1
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Liu J, Hu Y, Gu W, Lan H, Zhang Z, Jiang L, Xu X. Research progress on the application of cell-free synthesis systems for enzymatic processes. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2023; 43:938-955. [PMID: 35994247 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2022.2090314] [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] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Cell-free synthesis systems can complete the transcription and translation process in vitro to produce complex proteins that are difficult to be expressed in traditional cell-based systems. Such systems also can be used for the assembly of efficient localized multienzyme cascades to synthesize products that are toxic to cells. Cell-free synthesis systems provide a simpler and faster engineering solution than living cells, allowing unprecedented design freedom. This paper reviews the latest progress on the application of cell-free synthesis systems in the field of enzymatic catalysis, including cell-free protein synthesis and cell-free metabolic engineering. In cell-free protein synthesis: complex proteins, toxic proteins, membrane proteins, and artificial proteins containing non-natural amino acids can be easily synthesized by directly controlling the reaction conditions in the cell-free system. In cell-free metabolic engineering, the synthesis of desired products can be made more specific and efficient by designing metabolic pathways and screening biocatalysts based on purified enzymes or crude extracts. Through the combination of cell-free synthesis systems and emerging technologies, such as: synthetic biology, microfluidic control, cofactor regeneration, and artificial scaffolds, we will be able to build increasingly complex biomolecule systems. In the next few years, these technologies are expected to mature and reach industrialization, providing innovative platforms for a wide range of biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Liu
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongqi Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wanyi Gu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiquan Lan
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhidong Zhang
- Institute of Microbiology, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Ling Jiang
- College of Food Science and Light Industry, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xian Xu
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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2
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Beal DM, Liang M, Brown I, Budge JD, Burrows ER, Howland K, Lee P, Martin S, Morrell A, Nemoto-Smith E, Roobol J, Stanley M, Smales CM, Warren MJ. Modification of bacterial microcompartments with target biomolecules via post-translational SpyTagging. MATERIALS ADVANCES 2023; 4:2963-2970. [PMID: 37465645 PMCID: PMC10350929 DOI: 10.1039/d3ma00071k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are proteinaceous organelle-like structures formed within bacteria, often encapsulating enzymes and cellular processes, in particular, allowing toxic intermediates to be shielded from the general cellular environment. Outside of their biological role they are of interest, through surface modification, as potential drug carriers and polyvalent antigen display scaffolds. Here we use a post-translational modification approach, using copper free click chemistry, to attach a SpyTag to a target protein molecule for attachment to a specific SpyCatcher modified BMC shell protein. We demonstrate that a post-translationally SpyTagged material can react with a SpyCatcher modified BMC and show its presence on the surface of BMCs, enabling future investigation of these structures as polyvalent antigen display scaffolds for vaccine development. This post-translational 'click' methodology overcomes the necessity to genetically encode the SpyTag, avoids any potential reduction in expression yield and expands the scope of SpyTag/SpyCatcher vaccine scaffolds to form peptide epitope vaccines and small molecule delivery agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Beal
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Mingzhi Liang
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Ian Brown
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - James D Budge
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | | | - Kevin Howland
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Phoebe Lee
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | | | - Andrew Morrell
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | | | - Joanne Roobol
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Maria Stanley
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - C Mark Smales
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co Dublin A94 X099 Ireland
| | - Martin J Warren
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Quadram Institute Bioscience Norwich UK
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia Norwich UK
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3
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Tabares LC, Daniel DT, Vázquez-Ibar JL, Kouklovsky C, Alezra V, Un S. Using the Noncanonical Metallo-Amino Acid [Cu(II)(2,2'-Bipyridin-5-yl)]-alanine to Study the Structures of Proteins. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3368-3375. [PMID: 36995079 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00196] [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: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion allows modification of the physical and chemical properties of proteins by the site-directed insertion of noncanonical amino acids. Here we exploit this technology for measuring nanometer-scale distances in proteins. (2,2'-Bipyridin-5-yl)alanine was incorporated into the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and used as an anchoring point for Cu(II) to create a spin-label. The incorporation of (2,2'-bipyridin-5-yl)alanine directly into the protein resulted in a high-affinity binding site for Cu(II) capable of outcompeting other binding positions in the protein. The resulting Cu(II)-spin label is very compact and not larger than a conventional amino acid. By using 94 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) pulse dipolar spectroscopy we have been able to determine accurately the distance between two such spin-labels. Our measurements revealed that GFP dimers can adopt different quaternary conformations. The combination of spin-labeling using a paramagnetic nonconventional amino acid with high-frequency EPR techniques resulted in a sensitive method for studying the structures of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro C Tabares
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - Davis T Daniel
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - José Luis Vázquez-Ibar
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - Cyrille Kouklovsky
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay F-91405, Cedex France
| | - Valérie Alezra
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay F-91405, Cedex France
| | - Sun Un
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
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4
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Yuan Q, Wu M, Liao Y, Liang S, Lu Y, Lin Y. Rapid prototyping enzyme homologs to improve titer of nicotinamide mononucleotide using a strategy combining cell-free protein synthesis with split GFP. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:1133-1146. [PMID: 36585353 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28326] [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] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Engineering biological systems to test new pathway variants containing different enzyme homologs is laborious and time-consuming. To tackle this challenge, a strategy was developed for rapidly prototyping enzyme homologs by combining cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) with split green fluorescent protein (GFP). This strategy featured two main advantages: (1) dozens of enzyme homologs were parallelly produced by CFPS within hours, and (2) the expression level and activity of each homolog was determined simultaneously by using the split GFP assay. As a model, this strategy was applied to optimize a 3-step pathway for nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) synthesis. Ten enzyme homologs from different organisms were selected for each step. Here, the most productive homolog of each step was identified within 24 h rather than weeks or months. Finally, the titer of NMN was increased to 1213 mg/L by improving physiochemical conditions, tuning enzyme ratios and cofactor concentrations, and decreasing the feedback inhibition, which was a more than 12-fold improvement over the initial setup. This strategy would provide a promising way to accelerate design-build-test cycles for metabolic engineering to improve the production of desired products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyan Yuan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, Guangdong Research Center of Industrial Enzyme and Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Minhui Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, Guangdong Research Center of Industrial Enzyme and Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yibo Liao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, Guangdong Research Center of Industrial Enzyme and Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuli Liang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, Guangdong Research Center of Industrial Enzyme and Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, Guangdong Research Center of Industrial Enzyme and Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
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Zhang H, Zheng Z, Dong L, Shi N, Yang Y, Chen H, Shen Y, Xia Q. Rational incorporation of any unnatural amino acid into proteins by machine learning on existing experimental proofs. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:4930-4941. [PMID: 36147660 PMCID: PMC9472073 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.08.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The unnatural amino acid (UAA) incorporation technique through genetic code expansion has been extensively used in protein engineering for the last two decades. Mutations into UAAs offer more dimensions to tune protein structures and functions. However, the huge library of optional UAAs and various circumstances of mutation sites on different proteins urge rational UAA incorporations guided by artificial intelligence. Here we collected existing experimental proofs of UAA-incorporated proteins in literature and established a database of known UAA substitution sites. By program designing and machine learning on the database, we showed that UAA incorporations into proteins are predictable by the observed evolutional, steric and physiochemical factors. Based on the predicted probability of successful UAA substitutions, we tested the model performance using literature-reported and freshly-designed experimental proofs, and demonstrated its potential in screening UAA-incorporated proteins. This work expands structure-based computational biology and virtual screening to UAA-incorporated proteins, and offers a useful tool to automate the rational design of proteins with any UAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zhetao Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Liangzhen Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ningning Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuelin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hongmin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuxuan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qing Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
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Krebs SK, Rakotoarinoro N, Stech M, Zemella A, Kubick S. A CHO-Based Cell-Free Dual Fluorescence Reporter System for the Straightforward Assessment of Amber Suppression and scFv Functionality. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:873906. [PMID: 35573244 PMCID: PMC9098822 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.873906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with bioorthogonal reactive groups by amber suppression allows the generation of synthetic proteins with desired novel properties. Such modified molecules are in high demand for basic research and therapeutic applications such as cancer treatment and in vivo imaging. The positioning of the ncAA-responsive codon within the protein’s coding sequence is critical in order to maintain protein function, achieve high yields of ncAA-containing protein, and allow effective conjugation. Cell-free ncAA incorporation is of particular interest due to the open nature of cell-free systems and their concurrent ease of manipulation. In this study, we report a straightforward workflow to inquire ncAA positions in regard to incorporation efficiency and protein functionality in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-free system. As a model, the well-established orthogonal translation components Escherichia coli tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) and tRNATyrCUA were used to site-specifically incorporate the ncAA p-azido-l-phenylalanine (AzF) in response to UAG codons. A total of seven ncAA sites within an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) single-chain variable fragment (scFv) N-terminally fused to the red fluorescent protein mRFP1 and C-terminally fused to the green fluorescent protein sfGFP were investigated for ncAA incorporation efficiency and impact on antigen binding. The characterized cell-free dual fluorescence reporter system allows screening for ncAA incorporation sites with high incorporation efficiency that maintain protein activity. It is parallelizable, scalable, and easy to operate. We propose that the established CHO-based cell-free dual fluorescence reporter system can be of particular interest for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon K. Krebs
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Biotechnology, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nathanaël Rakotoarinoro
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marlitt Stech
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne Zemella
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Kubick
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- *Correspondence: Stefan Kubick,
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7
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Soltani M, Hunt JP, Smith AK, Zhao EL, Knotts TA, Bundy BC. Assessing the predictive capabilities of design heuristics and coarse-grain simulation toward understanding and optimizing site-specific covalent immobilization of β-lactamase. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100535. [PMID: 35189031 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100535] [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: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
For industrial applications, covalent immobilization of enzymes provides minimum leakage, recoverability, reusability, and high stability. Yet, the suitability of a given site on the enzyme for immobilization remains a trial-and-error procedure. Here, we investigate the reliability of design heuristics and a coarse-grain molecular simulation in predicting the optimum sites for covalent immobilization of TEM-1 β-lactamase. We utilized E. coli-lysate-based cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) to produce variants containing a site-specific incorporated unnatural amino acid with a unique moiety to facilitate site directed covalent immobilization. To constrain the number of potential immobilization sites, we investigated the predictive capability of several design heuristics. The suitability of immobilization sites was determined by analyzing expression yields, specific activity, immobilization efficiency, and stability of variants. These experimental findings are compared with coarse-grain simulation of TEM-1 domain stability and thermal stability and analyzed for a priori predictive capabilities. This work demonstrates that the design heuristics successfully identify a subset of locations for experimental validation. Specifically, the nucleotide following amber stop codon and domain stability correlate well with the expression yield and specific activity of the variants, respectively. Our approach highlights the advantages of combining coarse-grain simulation and high-throughput experimentation using CFPS to identify optimal enzyme immobilization sites. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehran Soltani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - J Porter Hunt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Addison K Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Emily Long Zhao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Thomas A Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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8
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Assessing Site-specific PEGylation of TEM-1 β-lactamase with Cell-free Protein Synthesis and Coarse-grained Simulation. J Biotechnol 2022; 345:55-63. [PMID: 34995558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.12.016] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PEGylation is a broadly used strategy to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic proteins. It is well established that the location and extent of PEGylation have a significant impact on protein properties. However, conventional PEGylation techniques have limited control over PEGylation sites. Emerging site-specific PEGylation technology provides control of PEG placement by conjugating PEG polymers via click chemistry reaction to genetically encoded non-canonical amino acids. Unfortunately, a method to rapidly determine the optimal PEGylation location has yet to be established. Here we seek to address this challenge. In this work, coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations are paired with high-throughput experimental screening utilizing cell-free protein synthesis to investigate the effect of site-specific PEGylation on the two-state folder protein TEM-1 β-lactamase. Specifically, the conjugation efficiency, thermal stability, and enzymatic activity are studied for the enzyme PEGylated at several different locations. The results of this analysis confirm that the physical properties of the PEGylated protein vary considerably with PEGylation site and that traditional design recommendations are insufficient to predict favorable PEGylation sites. In this study, the best predictor of the most favorable conjugation site is coarse-grained simulation. Thus, we propose a dual combinatorial screening approach in which coarse-grained molecular simulation informs site selection for high-throughput experimental verification.
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9
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Streamlining cell-free protein synthesis biosensors for use in human fluids: In situ RNase inhibitor production during extract preparation. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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10
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Tang H, Zhang P, Luo X. Recent Technologies for Genetic Code Expansion and their Implications on Synthetic Biology Applications. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167382. [PMID: 34863778 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion (GCE) enables the site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids as novel building blocks for the investigation and manipulation of proteins. The advancement of genetic code expansion has been benefited from the development of synthetic biology, while genetic code expansion also helps to create more synthetic biology tools. In this review, we summarize recent advances in genetic code expansion brought by synthetic biology progresses, including engineering of the translation machinery, genome-wide codon reassignment, and the biosynthesis of non-canonical amino acids. We highlight the emerging application of this technology in construction of new synthetic biology parts, circuits, chassis, and products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongting Tang
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Pan Zhang
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaozhou Luo
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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11
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Hunt JP, Galiardi J, Free TJ, Yang SO, Poole D, Zhao EL, Andersen JL, Wood DW, Bundy BC. Mechanistic discoveries and simulation-guided assay optimization of portable hormone biosensors with cell-free protein synthesis. Biotechnol J 2021; 17:e2100152. [PMID: 34761537 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) influence nearly every system of the body and our lives depend on correct NR signaling. Thus, a key environmental and pharmaceutical quest is to identify and detect chemicals which interact with nuclear hormone receptors, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), therapeutic receptor modulators, and natural hormones. Previously reported biosensors of nuclear hormone receptor ligands facilitated rapid detection of NR ligands using cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS). In this work, the advantages of CFPS are further leveraged and combined with kinetic analysis, autoradiography, and western blot to elucidate the molecular mechanism of this biosensor. Additionally, mathematical simulations of enzyme kinetics are used to optimize the biosensor assay, ultimately lengthening its readable window by five-fold and improving sensor signal strength by two-fold. This approach enabled the creation of an on-demand thyroid hormone biosensor with an observable color-change readout. This mathematical and experimental approach provides insight for engineering rapid and field-deployable CFPS biosensors and promises to improve methods for detecting natural hormones, therapeutic receptor modulators, and EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Porter Hunt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Jackelyn Galiardi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Tyler J Free
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Seung Ook Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Daniel Poole
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Emily Long Zhao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Joshua L Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - David W Wood
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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12
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13
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Bartoschek MD, Ugur E, Nguyen TA, Rodschinka G, Wierer M, Lang K, Bultmann S. Identification of permissive amber suppression sites for efficient non-canonical amino acid incorporation in mammalian cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e62. [PMID: 33684219 PMCID: PMC8216290 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The genetic code of mammalian cells can be expanded to allow the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) by suppressing in-frame amber stop codons (UAG) with an orthogonal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS)/tRNAPylCUA (PylT) pair. However, the feasibility of this approach is substantially hampered by unpredictable variations in incorporation efficiencies at different stop codon positions within target proteins. Here, we apply a proteomics-based approach to quantify ncAA incorporation rates at hundreds of endogenous amber stop codons in mammalian cells. With these data, we compute iPASS (Identification of Permissive Amber Sites for Suppression; available at www.bultmannlab.eu/tools/iPASS), a linear regression model to predict relative ncAA incorporation efficiencies depending on the surrounding sequence context. To verify iPASS, we develop a dual-fluorescence reporter for high-throughput flow-cytometry analysis that reproducibly yields context-specific ncAA incorporation efficiencies. We show that nucleotides up- and downstream of UAG synergistically influence ncAA incorporation efficiency independent of cell line and ncAA identity. Additionally, we demonstrate iPASS-guided optimization of ncAA incorporation rates by synonymous exchange of codons flanking the amber stop codon. This combination of in silico analysis followed by validation in living mammalian cells substantially simplifies identification as well as adaptation of sites within a target protein to confer high ncAA incorporation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Bartoschek
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Enes Ugur
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany.,Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Tuan-Anh Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Synthetic Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Geraldine Rodschinka
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Michael Wierer
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Kathrin Lang
- Department of Chemistry, Synthetic Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Sebastian Bultmann
- Department of Biology II and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich 81377, Germany
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14
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Wilkerson JW, Smith AK, Wilding KM, Bundy BC, Knotts TA. The Effects of p-Azidophenylalanine Incorporation on Protein Structure and Stability. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5117-5125. [PMID: 32966074 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Functionalization is often needed to harness the power of proteins for beneficial use but can cause losses to stability and/or activity. State of the art methods to limit these deleterious effects accomplish this by substituting an amino acid in the wild-type molecule into an unnatural amino acid, such as p-azidophenylalanine (pAz), but selecting the residue for substitution a priori remains an elusive goal of protein engineering. The results of this work indicate that all-atom molecular dynamics simulation can be used to determine whether substituting pAz for a natural amino acid will be detrimental to experimentally determined protein stability. These results offer significant hope that local deviations from wild-type structure caused by pAz incorporation observed in simulations can be a predictive metric used to reduce the number of costly experiments that must be done to find active proteins upon substitution with pAz and subsequent functionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Wilkerson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Addison K Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Kristen M Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Thomas A Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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15
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Wu Y, Wang Z, Qiao X, Li J, Shu X, Qi H. Emerging Methods for Efficient and Extensive Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids Using Cell-Free Systems. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:863. [PMID: 32793583 PMCID: PMC7387428 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has emerged as a novel protein expression platform. Especially the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) has led to the development of numerous flexible methods for efficient and extensive expression of artificial proteins. Approaches were developed to eliminate the endogenous competition for ncAAs and engineer translation factors, which significantly enhanced the incorporation efficiency. Furthermore, in vitro aminoacylation methods can be conveniently combined with cell-free systems, extensively expanding the available ncAAs with novel and unique moieties. In this review, we summarize the recent progresses on the efficient and extensive incorporation of ncAAs by different strategies based on the elimination of competition by endogenous factors, translation factors engineering and extensive incorporation of novel ncAAs coupled with in vitro aminoacylation methods in CFPS. We also aim to offer new ideas to researchers working on ncAA incorporation techniques in CFPS and applications in various emerging fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhaoguan Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Qiao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiaojiao Li
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiangrong Shu
- Department of Pharmacy, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Hao Qi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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16
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Hunt JP, Zhao EL, Soltani M, Frei M, Nelson JAD, Bundy BC. Streamlining the preparation of "endotoxin-free" ClearColi cell extract with autoinduction media for cell-free protein synthesis of the therapeutic protein crisantaspase. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2019; 4:220-224. [PMID: 31890926 PMCID: PMC6926305 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2019.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
An "endotoxin-free" E. coli-based cell-free protein synthesis system has been reported to produce therapeutic proteins rapidly and on-demand. However, preparation of the most complex CFPS reagent - the cell extract - remains time-consuming and labor-intensive because of the relatively slow growth kinetics of the endotoxin-free ClearColiTMBL21(DE3) strain. Here we report a streamlined procedure for preparing E. coli cell extract from ClearColi™ using auto-induction media. In this work, the term auto-induction describes cell culture media which eliminates the need for manual induction of protein expression. Culturing Clearcoli™ cells in autoinduction media significantly reduces the hands-on time required during extract preparation, and the resulting "endotoxin-free" cell extract maintained the same cell-free protein synthesis capability as extract produced with traditional induction as demonstrated by the high-yield expression of crisantaspase, an FDA approved leukemia therapeutic. It is anticipated that this work will lower the barrier for researchers to enter the field and use this technology as the method to produce endotoxin-free E. coli-based extract for CFPS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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17
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Des Soye BJ, Gerbasi VR, Thomas PM, Kelleher NL, Jewett MC. A Highly Productive, One-Pot Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Platform Based on Genomically Recoded Escherichia coli. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:1743-1754.e9. [PMID: 31706984 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins via amber suppression provides access to novel protein properties, structures, and functions. Historically, poor protein expression yields resulting from release factor 1 (RF1) competition has limited this technology. To address this limitation, we develop a high-yield, one-pot cell-free platform for synthesizing proteins bearing ncAAs based on genomically recoded Escherichia coli lacking RF1. A key feature of this platform is the independence on the addition of purified T7 DNA-directed RNA polymerase (T7RNAP) to catalyze transcription. Extracts derived from our final strain demonstrate high productivity, synthesizing 2.67 ± 0.06 g/L superfolder GFP in batch mode without supplementation of purified T7RNAP. Using an optimized one-pot platform, we demonstrate multi-site incorporation of the ncAA p-acetyl-L-phenylalanine into an elastin-like polypeptide with high accuracy of incorporation and yield. Our work has implications for chemical and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Des Soye
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Vincent R Gerbasi
- Proteomics Center of Excellence, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Paul M Thomas
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Proteomics Center of Excellence, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Proteomics Center of Excellence, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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18
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Wilding KM, Zhao EL, Earl CC, Bundy BC. Thermostable lyoprotectant-enhanced cell-free protein synthesis for on-demand endotoxin-free therapeutic production. N Biotechnol 2019; 53:73-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2019.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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19
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Yang SO, Nielsen GH, Wilding KM, Cooper MA, Wood DW, Bundy BC. Towards On-Demand E. coli-Based Cell-Free Protein Synthesis of Tissue Plasminogen Activator. Methods Protoc 2019. [PMCID: PMC6632163 DOI: 10.3390/mps2020052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Stroke is the leading cause of death with over 5 million deaths worldwide each year. About 80% of strokes are ischemic strokes caused by blood clots. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPa) is the only FDA-approved drug to treat ischemic stroke with a wholesale price over $6000. tPa is now off patent although no biosimilar has been developed. The production of tPa is complicated by the 17 disulfide bonds that exist in correctly folded tPA. Here, we present an Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis platform for tPa expression and report conditions which resulted in the production of active tPa. While the activity is below that of commercially available tPa, this work demonstrates the potential of cell-free expression systems toward the production of future biosimilars. The E. coli-based cell-free system is increasingly becoming an attractive platform for low-cost biosimilar production due to recent developments which enable production from shelf-stable lyophilized reagents, the removal of endotoxins from the reagents to prevent the risk of endotoxic shock, and rapid on-demand production in hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Ook Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; (S.-O.Y.); (G.H.N.); (K.M.W.)
| | - Gregory H. Nielsen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; (S.-O.Y.); (G.H.N.); (K.M.W.)
| | - Kristen M. Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; (S.-O.Y.); (G.H.N.); (K.M.W.)
| | - Merideth A. Cooper
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.A.C.); (D.W.W.)
| | - David W. Wood
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.A.C.); (D.W.W.)
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; (S.-O.Y.); (G.H.N.); (K.M.W.)
- Correspondence:
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20
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Gao W, Cho E, Liu Y, Lu Y. Advances and Challenges in Cell-Free Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids Into Proteins. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:611. [PMID: 31191324 PMCID: PMC6549004 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UNAAs) into proteins currently is an active biological research area for various fundamental and applied science. In this context, cell-free synthetic biology (CFSB) has been developed and recognized as a robust testing and biomanufacturing platform for highly efficient UNAA incorporation. It enables the orchestration of unnatural biological machinery toward an exclusive user-defined objective of unnatural protein synthesis. This review aims to overview the principles of cell-free unnatural protein synthesis (CFUPS) systems, their advantages, different UNAA incorporation approaches, and recent achievements. These have catalyzed cutting-edge research and diverse emerging applications. Especially, present challenges and future trends are focused and discussed. With the development of CFSB and the fusion with other advanced next-generation technologies, CFUPS systems would explicitly deliver their values for biopharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Gao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China
| | - Eunhee Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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21
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Saleh AM, Wilding KM, Calve S, Bundy BC, Kinzer-Ursem TL. Non-canonical amino acid labeling in proteomics and biotechnology. J Biol Eng 2019; 13:43. [PMID: 31139251 PMCID: PMC6529998 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-019-0166-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic labeling of proteins with non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) provides unique bioorthogonal chemical groups during de novo synthesis by taking advantage of both endogenous and heterologous protein synthesis machineries. Labeled proteins can then be selectively conjugated to fluorophores, affinity reagents, peptides, polymers, nanoparticles or surfaces for a wide variety of downstream applications in proteomics and biotechnology. In this review, we focus on techniques in which proteins are residue- and site-specifically labeled with ncAAs containing bioorthogonal handles. These ncAA-labeled proteins are: readily enriched from cells and tissues for identification via mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis; selectively purified for downstream biotechnology applications; or labeled with fluorophores for in situ analysis. To facilitate the wider use of these techniques, we provide decision trees to help guide the design of future experiments. It is expected that the use of ncAA labeling will continue to expand into new application areas where spatial and temporal analysis of proteome dynamics and engineering new chemistries and new function into proteins are desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya M. Saleh
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
| | - Kristen M. Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT USA
| | - Sarah Calve
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT USA
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22
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Jin X, Park OJ, Hong SH. Incorporation of non-standard amino acids into proteins: challenges, recent achievements, and emerging applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:2947-2958. [PMID: 30790000 PMCID: PMC6449208 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The natural genetic code only allows for 20 standard amino acids in protein translation, but genetic code reprogramming enables the incorporation of non-standard amino acids (NSAAs). Proteins containing NSAAs provide enhanced or novel properties and open diverse applications. With increased attention to the recent advancements in synthetic biology, various improved and novel methods have been developed to incorporate single and multiple distinct NSAAs into proteins. However, various challenges remain in regard to NSAA incorporation, such as low yield and misincorporation. In this review, we summarize the recent efforts to improve NSAA incorporation by utilizing orthogonal translational system optimization, cell-free protein synthesis, genomically recoded organisms, artificial codon boxes, quadruplet codons, and orthogonal ribosomes, before closing with a discussion of the emerging applications of NSAA incorporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Jin
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
| | - Oh-Jin Park
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
- Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Yanbian University of Science and Technology, Yanji, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Seok Hoon Hong
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA.
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23
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Silverman AD, Kelley-Loughnane N, Lucks JB, Jewett MC. Deconstructing Cell-Free Extract Preparation for in Vitro Activation of Transcriptional Genetic Circuitry. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:403-414. [PMID: 30596483 PMCID: PMC6584022 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in cell-free gene expression (CFE) systems have enabled their use for a host of synthetic biology applications, particularly for rapid prototyping of genetic circuits and biosensors. Despite the proliferation of cell-free protein synthesis platforms, the large number of currently existing protocols for making CFE extracts muddles the collective understanding of how the extract preparation method affects its functionality. A key aspect of extract performance relevant to many applications is the activity of the native host transcriptional machinery that can mediate protein synthesis. However, protein yields from genes transcribed in vitro by the native Escherichia coli RNA polymerase are variable for different extract preparation techniques, and specifically low in some conventional crude extracts originally optimized for expression by the bacteriophage transcriptional machinery. Here, we show that cell-free expression of genes under bacterial σ70 promoters is constrained by the rate of transcription in crude extracts, and that processing the extract with a ribosomal runoff reaction and subsequent dialysis alleviates this constraint. Surprisingly, these processing steps only enhance protein synthesis in genes under native regulation, indicating that the translation rate is unaffected. We further investigate the role of other common extract preparation process variants on extract performance and demonstrate that bacterial transcription is inhibited by including glucose in the growth culture but is unaffected by flash-freezing the cell pellet prior to lysis. Our final streamlined and detailed protocol for preparing extract by sonication generates extract that facilitates expression from a diverse set of sensing modalities including protein and RNA regulators. We anticipate that this work will clarify the methodology for generating CFE extracts that are active for biosensing using native transcriptional machinery and will encourage the further proliferation of cell-free gene expression technology for new applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Silverman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Nancy Kelley-Loughnane
- 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Julius B. Lucks
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Member, Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Member, Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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24
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Peciak K, Laurine E, Tommasi R, Choi JW, Brocchini S. Site-selective protein conjugation at histidine. Chem Sci 2019; 10:427-439. [PMID: 30809337 PMCID: PMC6354831 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc03355b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-selective conjugation generally requires both (i) molecular engineering of the protein of interest to introduce a conjugation site at a defined location and (ii) a site-specific conjugation technology. Three N-terminal interferon α2-a (IFN) variants with truncated histidine tags were prepared and conjugation was examined using a bis-alkylation reagent, PEG(10kDa)-mono-sulfone 3. A histidine tag comprised of two histidines separated by a glycine (His2-tag) underwent PEGylation. Two more IFN variants were then prepared with the His2-tag engineered at different locations in IFN. Another IFN variant was prepared with the His-tag introduced in an α-helix, and required three contiguous histidines to ensure that two histidine residues in the correct conformation would be available for conjugation. Since histidine is a natural amino acid, routine methods of site-directed mutagenesis were used to generate the IFN variants from E. coli in soluble form at titres comparable to native IFN. PEGylation conversions ranged from 28-39%. A single step purification process gave essentially the pure PEG-IFN variant (>97% by RP-HPLC) in high recovery with isolated yields ranging from 21-33%. The level of retained bioactivity was strongly dependent on the site of PEG conjugation. The highest biological activity of 74% was retained for the PEG10-106(HGHG)-IFN variant which is unprecedented for a PEGylated IFN. The His2-tag at 106(HGHG)-IFN is engineered at the flexible loop most distant from IFN interaction with its dimeric receptor. The biological activity for the PEG10-5(HGH)-IFN variant was determined to be 17% which is comparable to other PEGylated IFN conjugates achieved at or near the N-terminus that have been previously described. The lowest retained activity (10%) was reported for PEG10-120(HHH)-IFN which was prepared as a negative control targeting a IFN site thought to be involved in receptor binding. The presence of two histidines as a His2-tag to generate a site-selective target for bis-alkylating PEGylation is a feasible approach for achieving site-selective PEGylation. The use of a His2-tag to strategically engineer a conjugation site in a protein location can result in maximising the retention of the biological activity following protein modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Peciak
- UCL School of Pharmacy , University College London , 29-39 Brunswick Square , London , WC1N 1AX , UK .
- Abzena , Babraham Research Campus, Babraham , Cambridge CB22 3AT , UK
| | | | - Rita Tommasi
- Abzena , Babraham Research Campus, Babraham , Cambridge CB22 3AT , UK
| | - Ji-Won Choi
- Abzena , Babraham Research Campus, Babraham , Cambridge CB22 3AT , UK
| | - Steve Brocchini
- UCL School of Pharmacy , University College London , 29-39 Brunswick Square , London , WC1N 1AX , UK .
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25
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Bundy BC, Hunt JP, Jewett MC, Swartz JR, Wood DW, Frey DD, Rao G. Cell-free biomanufacturing. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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26
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Soltani M, Davis BR, Ford H, Nelson JAD, Bundy BC. Reengineering cell-free protein synthesis as a biosensor: Biosensing with transcription, translation, and protein-folding. Biochem Eng J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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27
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Wilding KM, Hunt JP, Wilkerson JW, Funk PJ, Swensen RL, Carver WC, Christian ML, Bundy BC. Endotoxin-Free E. coli-
Based Cell-Free Protein Synthesis: Pre-Expression Endotoxin Removal Approaches for on-Demand Cancer Therapeutic Production. Biotechnol J 2018; 14:e1800271. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Wilding
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - John P. Hunt
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - Joshua W. Wilkerson
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - Parker J. Funk
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - Rebecca L. Swensen
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - William C. Carver
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
| | | | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Chemical Engineering; Brigham Young University; 350 Clyde Provo UT 84602 USA
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28
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Nanoreactors: Strategies to encapsulate enzyme biocatalysts in virus-like particles. N Biotechnol 2018; 44:59-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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29
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Richardson SL, Dods KK, Abrigo NA, Iqbal ES, Hartman MC. In vitro genetic code reprogramming and expansion to study protein function and discover macrocyclic peptide ligands. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 46:172-179. [PMID: 30077877 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The ability to introduce non-canonical amino acids into peptides and proteins is facilitated by working within in vitro translation systems. Non-canonical amino acids can be introduced into these systems using sense codon reprogramming, stop codon suppression, and by breaking codon degeneracy. Here, we review how these techniques have been used to create proteins with novel properties and how they facilitate sophisticated studies of protein function. We also discuss how researchers are using in vitro translation experiments with non-canonical amino acids to explore the tolerance of the translation apparatus to artificial building blocks. Finally, we give several examples of how non-canonical amino acids can be combined with mRNA-displayed peptide libraries for the creation of protease-stable, macrocyclic peptide libraries for ligand discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacie L Richardson
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 1001 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842006, Richmond, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, USA
| | - Kara K Dods
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 1001 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842006, Richmond, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, USA
| | - Nicolas A Abrigo
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 1001 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842006, Richmond, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, USA
| | - Emil S Iqbal
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 1001 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842006, Richmond, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, USA
| | - Matthew Ct Hartman
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 1001 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842006, Richmond, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, USA.
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30
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Wilding KM, Smith AK, Wilkerson JW, Bush DB, Knotts TA, Bundy BC. The Locational Impact of Site-Specific PEGylation: Streamlined Screening with Cell-Free Protein Expression and Coarse-Grain Simulation. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:510-521. [PMID: 29295615 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is commonly used to improve protein stability and therapeutic efficacy, the optimal location for attaching PEG onto proteins is not well understood. Here, we present a cell-free protein synthesis-based screening platform that facilitates site-specific PEGylation and efficient evaluation of PEG attachment efficiency, thermal stability, and activity for different variants of PEGylated T4 lysozyme, including a di-PEGylated variant. We also report developing a computationally efficient coarse-grain simulation model as a potential tool to narrow experimental screening candidates. We use this simulation method as a novel tool to evaluate the locational impact of PEGylation. Using this screen, we also evaluated the predictive impact of PEGylation site solvent accessibility, conjugation site structure, PEG size, and double PEGylation. Our findings indicate that PEGylation efficiency, protein stability, and protein activity varied considerably with PEGylation site, variations that were not well predicted by common PEGylation guidelines. Overall our results suggest current guidelines are insufficiently predictive, highlighting the need for experimental and simulation screening systems such as the one presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Addison K. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua W. Wilkerson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Derek B. Bush
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Thomas A. Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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31
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Wilding KM, Schinn SM, Long EA, Bundy BC. The emerging impact of cell-free chemical biosynthesis. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2018; 53:115-121. [PMID: 29310029 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biomanufacturing has emerged as a promising alternative to chemocatalysis for green, renewable, complex synthesis of biofuels, medicines, and fine chemicals. Cell-free chemical biosynthesis offers additional advantages over in vivo production, enabling plug-and-play assembly of separately produced enzymes into an optimal cascade, versatile reaction conditions, and direct access to the reaction environment. In order for these advantages to be realized on the larger scale of industry, strategies are needed to reduce costs of biocatalyst generation, improve biocatalyst stability, and enable economically sustainable continuous cascade operation. Here we overview the advantages and remaining challenges of applying cell-free chemical biosynthesis for commodity production, and discuss recent advances in cascade engineering, enzyme immobilization, and enzyme encapsulation which constitute important steps towards addressing these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Song-Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Emily A Long
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
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32
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Recombinant Expression, Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporation, and Site-Specific Labeling of 26S Proteasomal Subcomplexes. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1844:219-236. [PMID: 30242713 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8706-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The 26S proteasome is the major regulated protease in eukaryotes and is responsible for degrading ubiquitinated substrates. It consists of a barrel-shaped 20S core peptidase and one or two 19S regulatory particles, which recognize, unfold, and translocate substrates into the core. The regulatory particle can be further divided into two multi-subunit complexes: the base and the lid. Here we present protocols for expressing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae base and lid recombinantly in Escherichia coli and purifying the assembled subcomplexes using a tandem affinity purification method. The purified complexes can then be reconstituted with 20S core to form fully functional proteasomes. Furthermore, we describe a method for incorporating the unnatural amino acid p-azido-L-phenylalanine into the recombinant complexes at any residue position, allowing for non-disruptive site-specific modifications of these large assemblies. The use of recombinant proteins allows for complete mutational control over the proteasome regulatory particle, enabling detailed studies of the mechanism by which the proteasome processes its substrates. The ability to then specifically modify residues in the regulatory particle opens the door to a wide range of previously impossible biochemical and biophysical studies. The techniques described below for incorporating unnatural amino acids into the proteasomal subcomplexes should be widely transferable to other recombinant proteins, whether individually purified or in larger multi-subunit assemblies.
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33
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Hunt JP, Schinn SM, Jones MD, Bundy BC. Rapid, portable detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals through ligand-nuclear hormone receptor interactions. Analyst 2017; 142:4595-4600. [DOI: 10.1039/c7an01540b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in biosensing technology are enabling rapid and portable detection of nuclear hormone receptor ligand endocrine disrupting chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Porter Hunt
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Brigham Young University
- Provo
- USA
| | - Song-Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Brigham Young University
- Provo
- USA
| | - Matthew D. Jones
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Brigham Young University
- Provo
- USA
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Brigham Young University
- Provo
- USA
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