1
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Yang X, Su XC, Xuan W. Genetically Encoded Photocaged Proteinogenic and Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids. Chembiochem 2024:e202400393. [PMID: 38831474 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Photocaged amino acids could be genetically encoded into proteins via genetic code expansion (GCE) and constitute unique tools for innovative protein engineering. There are a number of photocaged proteinogenic amino acids that allow strategic conversion of proteins into their photocaged variants, thus enabling spatiotemporal and non-invasive regulation of protein functions using light. Meanwhile, there are a hand of photocaged non-proteinogenic amino acids that address the challenges in directly encoding certain non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) that structurally resemble proteinogenic ones or possess highly reactive functional groups. Herein, we would like to summarize the efforts in encoding photocaged proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino acids, hoping to draw more attention to this fruitful and exciting scientific campaign.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Yang
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Xun-Cheng Su
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Weimin Xuan
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
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2
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Liu L, Gray JL, Tate EW, Yang A. Bacterial enzymes: powerful tools for protein labeling, cell signaling, and therapeutic discovery. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:1385-1399. [PMID: 37328400 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria have evolved a diverse set of enzymes that enable them to subvert host defense mechanisms as well as to form part of the prokaryotic immune system. Due to their unique and varied biochemical activities, these bacterial enzymes have emerged as key tools for understanding and investigating biological systems. In this review, we summarize and discuss some of the most prominent bacterial enzymes used for the site-specific modification of proteins, in vivo protein labeling, proximity labeling, interactome mapping, signaling pathway manipulation, and therapeutic discovery. Finally, we provide a perspective on the complementary advantages and limitations of using bacterial enzymes compared with chemical probes for exploring biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Janine L Gray
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK.
| | - Aimin Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China.
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3
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Li W, Shao L, Liu J, Sheng J, Zheng Q, Wang M. Intracellular delivery of bacterial effectors for cancer therapy using biodegradable lipid nanoparticles. Biomater Sci 2023; 11:3172-3179. [PMID: 36919841 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm00008g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial effector proteins are virulence factors that are secreted and mediate orthogonal post-translational modifications of proteins that are not found naturally in mammalian systems. They hold great promise for developing biotherapeutics by regulating malignant cell signaling in a specific and targeted manner. However, delivering bacterial effectors into disease cells poses a significant challenge to their therapeutic potential. In this study, we report on the design of a combinatorial library of bioreducible lipid nanoparticles containing disulfide bonds for highly efficient bacterial effector delivery and potential cancer therapy. A leading lipid, PPPDA-O16B, identified from the library, can encapsulate and deliver DNA plasmids into cells. The gene cargo is released in response to the reductive cellular environment that is upregulated in cancer cells, leading to enhanced gene delivery and protein expression efficiency. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PPPDA-O16B can deliver the bacterial effector protein, DUF5, to degrade mutant RAS and inactivate downstream MAPK signaling cascades to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro and in tumor-bearing mouse xenografts. This strategy of delivering bacterial effectors using biodegradable lipid nanoparticles can be expanded for cancer cell signaling regulation and antitumor studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Leihou Shao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ji Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jinhan Sheng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qizhen Zheng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ming Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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4
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Dionne U, Gingras AC. Proximity-Dependent Biotinylation Approaches to Explore the Dynamic Compartmentalized Proteome. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:852911. [PMID: 35309513 PMCID: PMC8930824 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.852911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, proximity-dependent biotinylation approaches, including BioID, APEX, and their derivatives, have been widely used to define the compositions of organelles and other structures in cultured cells and model organisms. The associations between specific proteins and given compartments are regulated by several post-translational modifications (PTMs); however, these effects have not been systematically investigated using proximity proteomics. Here, we discuss the progress made in this field and how proximity-dependent biotinylation strategies could elucidate the contributions of PTMs, such as phosphorylation, to the compartmentalization of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Dionne
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne-Claude Gingras
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Anne-Claude Gingras,
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5
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Zhou W, Deiters A. Chemogenetic and optogenetic control of post-translational modifications through genetic code expansion. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 63:123-131. [PMID: 33845403 PMCID: PMC8384655 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins extensively diversify the biological information flow from the genome to the proteome and thus have profound pathophysiological implications. Precise dissection of the regulatory networks of PTMs benefits from the ability to achieve conditional control through external optogenetic or chemogenetic triggers. Genetic code expansion provides a unique solution by allowing for site-specific installation of functionally masked unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins, such as enzymes and enzyme substrates, rendering them inert until rapid activation through exposure to light or small molecules. Here, we summarize the most recent advances harnessing this methodology to study various forms of PTMs, as well as generalizable approaches to externally control nodes-of-interest in PTM networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyuan Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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6
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Yang S, Ngai WSC, Chen PR. Chemical engineering of bacterial effectors for regulating cell signaling and responses. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 64:48-56. [PMID: 33993047 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria have evolved a variety of effector proteins to facilitate their survival and proliferation within the host environment. Continuous competition at the host-pathogen interface has empowered these effectors with unique mechanism and high specificity toward their host targets. The rich repertoire of bacterial effectors has thus provided us an attractive toolkit for investigating various cellular processes, such as signal transductions. With recent advances in protein chemistry and engineering, we now have the capability for on-demand control of protein activity with high precision. Herein, we review the development of chemically engineered bacterial effectors to control kinase-mediated signal transductions, inhibit protein translation, and direct genetic editing within host cells. We also highlight future opportunities for harnessing diverse prokaryotic effectors as powerful tools for mechanistic investigation and therapeutic intervention of eukaryotic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaojun Yang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - William Shu Ching Ngai
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Peng R Chen
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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7
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Jones LH. Dehydroamino acid chemical biology: an example of functional group interconversion on proteins. RSC Chem Biol 2020; 1:298-304. [PMID: 34458767 PMCID: PMC8341704 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00174k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In nature, dehydroalanine (Dha) and dehydrobutyrine (Dhb) residues are byproducts of protein aging, intermediates in the biosynthesis of lanthipeptides and products of bacterial phospholyases that inactivate host kinase immune responses. Recent chemical biology studies have demonstrated the possibility of mapping dehydroamino acids in complex proteomes in an unbiased manner that could further our understanding of the role of Dha and Dhb in biology and disease more broadly. From a synthetic perspective, chemical mutagenesis through site-selective formation of the unsaturated residue and subsequent addition chemistry has yielded homogeneous proteins bearing a variety of post-translational modifications (PTMs) which have assisted fundamental biological research. This Opinion discusses these recent advances and presents new opportunities for protein engineering and drug discovery. The chemical biology of dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine in proteins is summarized and new concepts are presented.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA 02215 USA
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8
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Bacterial virulence mediated by orthogonal post-translational modification. Nat Chem Biol 2020; 16:1043-1051. [PMID: 32943788 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-0638-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Many bacterial pathogens secrete virulence factors, also known as effector proteins, directly into host cells. These effectors suppress pro-inflammatory host signaling while promoting bacterial infection. A particularly interesting subset of effectors post-translationally modify host proteins using novel chemistry that is not otherwise found in the mammalian proteome, which we refer to as 'orthogonal post-translational modification' (oPTM). In this Review, we profile oPTM chemistry for effectors that catalyze serine/threonine acetylation, phosphate β-elimination, phosphoribosyl-linked ubiquitination, glutamine deamidation, phosphocholination, cysteine methylation, arginine N-acetylglucosaminylation, and glutamine ADP-ribosylation on host proteins. AMPylation, a PTM that could be considered orthogonal until only recently, is also discussed. We further highlight known cellular targets of oPTMs and their resulting biological consequences. Developing a complete understanding of oPTMs and the host cell processes they hijack will illuminate critical steps in the infection process, which can be harnessed for a variety of therapeutic, diagnostic, and synthetic applications.
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9
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de Geus MAR, Groenewold GJM, Maurits E, Araman C, van Kasteren SI. Synthetic methodology towards allylic trans-cyclooctene-ethers enables modification of carbohydrates: bioorthogonal manipulation of the lac repressor. Chem Sci 2020; 11:10175-10179. [PMID: 34094281 PMCID: PMC8162276 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc03216f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) pyridazine elimination is one of the key bioorthogonal bond-breaking reactions. In this reaction trans-cyclooctene (TCO) serves as a tetrazine responsive caging moiety for amines, carboxylic acids and alcohols. One issue to date has been the lack of synthetic methods towards TCO ethers from functionalized (aliphatic) alcohols, thereby restricting bioorthogonal utilization. Two novel reagents were developed to enable controlled formation of cis-cyclooctene (CCO) ethers, followed by optimized photochemical isomerization to obtain TCO ethers. The method was exemplified by the controlled bioorthogonal activation of the lac operon system in E. coli using a TCO-ether-modified carbohydrate inducer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A R de Geus
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, The Institute for Chemical Immunology, Leiden University Einsteinweg 55 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands
| | - G J Mirjam Groenewold
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, The Institute for Chemical Immunology, Leiden University Einsteinweg 55 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Elmer Maurits
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, The Institute for Chemical Immunology, Leiden University Einsteinweg 55 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Can Araman
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, The Institute for Chemical Immunology, Leiden University Einsteinweg 55 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Sander I van Kasteren
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, The Institute for Chemical Immunology, Leiden University Einsteinweg 55 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands
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10
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Yang S, Tang Q, Chen L, Chang J, Jiang T, Zhao J, Wang M, Chen PR. Cationic Lipid-based Intracellular Delivery of Bacterial Effectors for Rewiring Malignant Cell Signaling. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:18087-18094. [PMID: 32671943 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202009572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The abundance of bacterial effectors have inspired us to explore their potential in rewiring malignant cell signaling. Their incapability for entering cells, however, hinders such application. Herein we developed a cationic lipid-based high throughput library screening platform for effective intracellular delivery of bacterial effectors. As the misregulated MAPK signaling is a hallmark of many types of cancer, we turned to the Shigella effector OspF which irreversibly inactivates ERK, the terminal component of MAPK cascade. We created a function-based screening assay to obtain AMPA-O16B lipid nanoparticles for effective OspF intracellular delivery, which inhibited the malignant MAPK signaling and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the optimized lipid nanoparticle formulation can deliver OspF to modulate the immunosuppressive responses in macrophages. Our work is a general strategy to explore the therapeutic potentials of naturally evolved bacterial effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaojun Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Qiao Tang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Long Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jin Chang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Tian Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jingyi Zhao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Ming Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing, 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Peng R Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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11
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Yang S, Tang Q, Chen L, Chang J, Jiang T, Zhao J, Wang M, Chen PR. Cationic Lipid‐based Intracellular Delivery of Bacterial Effectors for Rewiring Malignant Cell Signaling. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202009572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shaojun Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Qiao Tang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) Beijing 100190 China
| | - Long Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Jin Chang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) Beijing 100190 China
| | - Tian Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) Beijing 100190 China
| | - Jingyi Zhao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Ming Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) Beijing 100190 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science Beijing 100049 China
| | - Peng R. Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China
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12
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Chen Y, Wu KL, Tang J, Loredo A, Clements J, Pei J, Peng Z, Gupta R, Fang X, Xiao H. Addition of Isocyanide-Containing Amino Acids to the Genetic Code for Protein Labeling and Activation. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:2793-2799. [PMID: 31682403 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific introduction of bioorthogonal handles into biomolecules provides powerful tools for studying and manipulating the structures and functions of proteins. Recent advances in bioorthogonal chemistry demonstrate that tetrazine-based bioorthogonal cycloaddition is a particularly useful methodology due to its high reactivity, biological selectivity, and turn-on property for fluorescence imaging. Despite its broad applications in protein labeling and imaging, utilization of tetrazine-based bioorthogonal cycloaddition has been limited to date by the requirement of a hydrophobic strained alkene reactive moiety. Circumventing this structural requirement, we report the site-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with a small isocyanide (or isonitrile) group into proteins in both bacterial and mammalian cells. We showed that under physiological conditions and in the absence of a catalyst these isocyanide-containing ncAAs could react selectively with tetrazine molecules via [4 + 1]-cycloaddition, thus providing a versatile bioorthogonal handle for site-specific protein labeling and protein decaging. Significantly, these bioorthogonal reactions between isocyanides and tetrazines also provide a unique mechanism for the activation of tetrazine-quenched fluorophores. The addition of these isocyanide-containing ncAAs to the list of 20 commonly used, naturally occurring amino acids expands our repertoire of reagents for bioorthogonal chemistry, therefore enabling new biological applications ranging from protein labeling and imaging studies to the chemical activation of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuda Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Kuan-Lin Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Juan Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Axel Loredo
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Jordan Clements
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Jingqi Pei
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Zane Peng
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Ruchi Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Xinlei Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Han Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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