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Majekodunmi T, Britton D, Montclare JK. Engineered Proteins and Materials Utilizing Residue-Specific Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation. Chem Rev 2024; 124:9113-9135. [PMID: 39008623 PMCID: PMC11327963 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into proteins and protein-based materials has significantly expanded the repertoire of available protein structures and chemistries. Through residue-specific incorporation, protein properties can be globally modified, resulting in the creation of novel proteins and materials with diverse and tailored characteristics. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in residue-specific incorporation techniques as well as the applications of the engineered proteins and materials. Specifically, we discuss their utility in bio-orthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), fluorescent noncanonical amino acid tagging (FUNCAT), threonine-derived noncanonical amino acid tagging (THRONCAT), cross-linking, fluorination, and enzyme engineering. This review underscores the importance of noncanonical amino acid incorporation as a tool for the development of tailored protein properties to meet diverse research and industrial needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temiloluwa Majekodunmi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Dustin Britton
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10012, United States
- Department of Biomaterials, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York 10010, United States
- Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York 10016, United States
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Sugumaran M, Evans JJ. Catecholamine Derivatives as Novel Crosslinkers for the Synthesis of Versatile Biopolymers. J Funct Biomater 2023; 14:449. [PMID: 37754863 PMCID: PMC10531651 DOI: 10.3390/jfb14090449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Catecholamine metabolites are not only involved in primary metabolism, but also in secondary metabolism, serving a diverse array of physiologically and biochemically important functions. Melanin, which originates from dopa and dopamine, found in the hair, eye, and skin of all animals, is an important biopolymeric pigment. It provides protection against damaging solar radiation to animals. N-Acetyldopamine and N-β-alanyldopamine play a crucial role in the hardening of the exoskeletons of all insects. In addition, insects and other arthropods utilize the melanogenic process as a key component of their defense systems. Many marine organisms utilize dopyl peptides and proteins as bonding materials to adhere to various substrata. Moreover, the complex dopa derivatives that are precursors to the formation of the exoskeletons of numerous marine organisms also exhibit antibiotic properties. The biochemistry and mechanistic transformations of different catecholamine derivatives to produce various biomaterials with antioxidant, antibiotic, crosslinking, and gluing capabilities are highlighted. These reactivities are exhibited through the transient and highly reactive quinones, quinone methides, and quinone methide imine amide intermediates, as well as chelation to metal ions. A careful consideration of the reactivities summarized in this review will inspire numerous strategies for synthesizing novel biomaterials for future medical and industrial use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manickam Sugumaran
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA;
| | - Jason J. Evans
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
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Sisila V, Indhu M, Radhakrishnan J, Ayyadurai N. Building biomaterials through genetic code expansion. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:165-183. [PMID: 35908989 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion (GCE) enables directed incorporation of noncoded amino acids (NCAAs) and unnatural amino acids (UNAAs) into the active core that confers dedicated structure and function to engineered proteins. Many protein biomaterials are tandem repeats that intrinsically include NCAAs generated through post-translational modifications (PTMs) to execute assigned functions. Conventional genetic engineering approaches using prokaryotic systems have limited ability to biosynthesize functionally active biomaterials with NCAAs/UNAAs. Codon suppression and reassignment introduce NCAAs/UNAAs globally, allowing engineered proteins to be redesigned to mimic natural matrix-cell interactions for tissue engineering. Expanding the genetic code enables the engineering of biomaterials with catechols - growth factor mimetics that modulate cell-matrix interactions - thereby facilitating tissue-specific expression of genes and proteins. This method of protein engineering shows promise in achieving tissue-informed, tissue-compliant tunable biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valappil Sisila
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, India
| | - Mohan Indhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, India
| | - Janani Radhakrishnan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, India.
| | - Niraikulam Ayyadurai
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, India.
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Abstract
Click chemistry has been established rapidly as one of the most valuable methods for the chemical transformation of complex molecules. Due to the rapid rates, clean conversions to the products, and compatibility of the reagents and reaction conditions even in complex settings, it has found applications in many molecule-oriented disciplines. From the vast landscape of click reactions, approaches have emerged in the past decade centered around oxidative processes to generate in situ highly reactive synthons from dormant functionalities. These approaches have led to some of the fastest click reactions know to date. Here, we review the various methods that can be used for such oxidation-induced "one-pot" click chemistry for the transformation of small molecules, materials, and biomolecules. A comprehensive overview is provided of oxidation conditions that induce a click reaction, and oxidation conditions are orthogonal to other click reactions so that sequential "click-oxidation-click" derivatization of molecules can be performed in one pot. Our review of the relevant literature shows that this strategy is emerging as a powerful approach for the preparation of high-performance materials and the generation of complex biomolecules. As such, we expect that oxidation-induced "one-pot" click chemistry will widen in scope substantially in the forthcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bauke Albada
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6807 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jordi F Keijzer
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6807 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Han Zuilhof
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6807 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.,Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Floris van Delft
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6807 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Synaffix BV, Industrielaan 63, 5349 AE, Oss, The Netherlands
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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: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [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.
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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
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Schipp CJ, Ma Y, Al‐Shameri A, D'Alessio F, Neubauer P, Contestabile R, Budisa N, di Salvo ML. An Engineered Escherichia coli Strain with Synthetic Metabolism for in-Cell Production of Translationally Active Methionine Derivatives. Chembiochem 2020; 21:3525-3538. [PMID: 32734669 PMCID: PMC7756864 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the last decades, it has become clear that the canonical amino acid repertoire codified by the universal genetic code is not up to the needs of emerging biotechnologies. For this reason, extensive genetic code re-engineering is essential to expand the scope of ribosomal protein translation, leading to reprogrammed microbial cells equipped with an alternative biochemical alphabet to be exploited as potential factories for biotechnological purposes. The prerequisite for this to happen is a continuous intracellular supply of noncanonical amino acids through synthetic metabolism from simple and cheap precursors. We have engineered an Escherichia coli bacterial system that fulfills these requirements through reconfiguration of the methionine biosynthetic pathway and the introduction of an exogenous direct trans-sulfuration pathway. Our metabolic scheme operates in vivo, rescuing intermediates from core cell metabolism and combining them with small bio-orthogonal compounds. Our reprogrammed E. coli strain is capable of the in-cell production of l-azidohomoalanine, which is directly incorporated into proteins in response to methionine codons. We thereby constructed a prototype suitable for economic, versatile, green sustainable chemistry, pushing towards enzyme chemistry and biotechnology-based production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Johannes Schipp
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of BiotechnologyTechnische Universität Berlin ACK 24Ackerstraße 7613355BerlinGermany
| | - Ying Ma
- Paraxel International GmbH, Berlin, Campus DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend Haus 18Spandauer Damm 13014050BerlinGermany
| | - Ammar Al‐Shameri
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität BerlinMüller-Breslau-Straße. 1010623BerlinGermany
| | - Federico D'Alessio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche “A. Rossi Fanelli”Sapienza Università di RomaPiazzale Aldo Moro, 5 – Edificio CU2000185RomaItaly
| | - Peter Neubauer
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of BiotechnologyTechnische Universität Berlin ACK 24Ackerstraße 7613355BerlinGermany
| | - Roberto Contestabile
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche “A. Rossi Fanelli”Sapienza Università di RomaPiazzale Aldo Moro, 5 – Edificio CU2000185RomaItaly
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität BerlinMüller-Breslau-Straße. 1010623BerlinGermany
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegMB, R3T 2N2Canada
| | - Martino Luigi di Salvo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche “A. Rossi Fanelli”Sapienza Università di RomaPiazzale Aldo Moro, 5 – Edificio CU2000185RomaItaly
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Budisa N, Schneider T. Expanding the DOPA Universe with Genetically Encoded, Mussel-Inspired Bioadhesives for Material Sciences and Medicine. Chembiochem 2019; 20:2163-2190. [PMID: 30830997 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Catechols are a biologically relevant group of aromatic diols that have attracted much attention as mediators of adhesion of "bio-glue" proteins in mussels of the genus Mytilus. These organisms use catechols in the form of the noncanonical amino acid l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) as a building block for adhesion proteins. The DOPA is generated post-translationally from tyrosine. Herein, we review the properties, natural occurrence, and reactivity of catechols in the design of bioinspired materials. We also provide a basic description of the mussel's attachment apparatus, the interplay between its different molecules that play a crucial role in adhesion, and the role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of these proteins. Our focus is on the microbial production of mussel foot proteins with the aid of orthogonal translation systems (OTSs) and the use of genetic code engineering to solve some fundamental problems in the bioproduction of these bioadhesives and to expand their chemical space. The major limitation of bacterial expression systems is their intrinsic inability to introduce PTMs. OTSs have the potential to overcome these challenges by replacing canonical amino acids with noncanonical ones. In this way, PTM steps are circumvented while the genetically programmed precision of protein sequences is preserved. In addition, OTSs should enable spatiotemporal control over the complex adhesion process, because the catechol function can be masked by suitable chemical protection. Such caged residues can then be noninvasively unmasked by, for example, UV irradiation or thermal treatment. All of these features make OTSs based on genetic code engineering in reprogrammed microbial strains new and promising tools in bioinspired materials science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nediljko Budisa
- Institute of Chemistry, Technical University of Berlin, Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10, Berlin, 10623, Germany.,Chair of Chemical Synthetic Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, 144 Dysart Road, R3T 2N2, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Tobias Schneider
- Institute of Chemistry, Technical University of Berlin, Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10, Berlin, 10623, Germany
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8
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In-Cell Synthesis of Bioorthogonal Alkene Tag S-Allyl-Homocysteine and Its Coupling with Reprogrammed Translation. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092299. [PMID: 31075919 PMCID: PMC6539321 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we report our initial results on in situ biosynthesis of S-allyl-l-homocysteine (Sahc) by simple metabolic conversion of allyl mercaptan in Escherichia coli, which served as the host organism endowed with a direct sulfhydration pathway. The intracellular synthesis we describe in this study is coupled with the direct incorporation of Sahc into proteins in response to methionine codons. Together with O-acetyl-homoserine, allyl mercaptan was added to the growth medium, followed by uptake and intracellular reaction to give Sahc. Our protocol efficiently combined the in vivo synthesis of Sahc via metabolic engineering with reprogrammed translation, without the need for a major change in the protein biosynthesis machinery. Although the system needs further optimisation to achieve greater intracellular Sahc production for complete protein labelling, we demonstrated its functional versatility for photo-induced thiol-ene coupling and the recently developed phosphonamidate conjugation reaction. Importantly, deprotection of Sahc leads to homocysteine-containing proteins-a potentially useful approach for the selective labelling of thiols with high relevance in various medical settings.
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Tippmann EM, Culpepper S, Bunnel W, Appel N. New perspectives on aryl azide noncanonical amino acid use in yeast. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2019; 18:253-258. [DOI: 10.1039/c8pp00243f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A photochemically chemically active noncanonical amino acidpara-azido-l-phenylalanine widely used in biology was found to be metabolized bySaccharomyces cerevisiae.
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10
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Nediljko (Ned) Budisa. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201711475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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11
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Nediljko (Ned) Budisa. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201711475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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12
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Agostini F, Völler J, Koksch B, Acevedo‐Rocha CG, Kubyshkin V, Budisa N. Biocatalysis with Unnatural Amino Acids: Enzymology Meets Xenobiology. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:9680-9703. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201610129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Revised: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Federica Agostini
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität Berlin Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10 10623 Berlin Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry—Organic ChemistryFreie Universität Berlin Takustrasse 3 14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Jan‐Stefan Völler
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität Berlin Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10 10623 Berlin Germany
| | - Beate Koksch
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry—Organic ChemistryFreie Universität Berlin Takustrasse 3 14195 Berlin Germany
| | | | - Vladimir Kubyshkin
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität Berlin Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10 10623 Berlin Germany
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Institut für ChemieTechnische Universität Berlin Müller-Breslau-Strasse 10 10623 Berlin Germany
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13
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Biokatalyse mit nicht‐natürlichen Aminosäuren: Enzymologie trifft Xenobiologie. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201610129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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St-Cyr DJ, García-Ramos Y, Doan ND, Lubell WD. Aminolactam, N-Aminoimidazolone, and N-Aminoimdazolidinone Peptide Mimics. TOPICS IN HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/7081_2017_204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Worst EG, Exner MP, De Simone A, Schenkelberger M, Noireaux V, Budisa N, Ott A. Residue-specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Model Proteins Using an Escherichia coli Cell-free Transcription-translation System. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27500416 PMCID: PMC5091720 DOI: 10.3791/54273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The canonical set of amino acids leads to an exceptionally wide range of protein functionality. Nevertheless, the set of residues still imposes limitations on potential protein applications. The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids can enlarge this scope. There are two complementary approaches for the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. For site-specific incorporation, in addition to the endogenous canonical translational machineries, an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase-tRNA pair must be provided that does not interact with the canonical ones. Consequently, a codon that is not assigned to a canonical amino acid, usually a stop codon, is also required. This genetic code expansion enables the incorporation of a noncanonical amino acid at a single, given site within the protein. The here presented work describes residue-specific incorporation where the genetic code is reassigned within the endogenous translational system. The translation machinery accepts the noncanonical amino acid as a surrogate to incorporate it at canonically prescribed locations, i.e., all occurrences of a canonical amino acid in the protein are replaced by the noncanonical one. The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids can change the protein structure, causing considerably modified physical and chemical properties. Noncanonical amino acid analogs often act as cell growth inhibitors for expression hosts since they modify endogenous proteins, limiting in vivo protein production. In vivo incorporation of toxic noncanonical amino acids into proteins remains particularly challenging. Here, a cell-free approach for a complete replacement of L-arginine by the noncanonical amino acid L-canavanine is presented. It circumvents the inherent difficulties of in vivo expression. Additionally, a protocol to prepare target proteins for mass spectral analysis is included. It is shown that L-lysine can be replaced by L-hydroxy-lysine, albeit with lower efficiency. In principle, any noncanonical amino acid analog can be incorporated using the presented method as long as the endogenous in vitro translation system recognizes it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Albrecht Ott
- Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University;
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Liutkus M, Fraser SA, Caron K, Stigers DJ, Easton CJ. Peptide Synthesis through Cell-Free Expression of Fusion Proteins Incorporating Modified Amino Acids as Latent Cleavage Sites for Peptide Release. Chembiochem 2016; 17:908-12. [PMID: 26918308 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201600091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Chlorinated analogues of Leu and Ile are incorporated during cell-free expression of peptides fused to protein, by exploiting the promiscuity of the natural biosynthetic machinery. They then act as sites for clean and efficient release of the peptides simply by brief heat treatment. Dehydro analogues of Leu and Ile are similarly incorporated as latent sites for peptide release through treatment with iodine under cold conditions. These protocols complement enzyme-catalyzed methods and have been used to prepare calcitonin, gastrin-releasing peptide, cholecystokinin-7, and prolactin-releasing peptide prohormones, as well as analogues substituted with unusual amino acids, thus illustrating their practical utility as alternatives to more traditional chemical peptide synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Liutkus
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Samuel A Fraser
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Karine Caron
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Dannon J Stigers
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Christopher J Easton
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
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Coevolution Theory of the Genetic Code at Age Forty: Pathway to Translation and Synthetic Life. Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6010012. [PMID: 26999216 PMCID: PMC4810243 DOI: 10.3390/life6010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The origins of the components of genetic coding are examined in the present study. Genetic information arose from replicator induction by metabolite in accordance with the metabolic expansion law. Messenger RNA and transfer RNA stemmed from a template for binding the aminoacyl-RNA synthetase ribozymes employed to synthesize peptide prosthetic groups on RNAs in the Peptidated RNA World. Coevolution of the genetic code with amino acid biosynthesis generated tRNA paralogs that identify a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of extant life close to Methanopyrus, which in turn points to archaeal tRNA introns as the most primitive introns and the anticodon usage of Methanopyrus as an ancient mode of wobble. The prediction of the coevolution theory of the genetic code that the code should be a mutable code has led to the isolation of optional and mandatory synthetic life forms with altered protein alphabets.
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Newberry RW, Raines RT. 4-Fluoroprolines: Conformational Analysis and Effects on the Stability and Folding of Peptides and Proteins. TOPICS IN HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY 2016; 48:1-25. [PMID: 28690684 PMCID: PMC5501414 DOI: 10.1007/7081_2015_196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Proline is unique among proteinogenic amino acids because a pyrrolidine ring links its amino group to its side chain. This heterocycle constrains the conformations of the main chain and thus templates particular secondary structures. Proline residues undergo post-translational modification at the 4-position to yield 4-hydroxyproline, which is especially prevalent in collagen. Interest in characterizing the effects of this modification led to the use of 4-fluoroprolines to enhance inductive properties relative to the hydroxyl group of 4-hydroxyproline and to eliminate contributions from hydrogen bonding. The strong inductive effect of the fluoro group has three main consequences: enforcing a particular pucker upon the pyrrolidine ring, biasing the conformation of the preceding peptide bond, and accelerating cis/trans prolyl peptide bond isomerization. These subtle, yet reliable modulations make 4-fluoroproline-incorporation a complement to traditional genetic approaches for exploring structure-function relationships in peptides and proteins, as well as for endowing peptides and proteins with conformational stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Newberry
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Ronald T Raines
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
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21
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Ma Y, Thota BNS, Haag R, Budisa N. Dendronylation: Residue-specific chemoselective attachment of oligoglycerol dendrimers on proteins with noncanonical amino acids. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:5247-9. [PMID: 26483199 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.09.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 09/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Polyglycerol dendrimers as an important class of polymeric materials especially attractive for covalent attachment to therapeutic proteins as a useful alternative to traditional PEGylation procedures. Herein, we combine in vivo noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) incorporation and chemoselective conjugation in vitro to produce novel hybrid protein-dendrimer conjugates with the defined architectures. We incorporated Azidohomoalanine (Aha) as methionine substitute in vivo into various protein scaffolds to allow non-invasive dendrimer conjugations (dendronylation). Our approach makes recombinant proteins accessible for the design of multivalent dendrimer conjugates since it enables the preparation of many sequences with various positions for regioselective dendronylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Ma
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Müller-Breslau Str. 10, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bala N S Thota
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Takustrasse 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rainer Haag
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Takustrasse 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Müller-Breslau Str. 10, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
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22
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Ui M, Harima K, Takei T, Tsumoto K, Tabata KV, Noji H, Endo S, Akiyama K, Muraoka T, Kinbara K. Grafting synthetic transmembrane units to the engineered low-toxicity α-hemolysin to restore its hemolytic activity. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2015; 10:3199-206. [PMID: 25267196 DOI: 10.1039/c4mb00405a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The chemical modification of proteins to provide desirable functions and/or structures broadens their possibilities for use in various applications. Usually, proteins can acquire new functions and characteristics, in addition to their original ones, via the introduction of synthetic functional moieties. Here, we adopted a more radical approach to protein modification, i.e., the replacement of a functional domain of proteins with alternative chemical compounds to build "cyborg proteins." As a proof of concept model, we chose staphylococcal α-hemolysin (Hla), which is a well-studied, pore-forming toxin. The hemolytic activity of Hla mutants was dramatically decreased by truncation of the stem domain, which forms a β-barrel pore in the membrane. However, the impaired hemolytic activity was significantly restored by attaching a pyrenyl-maleimide unit to the cysteine residue that was introduced in the remaining stem domain. In contrast, negatively charged fluorescein-maleimide completely abolished the remaining activity of the mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihoko Ui
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
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23
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Wirtz M, Grüter A, Rebmann P, Dier T, Volmer DA, Huch V, Jung G. Two-color emissive probes for click reactions. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 50:12694-7. [PMID: 25200167 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc05288a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cyclization (CuAAC) is the paradigmatic click reaction of continuous interest. Especially fluorogenic and FRET probes have become indispensable tools for life sciences. Here, we present a fluorescent alkyne for monitoring CuAAC, which undergoes a bathochromic shift upon reaction. Application in single-molecule and catalysis research is foreseen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Wirtz
- Biophysical Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus Building B2.2, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
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24
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Dumas A, Lercher L, Spicer CD, Davis BG. Designing logical codon reassignment - Expanding the chemistry in biology. Chem Sci 2015; 6:50-69. [PMID: 28553457 PMCID: PMC5424465 DOI: 10.1039/c4sc01534g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 327] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last decade, the ability to genetically encode unnatural amino acids (UAAs) has evolved rapidly. The programmed incorporation of UAAs into recombinant proteins relies on the reassignment or suppression of canonical codons with an amino-acyl tRNA synthetase/tRNA (aaRS/tRNA) pair, selective for the UAA of choice. In order to achieve selective incorporation, the aaRS should be selective for the designed tRNA and UAA over the endogenous amino acids and tRNAs. Enhanced selectivity has been achieved by transferring an aaRS/tRNA pair from another kingdom to the organism of interest, and subsequent aaRS evolution to acquire enhanced selectivity for the desired UAA. Today, over 150 non-canonical amino acids have been incorporated using such methods. This enables the introduction of a large variety of structures into proteins, in organisms ranging from prokaryote, yeast and mammalian cells lines to whole animals, enabling the study of protein function at a level that could not previously be achieved. While most research to date has focused on the suppression of 'non-sense' codons, recent developments are beginning to open up the possibility of quadruplet codon decoding and the more selective reassignment of sense codons, offering a potentially powerful tool for incorporating multiple amino acids. Here, we aim to provide a focused review of methods for UAA incorporation with an emphasis in particular on the different tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs exploited or developed, focusing upon the different UAA structures that have been incorporated and the logic behind the design and future creation of such systems. Our hope is that this will help rationalize the design of systems for incorporation of unexplored unnatural amino acids, as well as novel applications for those already known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaëlle Dumas
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Lukas Lercher
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Christopher D Spicer
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Benjamin G Davis
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
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25
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Albrecht M, Lippach A, Exner MP, Jerbi J, Springborg M, Budisa N, Wenz G. Site-specific conjugation of 8-ethynyl-BODIPY to a protein by [2 + 3] cycloaddition. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:6728-36. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ob00505a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We report a straightforward synthesis of 8-ethynyl-BODIPY derivatives and their potential as fluorescent labeling compounds using an alkyne–azide click chemistry approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Albrecht
- Organic Macromolecular Chemistry
- Campus Saarbrücken C4.2
- Saarland University
- D-66123 Saarbrücken
- Germany
| | - Andreas Lippach
- Organic Macromolecular Chemistry
- Campus Saarbrücken C4.2
- Saarland University
- D-66123 Saarbrücken
- Germany
| | | | - Jihene Jerbi
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Campus Saarbrücken B2.2
- Saarland University
- D-66123 Saarbrücken
- Germany
| | - Michael Springborg
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Campus Saarbrücken B2.2
- Saarland University
- D-66123 Saarbrücken
- Germany
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Department of Chemistry-Biocatalysis
- TU Berlin
- D-10623 Berlin
- Germany
| | - Gerhard Wenz
- Organic Macromolecular Chemistry
- Campus Saarbrücken C4.2
- Saarland University
- D-66123 Saarbrücken
- Germany
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26
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Characterizing Synthetic Biology Through Its Novel and Enhanced Functionalities. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-02783-8_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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27
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Deepankumar K, Nadarajan SP, Mathew S, Lee SG, Yoo TH, Hong EY, Kim BG, Yun H. Engineering Transaminase for Stability Enhancement and Site-Specific Immobilization through Multiple Noncanonical Amino Acids Incorporation. ChemCatChem 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201402882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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28
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Abstract
Pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and its cognate tRNA(Pyl) have emerged as ideal translation components for genetic code innovation. Variants of the enzyme facilitate the incorporation >100 noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins. PylRS variants were previously selected to acylate N(ε)-acetyl-Lys (AcK) onto tRNA(Pyl). Here, we examine an N(ε)-acetyl-lysyl-tRNA synthetase (AcKRS), which is polyspecific (i.e., active with a broad range of ncAAs) and 30-fold more efficient with Phe derivatives than it is with AcK. Structural and biochemical data reveal the molecular basis of polyspecificity in AcKRS and in a PylRS variant [iodo-phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (IFRS)] that displays both enhanced activity and substrate promiscuity over a chemical library of 313 ncAAs. IFRS, a product of directed evolution, has distinct binding modes for different ncAAs. These data indicate that in vivo selections do not produce optimally specific tRNA synthetases and suggest that translation fidelity will become an increasingly dominant factor in expanding the genetic code far beyond 20 amino acids.
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29
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Bröcker MJ, Ho JML, Church GM, Söll D, O'Donoghue P. Recoding the genetic code with selenocysteine. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 53:319-23. [PMID: 24511637 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201308584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Selenocysteine (Sec) is naturally incorporated into proteins by recoding the stop codon UGA. Sec is not hardwired to UGA, as the Sec insertion machinery was found to be able to site-specifically incorporate Sec directed by 58 of the 64 codons. For 15 sense codons, complete conversion of the codon meaning from canonical amino acid (AA) to Sec was observed along with a tenfold increase in selenoprotein yield compared to Sec insertion at the three stop codons. This high-fidelity sense-codon recoding mechanism was demonstrated for Escherichia coli formate dehydrogenase and recombinant human thioredoxin reductase and confirmed by independent biochemical and biophysical methods. Although Sec insertion at UGA is known to compete against protein termination, it is surprising that the Sec machinery has the ability to outcompete abundant aminoacyl-tRNAs in decoding sense codons. The findings have implications for the process of translation and the information storage capacity of the biological cell.
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30
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Abstract
Substantial efforts in the past decade have resulted in the systematic expansion of genetic codes, allowing for the direct ribosomal incorporation of ∼100 unnatural amino acids into bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells, and animals. Here, we illustrate the versatility of expanded genetic codes in biology and bioengineering, focusing on the application of expanded genetic codes to problems in protein, cell, synthetic, and experimental evolutionary biology. As the expanded genetic code field continues to develop, its place as a foundational technology in the whole of biological sciences will solidify.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California at Irvine, 3120 Natural Sciences II, Irvine, CA 92697 (USA)
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31
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Quitterer F, Beck P, Bacher A, Groll M. Pyrrolysin-Synthase (PylD) katalysiert die Bildung von Pyrrolin- und Tetrahydropyridinringen in Aminosäuren. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201402595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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32
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Quitterer F, Beck P, Bacher A, Groll M. The formation of pyrroline and tetrahydropyridine rings in amino acids catalyzed by pyrrolysine synthase (PylD). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 53:8150-3. [PMID: 24916332 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201402595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The dehydrogenase PylD catalyzes the ultimate step of the pyrrolysine pathway by converting the isopeptide L-lysine-Nε-3R-methyl-D-ornithine to the 22nd proteinogenic amino acid. In this study, we demonstrate how PylD can be harnessed to oxidize various isopeptides to novel amino acids by combining chemical synthesis with enzyme kinetics and X-ray crystallography. The data enable a detailed description of the PylD reaction trajectory for the biosynthesis of pyrroline and tetrahydropyridine rings as constituents of pyrrolysine analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Quitterer
- Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching (Germany)
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33
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Translational incorporation of multiple unnatural amino acids in a cell-free protein synthesis system. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-013-0849-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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34
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Deepankumar K, Shon M, Nadarajan SP, Shin G, Mathew S, Ayyadurai N, Kim BG, Choi SH, Lee SH, Yun H. Enhancing Thermostability and Organic Solvent Tolerance of ω-Transaminase through Global Incorporation of Fluorotyrosine. Adv Synth Catal 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/adsc.201300706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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35
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Bohlke N, Budisa N. Sense codon emancipation for proteome-wide incorporation of noncanonical amino acids: rare isoleucine codon AUA as a target for genetic code expansion. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2014; 351:133-44. [PMID: 24433543 PMCID: PMC4237120 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2013] [Revised: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the major challenges in contemporary synthetic biology is to find a route to engineer synthetic organisms with altered chemical constitution. In terms of core reaction types, nature uses an astonishingly limited repertoire of chemistries when compared with the exceptionally rich and diverse methods of organic chemistry. In this context, the most promising route to change and expand the fundamental chemistry of life is the inclusion of amino acid building blocks beyond the canonical 20 (i.e. expanding the genetic code). This strategy would allow the transfer of numerous chemical functionalities and reactions from the synthetic laboratory into the cellular environment. Due to limitations in terms of both efficiency and practical applicability, state-of-the-art nonsense suppression- or frameshift suppression-based methods are less suitable for such engineering. Consequently, we set out to achieve this goal by sense codon emancipation, that is, liberation from its natural decoding function – a prerequisite for the reassignment of degenerate sense codons to a new 21st amino acid. We have achieved this by redesigning of several features of the post-transcriptional modification machinery which are directly involved in the decoding process. In particular, we report first steps towards the reassignment of 5797 AUA isoleucine codons in Escherichia coli using efficient tools for tRNA nucleotide modification pathway engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Bohlke
- Department of Chemistry, TU Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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36
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Coupling bioorthogonal chemistries with artificial metabolism: intracellular biosynthesis of azidohomoalanine and its incorporation into recombinant proteins. Molecules 2014; 19:1004-22. [PMID: 24434673 PMCID: PMC6271081 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19011004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Revised: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we present a novel, “single experiment” methodology based on genetic engineering of metabolic pathways for direct intracellular production of non-canonical amino acids from simple precursors, coupled with expanded genetic code. In particular, we engineered the intracellular biosynthesis of l-azidohomoalanine from O-acetyl-l-homoserine and NaN3, and achieved its direct incorporation into recombinant target proteins by AUG codon reassignment in a methionine-auxotroph E. coli strain. In our system, the host’s methionine biosynthetic pathway was first diverted towards the production of the desired non-canonical amino acid by exploiting the broad reaction specificity of recombinant pyridoxal phosphate-dependent O-acetylhomoserine sulfhydrylase from Corynebacterium glutamicum. Then, the expression of the target protein barstar, accompanied with efficient l-azidohomoalanine incorporation in place of l-methionine, was accomplished. This work stands as proof-of-principle and paves the way for additional work towards intracellular production and site-specific incorporation of biotechnologically relevant non-canonical amino acids directly from common fermentable sources.
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37
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Krishnakumar R, Ling J. Experimental challenges of sense codon reassignment: an innovative approach to genetic code expansion. FEBS Lett 2013; 588:383-8. [PMID: 24333334 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2013.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The addition of new and versatile chemical and biological properties to proteins pursued through incorporation of non-canonical amino acids is at present primarily achieved by stop codon suppression. However, it is critical to find new "blank" codons to increase the variety and efficiency of such insertions, thereby taking 'sense codon recoding' to center stage in the field of genetic code expansion. Current thought optimistically suggests the use of the pyrrolysine system coupled with re-synthesis of genomic information towards achieving sense codon reassignment. Upon review of the serious experimental challenges reported in recent studies, we propose that success in this area will depend on the re-synthesis of genomes, but also on 'rewiring' the mechanism of protein synthesis and of its quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha Krishnakumar
- Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
| | - Jiqiang Ling
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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38
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Bröcker MJ, Ho JML, Church GM, Söll D, O'Donoghue P. Umkodierung des genetischen Codes mit Selenocystein. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201308584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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39
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Budisa N. Expanded genetic code for the engineering of ribosomally synthetized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products (RiPPs). Curr Opin Biotechnol 2013; 24:591-8. [PMID: 23537814 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2013.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The number of constituent amino acids in ribosomally synthetized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products (RiPPs) is restricted to the 20 canonical amino acids. Microorganisms with an engineered genetic code are capable of delivering the biological, chemical, or physical properties of many unnatural or synthetic noncanonical amino acids, ncAAs (in different combinations of their numbers and chemistry) precisely defined by the chemist at the bench. In this way, post-translational modifications (PTMs) which make RiPPs chemically extremely rich can be augmented by the co-translational insertion of ncAAs. This will dramatically expand the chemical and functional space of these molecules and enable the design of novel and unique sequence combinations with improved specificity, stability, membrane permeability and even better oral availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nediljko Budisa
- Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin Institute of Technology), Department of Chemistry, Biocatalysis Group, Müller-Breslau-Straße 10, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
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40
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Abstract
Post-translational modifications of proteins can have dramatic effect on the function of proteins. Significant research effort has gone into understanding the effect of particular modifications on protein parameters. In the present paper, I review some of the recently developed tools for the synthesis of proteins modified with single post-translational modifications at specific sites in the protein, such as amber codon suppression technologies, tag and modify, and native chemical ligation.
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41
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Acevedo-Rocha CG, Geiermann AS, Budisa N, Merkel L. Design of protein congeners containing β-cyclopropylalanine. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2013; 8:2719-23. [PMID: 22833107 DOI: 10.1039/c2mb25193k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) analogue of methionine (Met), β-cyclopropylalanine (Cpa), was successfully incorporated into recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli in a residue-specific manner. Proteins substituted in this way are congeners because they derive from the same gene sequence as the parent protein but contain a fraction of ncAAs. We have expressed congeners using parent and mutant gene sequences of various proteins (lipase, annexin A5, enhanced green fluorescent protein, and barstar) and found that Cpa incorporation is highly dependent on the protein sequence composition. These results indicate that the global amino acid composition of proteins might be a crucial parameter that influences the outcome of unnatural translation. In addition, we could also demonstrate that the chemical nature of the second residue could be essential for successful ncAA incorporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G Acevedo-Rocha
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim, Germany.
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42
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Nadarajan SP, Mathew S, Deepankumar K, Yun H. An in silico approach to evaluate the polyspecificity of methionyl-tRNA synthetases. J Mol Graph Model 2012; 39:79-86. [PMID: 23228618 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2012.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Revised: 10/12/2012] [Accepted: 11/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Residue-specific incorporation is a technique used to replace natural amino acids with their close structural analogs, unnatural amino acids (UAAs), during protein synthesis. This is achieved by exploiting the substrate promiscuity of the wild type amino acyl tRNA synthetase (AARS) towards the close structural analogs of their cognate amino acids. In the past few decades, seleno-methionine was incorporated into proteins, using the substrate promiscuity of wild type AARSs, to resolve their crystal structures. Later, the incorporation of many UAAs showed that the AARSs are polyspecific to the close structural analogs of their cognate amino acids and that they maintain fidelity for the 19 natural amino acids. This polyspecificity helps to expand the use of this powerful tool to incorporate various UAA residues specifically through in vivo and in vitro approaches. Incorporation of UAAs is expensive, tedious and time-consuming. For the efficient incorporation of UAAs, it is important to screen substrate selectivity prior to their incorporation. As an initial study, using a docking tool, we analyzed the polyspecificity of the methionyl-tRNA synthetases (MetRSs) towards multiple reported and virtually generated methionine analogs. Based on the interaction result of these docking simulations, we predicted the substrate selectivity of the MetRS and the key residues responsible for the recognition of methionine analogs. Similarly, we compared the active site residues of the MetRSs of different species and identified the conserved amino acids in their active sites. Given the close similarity in the active site residues of these systems, we evaluated the polyspecificity of MetRSs.
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43
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O'Donoghue P, Prat L, Heinemann IU, Ling J, Odoi K, Liu WR, Söll D. Near-cognate suppression of amber, opal and quadruplet codons competes with aminoacyl-tRNAPyl for genetic code expansion. FEBS Lett 2012; 586:3931-7. [PMID: 23036644 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2012] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Over 300 amino acids are found in proteins in nature, yet typically only 20 are genetically encoded. Reassigning stop codons and use of quadruplet codons emerged as the main avenues for genetically encoding non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs). Canonical aminoacyl-tRNAs with near-cognate anticodons also read these codons to some extent. This background suppression leads to 'statistical protein' that contains some natural amino acid(s) at a site intended for NCAA. We characterize near-cognate suppression of amber, opal and a quadruplet codon in common Escherichia coli laboratory strains and find that the PylRS/tRNA(Pyl) orthogonal pair cannot completely outcompete contamination by natural amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick O'Donoghue
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
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44
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Ayyadurai N, Deepankumar K, Prabhu NS, Budisa N, Yun H. Evaluation and biosynthetic incorporation of chlorotyrosine into recombinant proteins. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-012-0066-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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45
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Larregola M, Moore S, Budisa N. Congeneric bio-adhesive mussel foot proteins designed by modified prolines revealed a chiral bias in unnatural translation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012; 421:646-50. [PMID: 22542516 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 04/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chiral bias in the unnatural translation and 'sticky' mussel proteins. The residue-specific in vivo incorporation of hydroxylated amino acids as well as other synthetic analogs, such as fluoroprolines, emerges as the method of choice for recombinant synthesis of Pro-rich mussel adhesive protein congeners. Chemical diversifications introduced in this way provide a general route towards bio-adhesive congeners endowed with properties not developed by natural evolution. Most importantly, we have found that the co-translational incorporation of (4R)-, and (4S)-hyroxylated and fluorinated analogs into mussel proteins presented a chiral bias: the expressed protein was only detectable in samples incubated with analogs with (4R)-substituents. Possible relationship of these stereochemical preferences for (4R)-stereoisomers in the translation to intracellular tRNA concentrations, ribosomal editing and proofreading or structural effects such as preorganization remains to be addressed in future studies. These studies will generally provide a mechanistic framework for the flexibility of the translational machinery and establish the boundaries of the unnatural translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Larregola
- Department of Chemistry, Biocatalysis Group, Berlin Institute of Technology/TU Berlin, Franklinstraße 29, D-10587 Berlin, Germany
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Nehring S, Budisa N, Wiltschi B. Performance analysis of orthogonal pairs designed for an expanded eukaryotic genetic code. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31992. [PMID: 22493661 PMCID: PMC3320878 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The suppression of amber stop codons with non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) is used for the site-specific introduction of many unusual functions into proteins. Specific orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (o-aaRS)/amber suppressor tRNACUA pairs (o-pairs) for the incorporation of ncAAs in S. cerevisiae were previously selected from an E. coli tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNACUA mutant library. Incorporation fidelity relies on the specificity of the o-aaRSs for their ncAAs and the ability to effectively discriminate against their natural substrate Tyr or any other canonical amino acid. Methodology/Principal Findings We used o-pairs previously developed for ncAAs carrying reactive alkyne-, azido-, or photocrosslinker side chains to suppress an amber mutant of human superoxide dismutase 1 in S. cerevisiae. We found worse incorporation efficiencies of the alkyne- and the photocrosslinker ncAAs than reported earlier. In our hands, amber suppression with the ncAA containing the azido group did not occur at all. In addition to the incorporation experiments in S. cerevisiae, we analyzed the catalytic properties of the o-aaRSs in vitro. Surprisingly, all o-aaRSs showed much higher preference for their natural substrate Tyr than for any of the tested ncAAs. While it is unclear why efficiently recognized Tyr is not inserted at amber codons, we speculate that metabolically inert ncAAs accumulate in the cell, and for this reason they are incorporated despite being weak substrates for the o-aaRSs. Conclusions/Significance O-pairs have been developed for a whole plethora of ncAAs. However, a systematic and detailed analysis of their catalytic properties is still missing. Our study provides a comprehensive scrutiny of o-pairs developed for the site-specific incorporation of reactive ncAAs in S. cerevisiae. It suggests that future development of o-pairs as efficient biotechnological tools will greatly benefit from sound characterization in vivo and in vitro in parallel to monitoring intracellular ncAA levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Nehring
- Department of Biocatalysis, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Department of Biocatalysis, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Birgit Wiltschi
- BIOSS - Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Willems LI, Li N, Florea BI, Ruben M, van der Marel GA, Overkleeft HS. Triple Bioorthogonal Ligation Strategy for Simultaneous Labeling of Multiple Enzymatic Activities. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2012; 51:4431-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201200923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Willems LI, Li N, Florea BI, Ruben M, van der Marel GA, Overkleeft HS. Triple Bioorthogonal Ligation Strategy for Simultaneous Labeling of Multiple Enzymatic Activities. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201200923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Recent advances in genetic code engineering in Escherichia coli. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2012; 23:751-7. [PMID: 22237016 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 12/20/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The expansion of the genetic code is gradually becoming a core discipline in Synthetic Biology. It offers the best possible platform for the transfer of numerous chemical reactions and processes from the chemical synthetic laboratory into the biochemistry of living cells. The incorporation of biologically occurring or chemically synthesized non-canonical amino acids into recombinant proteins and even proteomes via reprogrammed protein translation is in the heart of these efforts. Orthogonal pairs consisting of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and its cognate tRNA proved to be a general tool for the assignment of certain codons of the genetic code with a maximum degree of chemical liberty. Here, we highlight recent developments that should provide a solid basis for the development of generalist tools enabling a controlled variation of chemical composition in proteins and even proteomes. This will take place in the frame of a greatly expanded genetic code with emancipated codons liberated from the current function or with totally new coding units.
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Merkel L, Budisa N. Organic fluorine as a polypeptide building element: in vivo expression of fluorinated peptides, proteins and proteomes. Org Biomol Chem 2012; 10:7241-61. [DOI: 10.1039/c2ob06922a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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