason W Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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244
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Xu L, Kuan SL, Weil T. Contemporary Approaches for Site-Selective Dual Functionalization of Proteins. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:13757-13777. [PMID: 33258535 PMCID: PMC8248073 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202012034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Site-selective protein functionalization serves as an invaluable tool for investigating protein structures and functions in complicated cellular environments and accomplishing semi-synthetic protein conjugates such as traceable therapeutics with improved features. Dual functionalization of proteins allows the incorporation of two different types of functionalities at distinct location(s), which greatly expands the features of native proteins. The attachment and crosstalk of a fluorescence donor and an acceptor dye provides fundamental insights into the folding and structural changes of proteins upon ligand binding in their native cellular environments. Moreover, the combination of drug molecules with different modes of action, imaging agents or stabilizing polymers provides new avenues to design precision protein therapeutics in a reproducible and well-characterizable fashion. This review aims to give a timely overview of the recent advancements and a future perspective of this relatively new research area. First, the chemical toolbox for dual functionalization of proteins is discussed and compared. The strengths and limitations of each strategy are summarized in order to enable readers to select the most appropriate method for their envisaged applications. Thereafter, representative applications of these dual-modified protein bioconjugates benefiting from the synergistic/additive properties of the two synthetic moieties are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lujuan Xu
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 1055128MainzGermany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry IUlm UniversityAlbert-Einstein-Allee 1189081UlmGermany
| | - Seah Ling Kuan
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 1055128MainzGermany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry IUlm UniversityAlbert-Einstein-Allee 1189081UlmGermany
| | - Tanja Weil
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 1055128MainzGermany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry IUlm UniversityAlbert-Einstein-Allee 1189081UlmGermany
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245
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Tsai YH, Doura T, Kiyonaka S. Tethering-based chemogenetic approaches for the modulation of protein function in live cells. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:7909-7923. [PMID: 34114579 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00059d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Proteins are the workhorse molecules performing various tasks to sustain life. To investigate the roles of a protein under physiological conditions, the rapid modulation of the protein with high specificity in a living system would be ideal, but achieving this is often challenging. To address this challenge, researchers have developed chemogenetic strategies for the rapid and selective modulation of protein function in live cells. Here, the target protein is modified genetically to become sensitive to a designer molecule that otherwise has no effect on other cellular biomolecules. One powerful chemogenetic strategy is to introduce a tethering point into the target protein, allowing covalent or non-covalent attachment of the designer molecule. In this tutorial review, we focus on tethering-based chemogenetic approaches for modulating protein function in live cells. We first describe genetic, optogenetic and chemical means to study protein function. These means lay the basis for the chemogenetic concept, which is explained in detail. The next section gives an overview, including advantages and limitations, of tethering tactics that have been employed for modulating cellular protein function. The third section provides examples of the modulation of cell-surface proteins using tethering-based chemogenetics through non-covalent tethering and covalent tethering for irreversible modulation or functional switching. The fourth section presents intracellular examples. The last section summarizes key considerations in implementing tethering-based chemogenetics and shows perspectives highlighting future directions and other applications of this burgeoning research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China.
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246
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Kim EJ. Advances in Strategies and Tools Available for Interrogation of Protein O-GlcNAcylation. Chembiochem 2021; 22:3010-3026. [PMID: 34101962 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The attachment of a single O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to serine and threonine residues of numerous proteins in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria is a reversible post-translational modification (PTM) and plays an important role as a regulator of various cellular processes in both healthy and disease states. Advances in strategies and tools that allow for the detection of dynamic O-GlcNAcylation on cellular proteins have helped to enhance our initial and ongoing understanding of its dynamic effects on cellular stimuli and given insights into its link to the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. Furthermore, chemical genetic strategies and related tools have been successfully applied to a myriad of biological systems with a new level of spatiotemporal and molecular precision. These strategies have started to be used in studying and controlling O-GlcNAcylation both in vivo and in vitro. In this minireview, overviews of recent advances in molecular tools being applied to the detection and identification of O-GlcNAcylation on cellular proteins as well as on individual proteins are provided. In addition, chemical genetic strategies that have already been applied or are potentially usable in O-GlcNAc functional are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Ju Kim
- Daegu University, Gyeongsan-Si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
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247
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Wolffgramm J, Buchmuller B, Palei S, Muñoz‐López Á, Kanne J, Janning P, Schweiger MR, Summerer D. Light-Activation of DNA-Methyltransferases. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:13507-13512. [PMID: 33826797 PMCID: PMC8251764 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202103945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
5-Methylcytosine (5mC), the central epigenetic mark of mammalian DNA, plays fundamental roles in chromatin regulation. 5mC is written onto genomes by DNA methyltransferases (DNMT), and perturbation of this process is an early event in carcinogenesis. However, studying 5mC functions is limited by the inability to control individual DNMTs with spatiotemporal resolution in vivo. We report light-control of DNMT catalysis by genetically encoding a photocaged cysteine as a catalytic residue. This enables translation of inactive DNMTs, their rapid activation by light-decaging, and subsequent monitoring of de novo DNA methylation. We provide insights into how cancer-related DNMT mutations alter de novo methylation in vivo, and demonstrate local and tuneable cytosine methylation by light-controlled DNMTs fused to a programmable transcription activator-like effector domain targeting pericentromeric satellite-3 DNA. We further study early events of transcriptome alterations upon DNMT-catalyzed cytosine methylation. Our study sets a basis to dissect the order and kinetics of diverse chromatin-associated events triggered by normal and aberrant DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Wolffgramm
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn Str. 4a44227DortmundGermany
| | - Benjamin Buchmuller
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn Str. 4a44227DortmundGermany
| | - Shubhendu Palei
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn Str. 4a44227DortmundGermany
| | - Álvaro Muñoz‐López
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn Str. 4a44227DortmundGermany
| | - Julian Kanne
- Department of Epigenetics and Tumor Biology, Medical FacultyUniversity of CologneKerpener Str. 6250937KölnGermany
| | - Petra Janning
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular PhysiologyOtto-Hahn-Str. 1144227DortmundGermany
| | - Michal R. Schweiger
- Department of Epigenetics and Tumor Biology, Medical FacultyUniversity of CologneKerpener Str. 6250937KölnGermany
| | - Daniel Summerer
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn Str. 4a44227DortmundGermany
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248
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Wolffgramm J, Buchmuller B, Palei S, Muñoz‐López Á, Kanne J, Janning P, Schweiger MR, Summerer D. Light‐Activation of DNA‐Methyltransferases. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202103945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Wolffgramm
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology TU Dortmund University Otto-Hahn Str. 4a 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Benjamin Buchmuller
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology TU Dortmund University Otto-Hahn Str. 4a 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Shubhendu Palei
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology TU Dortmund University Otto-Hahn Str. 4a 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Álvaro Muñoz‐López
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology TU Dortmund University Otto-Hahn Str. 4a 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Julian Kanne
- Department of Epigenetics and Tumor Biology, Medical Faculty University of Cologne Kerpener Str. 62 50937 Köln Germany
| | - Petra Janning
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Physiology Otto-Hahn-Str. 11 44227 Dortmund Germany
| | - Michal R. Schweiger
- Department of Epigenetics and Tumor Biology, Medical Faculty University of Cologne Kerpener Str. 62 50937 Köln Germany
| | - Daniel Summerer
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology TU Dortmund University Otto-Hahn Str. 4a 44227 Dortmund Germany
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249
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Affiliation(s)
- Delilah Jewel
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
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250
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Initiating protein synthesis with noncanonical monomers in vitro and in vivo. Methods Enzymol 2021; 656:495-519. [PMID: 34325796 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
With few exceptions, ribosomal protein synthesis begins with methionine (or its derivative N-formyl-methionine) across all domains of life. The role of methionine as the initiating amino acid is dictated by the unique structure of its cognate tRNA known as tRNAfMet. By mis-acylating tRNAfMet, we and others have shown that protein synthesis can be initiated with a variety of canonical and noncanonical amino acids both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, because the α-amine of the initiating amino acid is not required for peptide bond formation, translation can be initiated with a variety of structurally disparate carboxylic acids that bear little resemblance to traditional α-amino acids. Herein, we provide a detailed protocol to initiate in vitro protein synthesis with substituted benzoic acid and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. These moieties are introduced at the N-terminus of peptides by mis-acylated tRNAfMet, prepared by flexizyme-catalyzed tRNA acylation. In addition, we describe a protocol to initiate in vivo protein synthesis with aromatic noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). This method relies on an engineered chimeric initiator tRNA that is acylated with ncAAs by an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Together, these systems are useful platforms for producing N-terminally modified proteins and for engineering the protein synthesis machinery of Escherichia coli to accept additional nonproteinogenic carboxylic acid monomers.
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