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Yi HB, Lee S, Seo K, Kim H, Kim M, Lee HS. Cellular and Biophysical Applications of Genetic Code Expansion. Chem Rev 2024; 124:7465-7530. [PMID: 38753805 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00112] [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: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Despite their diverse functions, proteins are inherently constructed from a limited set of building blocks. These compositional constraints pose significant challenges to protein research and its practical applications. Strategically manipulating the cellular protein synthesis system to incorporate novel building blocks has emerged as a critical approach for overcoming these constraints in protein research and application. In the past two decades, the field of genetic code expansion (GCE) has achieved significant advancements, enabling the integration of numerous novel functionalities into proteins across a variety of organisms. This technological evolution has paved the way for the extensive application of genetic code expansion across multiple domains, including protein imaging, the introduction of probes for protein research, analysis of protein-protein interactions, spatiotemporal control of protein function, exploration of proteome changes induced by external stimuli, and the synthesis of proteins endowed with novel functions. In this comprehensive Review, we aim to provide an overview of cellular and biophysical applications that have employed GCE technology over the past two decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Bin Yi
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungeun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungdeok Seo
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeongjo Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Minah Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Soo Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
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2
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Gan Q, Fan C. Orthogonal Translation for Site-Specific Installation of Post-translational Modifications. Chem Rev 2024; 124:2805-2838. [PMID: 38373737 PMCID: PMC11230630 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) endow proteins with new properties to respond to environmental changes or growth needs. With the development of advanced proteomics techniques, hundreds of distinct types of PTMs have been observed in a wide range of proteins from bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. To identify the roles of these PTMs, scientists have applied various approaches. However, high dynamics, low stoichiometry, and crosstalk between PTMs make it almost impossible to obtain homogeneously modified proteins for characterization of the site-specific effect of individual PTM on target proteins. To solve this problem, the genetic code expansion (GCE) strategy has been introduced into the field of PTM studies. Instead of modifying proteins after translation, GCE incorporates modified amino acids into proteins during translation, thus generating site-specifically modified proteins at target positions. In this review, we summarize the development of GCE systems for orthogonal translation for site-specific installation of PTMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglei Gan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
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3
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Peng T, Das T, Ding K, Hang HC. Functional analysis of protein post-translational modifications using genetic codon expansion. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4618. [PMID: 36883310 PMCID: PMC10031814 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins not only exponentially increase the diversity of proteoforms, but also contribute to dynamically modulating the localization, stability, activity, and interaction of proteins. Understanding the biological consequences and functions of specific PTMs has been challenging for many reasons, including the dynamic nature of many PTMs and the technical limitations to access homogenously modified proteins. The genetic code expansion technology has emerged to provide unique approaches for studying PTMs. Through site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) bearing PTMs or their mimics into proteins, genetic code expansion allows the generation of homogenous proteins with site-specific modifications and atomic resolution both in vitro and in vivo. With this technology, various PTMs and mimics have been precisely introduced into proteins. In this review, we summarize the UAAs and approaches that have been recently developed to site-specifically install PTMs and their mimics into proteins for functional studies of PTMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical OncogenomicsSchool of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate SchoolShenzhenChina
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay LaboratoryShenzhenChina
| | - Tandrila Das
- Departments of Immunology and Microbiology and ChemistryScripps ResearchLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ke Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical OncogenomicsSchool of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate SchoolShenzhenChina
| | - Howard C. Hang
- Departments of Immunology and Microbiology and ChemistryScripps ResearchLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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Isenegger PG, Josephson B, Gaunt B, Davy MJ, Gouverneur V, Baldwin AJ, Davis BG. Posttranslational, site-directed photochemical fluorine editing of protein sidechains to probe residue oxidation state via 19F-nuclear magnetic resonance. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:1543-1562. [PMID: 36806799 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00800-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
The fluorination of amino acid residues represents a near-isosteric alteration with the potential to report on biological pathways, yet the site-directed editing of carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds in complex biomolecules to carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds is challenging, resulting in its limited exploitation. Here, we describe a protocol for the posttranslational and site-directed alteration of native γCH2 to γCF2 in protein sidechains. This alteration allows the installation of difluorinated sidechain analogs of proteinogenic amino acids, in both native and modified states. This chemical editing is robust, mild, fast and highly efficient, exploiting photochemical- and radical-mediated C-C bonds grafted onto easy-to-access cysteine-derived dehydroalanine-containing proteins as starting materials. The heteroaryl-sulfonyl reagent required for generating the key carbon-centered C• radicals that install the sidechain can be synthesized in two to six steps from commercially available precursors. This workflow allows the nonexpert to create fluorinated proteins within 24 h, starting from a corresponding purified cysteine-containing protein precursor, without the need for bespoke biological systems. As an example, we readily introduce three γCF2-containing methionines in all three progressive oxidation states (sulfide, sulfoxide and sulfone) as D-/L- forms into histone eH3.1 at site 4 (a relevant lysine to methionine oncomutation site), and each can be detected by 19F-nuclear magnetic resonance of the γCF2 group, as well as the two diastereomers of the sulfoxide, even when found in a complex protein mixture of all three. The site-directed editing of C-H→C-F enables the use of γCF2 as a highly sensitive, 'zero-size-zero-background' label in protein sidechains, which may be used to probe biological phenomena, protein structures and/or protein-ligand interactions by 19F-based detection methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ben Gaunt
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Matthew J Davy
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxfordshire, UK.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Andrew J Baldwin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxfordshire, UK. .,Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Benjamin G Davis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxfordshire, UK. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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5
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Mondal S, Thompson PR. Chemical biology of protein citrullination by the protein A arginine deiminases. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 63:19-27. [PMID: 33676233 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Citrullination is a post-translational modification (PTM) that converts peptidyl-arginine into peptidyl-citrulline; citrullination is catalyzed by the protein arginine deiminases (PADs). This PTM is associated with several physiological processes, including the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and DNA-damage induced apoptosis. Notably, aberrant protein citrullination is relevant to several autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases and certain forms of cancer. As such, the PADs are promising therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the development of PAD inhibitors and activity-based probes, the development and use of citrulline-specific probes in chemoproteomic applications, and methods to site-specifically incorporate citrulline into proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Mondal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, UMass Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Paul R Thompson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, UMass Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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6
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Site-specific incorporation of citrulline into proteins in mammalian cells. Nat Commun 2021; 12:45. [PMID: 33398026 PMCID: PMC7782748 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20279-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Citrullination is a post-translational modification (PTM) of arginine that is crucial for several physiological processes, including gene regulation and neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Despite recent advances, studies of protein citrullination remain challenging due to the difficulty of accessing proteins homogeneously citrullinated at a specific site. Herein, we report a technology that enables the site-specific incorporation of citrulline (Cit) into proteins in mammalian cells. This approach exploits an engineered E. coli-derived leucyl tRNA synthetase-tRNA pair that incorporates a photocaged-citrulline (SM60) into proteins in response to a nonsense codon. Subsequently, SM60 is readily converted to Cit with light in vitro and in living cells. To demonstrate the utility of the method, we biochemically characterize the effect of incorporating Cit at two known autocitrullination sites in Protein Arginine Deiminase 4 (PAD4, R372 and R374) and show that the R372Cit and R374Cit mutants are 181- and 9-fold less active than the wild-type enzyme. This technology possesses the potential to decipher the biology of citrullination. Citrullination of arginine is crucial for several physiological processes. Here the authors report the site-specific incorporation of citrulline into proteins in mammalian cells using an engineered tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair and a photocaged-citrulline.
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Conibear AC. Deciphering protein post-translational modifications using chemical biology tools. Nat Rev Chem 2020; 4:674-695. [PMID: 37127974 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-020-00223-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Proteins carry out a wide variety of catalytic, regulatory, signalling and structural functions in living systems. Following their assembly on ribosomes and throughout their lifetimes, most eukaryotic proteins are modified by post-translational modifications; small functional groups and complex biomolecules are conjugated to amino acid side chains or termini, and the protein backbone is cleaved, spliced or cyclized, to name just a few examples. These modifications modulate protein activity, structure, location and interactions, and, thereby, control many core biological processes. Aberrant post-translational modifications are markers of cellular stress or malfunction and are implicated in several diseases. Therefore, gaining an understanding of which proteins are modified, at which sites and the resulting biological consequences is an important but complex challenge requiring interdisciplinary approaches. One of the key challenges is accessing precisely modified proteins to assign functional consequences to specific modifications. Chemical biologists have developed a versatile set of tools for accessing specifically modified proteins by applying robust chemistries to biological molecules and developing strategies for synthesizing and ligating proteins. This Review provides an overview of these tools, with selected recent examples of how they have been applied to decipher the roles of a variety of protein post-translational modifications. Relative advantages and disadvantages of each of the techniques are discussed, highlighting examples where they are used in combination and have the potential to address new frontiers in understanding complex biological processes.
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Chen H, Venkat S, McGuire P, Gan Q, Fan C. Recent Development of Genetic Code Expansion for Posttranslational Modification Studies. Molecules 2018; 23:E1662. [PMID: 29986538 PMCID: PMC6100177 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23071662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays advanced mass spectrometry techniques make the identification of protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) much easier than ever before. A series of proteomic studies have demonstrated that large numbers of proteins in cells are modified by phosphorylation, acetylation and many other types of PTMs. However, only limited studies have been performed to validate or characterize those identified modification targets, mostly because PTMs are very dynamic, undergoing large changes in different growth stages or conditions. To overcome this issue, the genetic code expansion strategy has been introduced into PTM studies to genetically incorporate modified amino acids directly into desired positions of target proteins. Without using modifying enzymes, the genetic code expansion strategy could generate homogeneously modified proteins, thus providing powerful tools for PTM studies. In this review, we summarized recent development of genetic code expansion in PTM studies for research groups in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Sumana Venkat
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Paige McGuire
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Qinglei Gan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
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Lynagh T, Komnatnyy VV, Pless SA. Unique Contributions of an Arginine Side Chain to Ligand Recognition in a Glutamate-gated Chloride Channel. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:3940-3946. [PMID: 28096462 PMCID: PMC5339774 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.772939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate recognition by neurotransmitter receptors often relies on Arg residues in the binding site, leading to the assumption that charge-charge interactions underlie ligand recognition. However, assessing the precise chemical contribution of Arg side chains to protein function and pharmacology has proven to be exceedingly difficult in such large and complex proteins. Using the in vivo nonsense suppression approach, we report the first successful incorporation of the isosteric, titratable Arg analog, canavanine, into a neurotransmitter receptor in a living cell, utilizing a glutamate-gated chloride channel from the nematode Haemonchus contortus Our data unveil a surprisingly small contribution of charge at a conserved arginine side chain previously suggested to form a salt bridge with the ligand, glutamate. Instead, our data show that Arg contributes crucially to ligand sensitivity via a hydrogen bond network, where Arg interacts both with agonist and with a conserved Thr side chain within the receptor. Together, the data provide a new explanation for the reliance of neurotransmitter receptors on Arg side chains and highlight the exceptional capacity of unnatural amino acid incorporation for increasing our understanding of ligand recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Lynagh
- From the Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 H Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vitaly V Komnatnyy
- From the Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 H Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stephan A Pless
- From the Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 H Copenhagen, Denmark
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Ogawa A, Doi Y. Investigation of end processing and degradation of premature tRNAs and their application to stabilization of in vitro transcripts in wheat germ extract. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:1008-12. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ob02221a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the end processing and degradation of premature tRNAs in wheat germ extract (left), which led to the findings of end protectors for efficiently stabilizing an in vitro transcript (purple, right).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yasunori Doi
- Proteo-Science Center
- Ehime University
- Matsuyama
- Japan
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11
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Photo-dependent protein biosynthesis using a caged aminoacyl-tRNA. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2014; 24:5369-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2014.10.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2014] [Revised: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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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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Le DD, Cortesi AT, Myers SA, Burlingame AL, Fujimori DG. Site-specific and regiospecific installation of methylarginine analogues into recombinant histones and insights into effector protein binding. J Am Chem Soc 2013; 135:2879-82. [PMID: 23398247 DOI: 10.1021/ja3108214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Arginine methylation has emerged as a widespread post-translational modification with influence over myriad cellular processes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such methylarginine-dependent phenomena remain unclear. To aid in this research, a facile method was developed to install methylarginine analogues on recombinant protein for use in biochemical, biophysical, and structural studies. Through chemical conjugation of novel α,β-unsaturated amidine precursors with proteins, methylarginine mimics can be displayed with control of methylation site, extent, and regiospecificity. Analogue installation into histones using this strategy produced modified proteins that were recognized by antibodies specific to endogenous methylarginine, and these histones retained the capacity to form mononucleosomes. Moreover, a native methylarginine-specific binding domain was shown to interact with methylarginine analogue-modified substrates. This chemical conjugation method for installing methylarginine analogues provides an efficient route to produce homogeneous modified proteins for subsequent investigations of methylarginine-dependent processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Le
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th Street, MC2280, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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