201
|
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: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
202
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
203
|
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.
Collapse
|
204
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
205
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
206
|
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.
Collapse
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;
| |
Collapse
|
207
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
208
|
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: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
209
|
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
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
210
|
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.
Collapse
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.)
| |
Collapse
|
211
|
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: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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.
Collapse
|
212
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kato
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Oowashi 1-2, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
213
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
214
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
215
|
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: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [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.
Collapse
|
216
|
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.
Collapse
|
217
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
218
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
219
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
220
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
221
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
222
|
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.
Collapse
|
223
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
224
|
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.
Collapse
|
225
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
226
|
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
| |
Collapse
|
227
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
228
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
229
|
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: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
230
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
231
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Ju Kim
- Daegu University, Gyeongsan-Si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
232
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
233
|
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
| |
Collapse
|
234
|
Affiliation(s)
- Delilah Jewel
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
235
|
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.
Collapse
|
236
|
Wang J, Liu Y, Liu Y, Wang C, Chen PR. CAGE-prox: A Unified Approach for Time-Resolved Protein Activation in Living Systems. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e180. [PMID: 34165886 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Temporal activation of proteins of interest (POIs) offers a gain-of-function approach to investigate protein functions in dynamic biological processes. Fusion of photo/chemical-switchable proteins to a POI, or site-specific blockage/decaging of catalytic residue(s) on a POI, are the most widely utilized strategies for selective protein activation. These methods, however, either lack generality (e.g., active site decaging) or would modify the POI with a bulky tag (e.g., genetic fusion). Recently, a computationally aided and genetically encoded proximal decaging strategy (CAGE-prox) has been developed for time-resolved photoactivation of a broad range of proteins in living systems. In contrast to the direct decaging of the active site of a POI, CAGE-prox relies on a unified caged amino acid that can be anchored in proximity to a protein's functional site for temporal blockage of its activity until rescued by photo/chemical decaging. In order to identify the optimal site for photo-caged unnatural amino acid insertion, which is key for the effective blockade and re-activation of the POI, a computational algorithm was developed to screen all possible positions in close proximity to the functional site that would enable turning off/on protein activity via caging/decaging operations. Here, we describe the CAGE-prox strategy, from in silico design to experimental validation, and provide various examples of its application. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC Basic Protocol 1: In silico design and experimental validation of CAGE-prox Basic Protocol 2: Orthogonal activation of a POI by CAGE-prox while minimizing the activity from the endogenous protein Basic Protocol 3: CAGE-prox-enabled, time-resolved proteomics for the identification of substrates of a proteolytic enzyme Basic Protocol 4: Controlled activation of protein-based prodrugs for tumor therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanjun Liu
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Chu Wang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Peng R Chen
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
237
|
Genetically encoded selective cross-linkers and emerging applications. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 48:1807-1817. [PMID: 32657352 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
There has been a large amount of interest in the development of genetically encoded cross-linkers that target functional groups naturally present in cells. Recently, a new class of unnatural amino acids that specifically react with target residues were developed and genetically incorporated. The selective reaction shows higher cross-linking efficiency, lower background and predictable cross-linking sites. It has been applied to enhance protein/peptide stability, pinpoint protein-protein interactions, stabilize protein complexes, engineer covalent protein inhibitors, identify phosphatases in living cells, etc. These new covalent linkages provide excellent new tools for protein engineering and biological studies. Their applications in biotherapy will provide considerable opportunities for innovating and improving biomolecular medicines.
Collapse
|
238
|
Kofman C, Lee J, Jewett MC. Engineering molecular translation systems. Cell Syst 2021; 12:593-607. [PMID: 34139167 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Molecular translation systems provide a genetically encoded framework for protein synthesis, which is essential for all life. Engineering these systems to incorporate non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into peptides and proteins has opened many exciting opportunities in chemical and synthetic biology. Here, we review recent advances that are transforming our ability to engineer molecular translation systems. In cell-based systems, new processes to synthesize recoded genomes, tether ribosomal subunits, and engineer orthogonality with high-throughput workflows have emerged. In cell-free systems, adoption of flexizyme technology and cell-free ribosome synthesis and evolution platforms are expanding the limits of chemistry at the ribosome's RNA-based active site. Looking forward, innovations will deepen understanding of molecular translation and provide a path to polymers with previously unimaginable structures and functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camila Kofman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Joongoo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Interdisplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
239
|
Abstract
Folding of polypeptides begins during their synthesis on ribosomes. This process has evolved as a means for the cell to maintain proteostasis, by mitigating the risk of protein misfolding and aggregation. The capacity to now depict this cellular feat at increasingly higher resolution is providing insight into the mechanistic determinants that promote successful folding. Emerging from these studies is the intimate interplay between protein translation and folding, and within this the ribosome particle is the key player. Its unique structural properties provide a specialized scaffold against which nascent polypeptides can begin to form structure in a highly coordinated, co-translational manner. Here, we examine how, as a macromolecular machine, the ribosome modulates the intrinsic dynamic properties of emerging nascent polypeptide chains and guides them toward their biologically active structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs M E Cassaignau
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - Lisa D Cabrita
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - John Christodoulou
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; , ,
| |
Collapse
|
240
|
Chen H, Wilson J, Ottinger S, Gan Q, Fan C. Introducing noncanonical amino acids for studying and engineering bacterial microcompartments. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 61:67-72. [PMID: 33813159 PMCID: PMC8169543 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) with selectively permeable shells and encapsulated enzyme cores are well-suited candidates for nano-bioreactors because of their advantages of enhancing pathway flux and protection against toxic products. To better study and engineer protein-based BMCs, a series of protein chemistry approaches are adopted. As one of the most advanced techniques, genetic code expansion can introduce various noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with diverse functional groups into target proteins, thus providing powerful tools for protein studies and engineering. This review summarizes and proposes useful tools based on current development of the genetic code expansion technique towards challenges in BMC studies and engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Jessica Wilson
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Sara Ottinger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Qinglei Gan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
241
|
Bonfiglio JJ, Leidecker O, Dauben H, Longarini EJ, Colby T, San Segundo-Acosta P, Perez KA, Matic I. An HPF1/PARP1-Based Chemical Biology Strategy for Exploring ADP-Ribosylation. Cell 2021; 183:1086-1102.e23. [PMID: 33186521 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Strategies for installing authentic ADP-ribosylation (ADPr) at desired positions are fundamental for creating the tools needed to explore this elusive post-translational modification (PTM) in essential cellular processes. Here, we describe a phospho-guided chemoenzymatic approach based on the Ser-ADPr writer complex for rapid, scalable preparation of a panel of pure, precisely modified peptides. Integrating this methodology with phage display technology, we have developed site-specific as well as broad-specificity antibodies to mono-ADPr. These recombinant antibodies have been selected and characterized using multiple ADP-ribosylated peptides and tested by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence for their ability to detect physiological ADPr events. Mono-ADPr proteomics and poly-to-mono comparisons at the modification site level have revealed the prevalence of mono-ADPr upon DNA damage and illustrated its dependence on PARG and ARH3. These and future tools created on our versatile chemical biology-recombinant antibody platform have broad potential to elucidate ADPr signaling pathways in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan José Bonfiglio
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Orsolya Leidecker
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Helen Dauben
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Edoardo José Longarini
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Colby
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Pablo San Segundo-Acosta
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Kathryn A Perez
- Protein Expression and Purification Core Facility, EMBL Heidelberg, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ivan Matic
- Research Group of Proteomics and ADP-ribosylation Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster for Stress Responses in Ageing-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
242
|
Hayes HC, Luk LYP, Tsai YH. Approaches for peptide and protein cyclisation. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 19:3983-4001. [PMID: 33978044 PMCID: PMC8114279 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob00411e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The cyclisation of polypeptides can play a crucial role in exerting biological functions, maintaining stability under harsh conditions and conferring proteolytic resistance, as demonstrated both in nature and in the laboratory. To date, various approaches have been reported for polypeptide cyclisation. These approaches range from the direct linkage of N- and C- termini to the connection of amino acid side chains, which can be applied both in reaction vessels and in living systems. In this review, we categorise the cyclisation approaches into chemical methods (e.g. direct backbone cyclisation, native chemical ligation, aldehyde-based ligations, bioorthogonal reactions, disulphide formation), enzymatic methods (e.g. subtiligase variants, sortases, asparaginyl endopeptidases, transglutaminases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases) and protein tags (e.g. inteins, engineered protein domains for isopeptide bond formation). The features of each approach and the considerations for selecting an appropriate method of cyclisation are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Hayes
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK and Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT.
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK and Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China.
| |
Collapse
|
243
|
Pagar AD, Patil MD, Flood DT, Yoo TH, Dawson PE, Yun H. Recent Advances in Biocatalysis with Chemical Modification and Expanded Amino Acid Alphabet. Chem Rev 2021; 121:6173-6245. [PMID: 33886302 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The two main strategies for enzyme engineering, directed evolution and rational design, have found widespread applications in improving the intrinsic activities of proteins. Although numerous advances have been achieved using these ground-breaking methods, the limited chemical diversity of the biopolymers, restricted to the 20 canonical amino acids, hampers creation of novel enzymes that Nature has never made thus far. To address this, much research has been devoted to expanding the protein sequence space via chemical modifications and/or incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). This review provides a balanced discussion and critical evaluation of the applications, recent advances, and technical breakthroughs in biocatalysis for three approaches: (i) chemical modification of cAAs, (ii) incorporation of ncAAs, and (iii) chemical modification of incorporated ncAAs. Furthermore, the applications of these approaches and the result on the functional properties and mechanistic study of the enzymes are extensively reviewed. We also discuss the design of artificial enzymes and directed evolution strategies for enzymes with ncAAs incorporated. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future perspectives for biocatalysis using the expanded amino acid alphabet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amol D Pagar
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Mahesh D Patil
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Dillon T Flood
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Tae Hyeon Yoo
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, 206 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16499, Korea
| | - Philip E Dawson
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Hyungdon Yun
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
244
|
Lei M, Jayaraman A, Van Deventer JA, Lee K. Engineering Selectively Targeting Antimicrobial Peptides. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2021; 23:339-357. [PMID: 33852346 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-010220-095711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial pathogens has necessitated the development of new therapeutics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of compounds with potentially attractive therapeutic properties, including the ability to target specific groups of bacteria. In nature, AMPs exhibit remarkable structural and functional diversity, which may be further enhanced through genetic engineering, high-throughput screening, and chemical modification strategies. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying AMP selectivity and highlight recent computational and experimental efforts to design selectively targeting AMPs. While there has been an extensive effort to find broadly active and highly potent AMPs, it remains challenging to design targeting peptides to discriminate between different bacteria on the basis of physicochemical properties. We also review approaches for measuring AMP activity, point out the challenges faced in assaying for selectivity, and discuss the potential for increasing AMP diversity through chemical modifications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Lei
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA; , ,
| | - Arul Jayaraman
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; .,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - James A Van Deventer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA; , , .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
| | - Kyongbum Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA; , ,
| |
Collapse
|
245
|
Hao R, Ma K, Ru Y, Li D, Song G, Lu B, Liu H, Li Y, Zhang J, Wu C, Zhang G, Hu H, Luo J, Zheng H. Amber codon is genetically unstable in generation of premature termination codon (PTC)-harbouring Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) via genetic code expansion. RNA Biol 2021; 18:2330-2341. [PMID: 33849391 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1907055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the causative agent of FMD, a highly infectious and devastating viral disease of domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals. FMD affects livestock and animal products' national and international trade, causing severe economic losses and social consequences. Currently, inactivated vaccines play a vital role in FMD control, but they have several limitations. The genetic code expansion technology provides powerful strategies for generating premature termination codon (PTC)-harbouring virus as a live but replication-incompetent viral vaccine. However, this technology has not been explored for the design and development of new FMD vaccines. In this study, we first expanded the genetic code of the FMDV genome via a transgenic cell line containing an orthogonal translation machinery. We demonstrated that the transgenic cells stably integrated the orthogonal pyltRNA/pylRS pair into the genome and enabled efficient, homogeneous incorporation of unnatural amino acids into target proteins in mammalian cells. Next, we constructed 129 single-PTC FMDV mutants and four dual-PTC FMDV mutants after considering the tolerance, location, and potential functions of those mutated sites. Amber stop codons individually substituted the selected amino acid codons in four viral proteins (3D, L, VP1, and VP4) of FMDV. We successfully rescued PTC-FMDV mutants, but the amber codon unexpectedly showed a highly degree of mutation rate during PTC-FMDV packaging and replication. Our findings highlight that the genetic code expansion technology for the generation of PTC-FMD vaccines needs to be further improved and that the genetic stability of amber codons during the packaging and replication of FMDV is a concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rongzeng Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Kun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yi Ru
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Dan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Gaoyuan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Bingzhou Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huanan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yajun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiaoyan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chunping Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Guicai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Haitao Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development and Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jianxun Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Haixue Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, OIE/National Foot and Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
246
|
Zhang H, Devoucoux M, Song X, Li L, Ayaz G, Cheng H, Tempel W, Dong C, Loppnau P, Côté J, Min J. Structural Basis for EPC1-Mediated Recruitment of MBTD1 into the NuA4/TIP60 Acetyltransferase Complex. Cell Rep 2021; 30:3996-4002.e4. [PMID: 32209463 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
MBTD1, a H4K20me reader, has recently been identified as a component of the NuA4/TIP60 acetyltransferase complex, regulating gene expression and DNA repair. NuA4/TIP60 inhibits 53BP1 binding to chromatin through recognition of the H4K20me mark by MBTD1 and acetylation of H2AK15, blocking the ubiquitination mark required for 53BP1 localization at DNA breaks. The NuA4/TIP60 non-catalytic subunit EPC1 enlists MBTD1 into the complex, but the detailed molecular mechanism remains incompletely explored. Here, we present the crystal structure of the MBTD1-EPC1 complex, revealing a hydrophobic C-terminal fragment of EPC1 engaging the MBT repeats of MBTD1 in a site distinct from the H4K20me binding site. Different cellular assays validate the physiological significance of the key residues involved in the MBTD1-EPC1 interaction. Our study provides a structural framework for understanding the mechanism by which MBTD1 recruits the NuA4/TIP60 acetyltransferase complex to influence transcription and DNA repair pathway choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhang
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Maëva Devoucoux
- St. Patrick Research Group in Basic Oncology, Laval University Cancer Research Center, Oncology division of CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Xiaosheng Song
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Li Li
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Gamze Ayaz
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; Department of Biology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Harry Cheng
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Wolfram Tempel
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Cheng Dong
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Peter Loppnau
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Jacques Côté
- St. Patrick Research Group in Basic Oncology, Laval University Cancer Research Center, Oncology division of CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada.
| | - Jinrong Min
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China; Structural Genomics Consortium and Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
247
|
Jones CM, Petersson GA, Petersson EJ. Synthesis and characterization of fluorescent amino acid dimethylaminoacridonylalanine. ARKIVOC 2021; 2021:97-109. [PMID: 33967634 PMCID: PMC8104435 DOI: 10.24820/ark.5550190.p011.498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent amino acids are powerful biophysical tools as they can be used in structural or imaging studies of a given protein without significantly perturbing its native fold or function. Here, we have synthesized and characterized 7-(dimethylamino)acridon-2-ylalanine (Dad), a red-shifted derivative of the genetically-incorporable amino acid, acridon-2-ylalanine. Alkylation increases the quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime of Dad relative to a previously published amino acid, 7-aminoacridon-2-ylalanine (Aad). These properties of Dad make it a potentially valuable protein label, and we have performed initial testing of its ability to be genetically incorporated using an evolved aminoacyl tRNA synthetase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe M Jones
- Department of Chemistry; University of Pennsylvania; 231 South 34th Street; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6323, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group; University of Pennsylvania; 3700 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - George A Petersson
- Temple University Institute for Computational Molecular Science, 1925 N. 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - E James Petersson
- Department of Chemistry; University of Pennsylvania; 231 South 34th Street; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6323, USA
| |
Collapse
|
248
|
Reinkemeier CD, Koehler C, Sauter PF, Shymanska NV, Echalier C, Rutkowska A, Will DW, Schultz C, Lemke EA. Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Ring-Strained Noncanonical Amino Acids for Residue-Specific Bioorthogonal Reactions in Living Cells. Chemistry 2021; 27:6094-6099. [PMID: 33577120 PMCID: PMC8049044 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202100322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bioorthogonal reactions are ideally suited to selectively modify proteins in complex environments, even in vivo. Kinetics and product stability of these reactions are crucial parameters to evaluate their usefulness for specific applications. Strain promoted inverse electron demand Diels–Alder cycloadditions (SPIEDAC) between tetrazines and strained alkenes or alkynes are particularly popular, as they allow ultrafast labeling inside cells. In combination with genetic code expansion (GCE)‐a method that allows to incorporate noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) site‐specifically into proteins in vivo. These reactions enable residue‐specific fluorophore attachment to proteins in living mammalian cells. Several SPIEDAC capable ncAAs have been presented and studied under diverse conditions, revealing different instabilities ranging from educt decomposition to product loss due to β‐elimination. To identify which compounds yield the best labeling inside living mammalian cells has frequently been difficult. In this study we present a) the synthesis of four new SPIEDAC reactive ncAAs that cannot undergo β‐elimination and b) a fluorescence flow cytometry based FRET‐assay to measure reaction kinetics inside living cells. Our results, which at first sight can be seen conflicting with some other studies, capture GCE‐specific experimental conditions, such as long‐term exposure of the ring‐strained ncAA to living cells, that are not taken into account in other assays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Reinkemeier
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry JohannesGutenberg-University MainzHanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 1755128MainzGermany
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAckermannweg 455128MainzGermany
| | - Christine Koehler
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry JohannesGutenberg-University MainzHanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 1755128MainzGermany
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAckermannweg 455128MainzGermany
- ARAXA Biosciences GmbHMeyerhofstraße 169117HeidelbergGermany
| | - Paul F. Sauter
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
- ARAXA Biosciences GmbHMeyerhofstraße 169117HeidelbergGermany
| | | | - Cecile Echalier
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
| | - Anna Rutkowska
- Cellzome GmbHGlaxoSmithKlineMeyerhofstrasse 169117HeidelbergGermany
| | - David W. Will
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
| | - Carsten Schultz
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
- Department of Chemical Physiology and BiochemistryOregon Health & Science University (OHSU)PortlandOregon97239-3098USA
| | - Edward A. Lemke
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMeyerhofstr.169117HeidelbergGermany
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry JohannesGutenberg-University MainzHanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 1755128MainzGermany
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAckermannweg 455128MainzGermany
| |
Collapse
|
249
|
Light control of the peptide-loading complex synchronizes antigen translocation and MHC I trafficking. Commun Biol 2021; 4:430. [PMID: 33785857 PMCID: PMC8010092 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01890-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen presentation via major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecules is essential to mount an adaptive immune response against pathogens and cancerous cells. To this end, the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) delivers snippets of the cellular proteome, resulting from proteasomal degradation, into the ER lumen. After peptide loading and editing by the peptide-loading complex (PLC), stable peptide-MHC I complexes are released for cell surface presentation. Since the process of MHC I trafficking is poorly defined, we established an approach to control antigen presentation by introduction of a photo-caged amino acid in the catalytic ATP-binding site of TAP. By optical control, we initiate TAP-dependent antigen translocation, thus providing new insights into TAP function within the PLC and MHC I trafficking in living cells. Moreover, this versatile approach has the potential to be applied in the study of other cellular pathways controlled by P-loop ATP/GTPases. Brunnberg et al. establish a protocol that enables them to optically control translocation of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP), which plays a role in delivering proteasomal degradation products into the ER lumen. Their versatile approach provides insights into TAP function in the context of peptide-loading complex and stable peptide-MHC I complex trafficking in living cells, but has the potential to be applied to the investigation of other pathways.
Collapse
|
250
|
Nowak K, Błażej P, Wnetrzak M, Mackiewicz D, Mackiewicz P. Some theoretical aspects of reprogramming the standard genetic code. Genetics 2021; 218:6169163. [PMID: 33711098 PMCID: PMC8128387 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab040] [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: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of the standard genetic code to include non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) opens new prospects for medicine, industry, and biotechnology. There are several methods of code engineering, which allow us for storing new genetic information in DNA sequences and producing proteins with new properties. Here, we provided a theoretical background for the optimal genetic code expansion, which may find application in the experimental design of the genetic code. We assumed that the expanded genetic code includes both canonical and non-canonical information stored in 64 classical codons. What is more, the new coding system is robust to point mutations and minimizes the possibility of reversion from the new to old information. In order to find such codes, we applied graph theory to analyze the properties of optimal codon sets. We presented the formal procedure in finding the optimal codes with various number of vacant codons that could be assigned to new amino acids. Finally, we discussed the optimal number of the newly incorporated ncAAs and also the optimal size of codon groups that can be assigned to ncAAs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kuba Nowak
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Wrocław, ul. F. Joliot-Curie 15, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paweł Błażej
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul F. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Wnetrzak
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul F. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Dorota Mackiewicz
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul F. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paweł Mackiewicz
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul F. Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| |
Collapse
|