1
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Birch-Price Z, Hardy FJ, Lister TM, Kohn AR, Green AP. Noncanonical Amino Acids in Biocatalysis. Chem Rev 2024; 124:8740-8786. [PMID: 38959423 PMCID: PMC11273360 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00120] [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] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, powerful genetic code reprogramming methods have emerged that allow new functional components to be embedded into proteins as noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) side chains. In this review, we will illustrate how the availability of an expanded set of amino acid building blocks has opened a wealth of new opportunities in enzymology and biocatalysis research. Genetic code reprogramming has provided new insights into enzyme mechanisms by allowing introduction of new spectroscopic probes and the targeted replacement of individual atoms or functional groups. NcAAs have also been used to develop engineered biocatalysts with improved activity, selectivity, and stability, as well as enzymes with artificial regulatory elements that are responsive to external stimuli. Perhaps most ambitiously, the combination of genetic code reprogramming and laboratory evolution has given rise to new classes of enzymes that use ncAAs as key catalytic elements. With the framework for developing ncAA-containing biocatalysts now firmly established, we are optimistic that genetic code reprogramming will become a progressively more powerful tool in the armory of enzyme designers and engineers in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Anthony P. Green
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology,
School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
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2
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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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3
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Kirsh J, Weaver JB, Boxer SG, Kozuch J. Critical Evaluation of Polarizable and Nonpolarizable Force Fields for Proteins Using Experimentally Derived Nitrile Electric Fields. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:6983-6991. [PMID: 38415598 PMCID: PMC10941190 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c14775] [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] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are frequently carried out for proteins to investigate the role of electrostatics in their biological function. The choice of force field (FF) can significantly alter the MD results, as the simulated local electrostatic interactions lack benchmarking in the absence of appropriate experimental methods. We recently reported that the transition dipole moment (TDM) of the popular nitrile vibrational probe varies linearly with the environmental electric field, overcoming well-known hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) issues for the nitrile frequency and, thus, enabling the unambiguous measurement of electric fields in proteins (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144 (17), 7562-7567). Herein, we utilize this new strategy to enable comparisons of experimental and simulated electric fields in protein environments. Specifically, previously determined TDM electric fields exerted onto nitrile-containing o-cyanophenylalanine residues in photoactive yellow protein are compared with MD electric fields from the fixed-charge AMBER FF and the polarizable AMOEBA FF. We observe that the electric field distributions for H-bonding nitriles are substantially affected by the choice of FF. As such, AMBER underestimates electric fields for nitriles experiencing moderate field strengths; in contrast, AMOEBA robustly recapitulates the TDM electric fields. The FF dependence of the electric fields can be partly explained by the presence of additional negative charge density along the nitrile bond axis in AMOEBA, which is due to the inclusion of higher-order multipole parameters; this, in turn, begets more head-on nitrile H-bonds. We conclude by discussing the implications of the FF dependence for the simulation of nitriles and proteins in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob
M. Kirsh
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United
States
| | - Jared Bryce Weaver
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United
States
| | - Steven G. Boxer
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United
States
| | - Jacek Kozuch
- Experimental
Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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4
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Liu K, Jiang L, Ma S, Song Z, Wang L, Zhang Q, Xu R, Yang L, Wu J, Yu H. An evolved pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase with polysubstrate specificity expands the toolbox for engineering enzymes with incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2023; 10:92. [PMID: 38647798 PMCID: PMC10991234 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-023-00712-w] [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: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) is a core component for genetic code expansion (GCE), a powerful technique that enables the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into a protein. The aaRS with polyspecificity can be exploited in incorporating additional ncAAs into a protein without the evolution of new, orthogonal aaRS/tRNA pair, which hence provides a useful tool for probing the enzyme mechanism or expanding protein function. A variant (N346A/C348A) of pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase from Methanosarcina mazei (MmPylRS) exhibited a wide substrate scope of accepting over 40 phenylalanine derivatives. However, for most of the substrates, the incorporation efficiency was low. Here, a MbPylRS (N311A/C313A) variant was constructed that showed higher ncAA incorporation efficiency than its homologous MmPylRS (N346A/C348A). Next, N-terminal of MbPylRS (N311A/C313A) was engineered by a greedy combination of single variants identified previously, resulting in an IPE (N311A/C313A/V31I/T56P/A100E) variant with significantly improved activity against various ncAAs. Activity of IPE was then tested toward 43 novel ncAAs, and 16 of them were identified to be accepted by the variant. The variant hence could incorporate nearly 60 ncAAs in total into proteins. With the utility of this variant, eight various ncAAs were then incorporated into a lanthanide-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase PedH. Incorporation of phenyllactic acid improved the catalytic efficiency of PedH toward methanol by 1.8-fold, indicating the role of modifying protein main chain in enzyme engineering. Incorporation of O-tert-Butyl-L-tyrosine modified the enantioselectivity of PedH by influencing the interactions between substrate and protein. Enzymatic characterization and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the mechanism of ncAAs affecting PedH catalysis. This study provides a PylRS variant with high activity and substrate promiscuity, which increases the utility of GCE in enzyme mechanism illustration and engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Liu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ling Jiang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shuang Ma
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhongdi Song
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Interdisciplinary Research Academy, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, 310015, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Lun Wang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qunfeng Zhang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Renhao Xu
- Hangzhou 14th Middle School, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lirong Yang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianping Wu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haoran Yu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China.
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China.
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5
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Zhang Q, Zheng W, Song Z, Zhang Q, Yang L, Wu J, Lin J, Xu G, Yu H. Machine Learning Enables Prediction of Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase Substrate Specificity. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:2403-2417. [PMID: 37486975 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge about the substrate scope for a given enzyme is informative for elucidating biochemical pathways and also for expanding applications of the enzyme. However, no general methods are available to accurately predict the substrate specificity of an enzyme. Pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) is a powerful tool for incorporating various noncanonical amino acids (NCAAs) into proteins, which enabled us to probe, image, rationally engineer, and evolve protein structure and function. However, the incorporation of a new NCAA typically requires the selection of large libraries of PylRS with randomized mutations at active sites, and this process requires multiple rounds of selection for each new substrate. Therefore, a single aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase with broad substrate promiscuity is ideal to facilitate widespread applications of the genetic NCAA incorporation technique. Herein, machine learning models were developed to predict the substrate specificity of PylRS to accept novel NCAAs that could be incorporated into proteins by three PylRS mutants. The models were built from a training set of 285 unique enzyme-substrate pairs of three PylRS mutants including IFRS, BtaRS, and MFRS against 95 NCAAs. The best BaggingTree (BT) model was then used for virtually screening a NCAAs library containing 1474 phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and alanine analogues, and 156 NCAAs were predicted to be accepted by at least one of the three PylRS mutants. Then, 27 NCAAs including 24 positive and 3 negative substrates were experimentally tested for their activities, and 20 of the 24 positive substrates showed weak or strong activity and were accepted by at least one PylRS mutant, among which 11 NCAAs were never reported to be incorporated into proteins before. Three negative substrates did not show any activity. Experimental results suggested that the BT model provides a three-class classification accuracy of 0.69 and a binary classification accuracy of 0.86. This study expanded the substrate scope of three PylRS variants and provided a framework for developing machine learning models to predict substrate specificity of other PylRS variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qunfeng Zhang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenlong Zheng
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhongdi Song
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Interdisciplinary Research Academy, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, China
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lirong Yang
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianping Wu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianping Lin
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Gang Xu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haoran Yu
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Centre, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, China
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6
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Fricke R, Swenson CV, Roe LT, Hamlish NX, Shah B, Zhang Z, Ficaretta E, Ad O, Smaga S, Gee CL, Chatterjee A, Schepartz A. Expanding the substrate scope of pyrrolysyl-transfer RNA synthetase enzymes to include non-α-amino acids in vitro and in vivo. Nat Chem 2023:10.1038/s41557-023-01224-y. [PMID: 37264106 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01224-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The absence of orthogonal aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases that accept non-L-α-amino acids is a primary bottleneck hindering the in vivo translation of sequence-defined hetero-oligomers and biomaterials. Here we report that pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and certain PylRS variants accept α-hydroxy, α-thio and N-formyl-L-α-amino acids, as well as α-carboxy acid monomers that are precursors to polyketide natural products. These monomers are accommodated and accepted by the translation apparatus in vitro; those with reactive nucleophiles are incorporated into proteins in vivo. High-resolution structural analysis of the complex formed between one PylRS enzyme and a m-substituted 2-benzylmalonic acid derivative revealed an active site that discriminates prochiral carboxylates and accommodates the large size and distinct electrostatics of an α-carboxy substituent. This work emphasizes the potential of PylRS-derived enzymes for acylating tRNA with monomers whose α-substituent diverges substantially from the α-amine of proteinogenic amino acids. These enzymes or derivatives thereof could synergize with natural or evolved ribosomes and/or translation factors to generate diverse sequence-defined non-protein heteropolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley Fricke
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Cameron V Swenson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Leah Tang Roe
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Noah Xue Hamlish
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Bhavana Shah
- Process Development, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | | | - Elise Ficaretta
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Omer Ad
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sarah Smaga
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christine L Gee
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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7
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Engineering of enzymes using non-natural amino acids. Biosci Rep 2022; 42:231590. [PMID: 35856922 PMCID: PMC9366748 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20220168] [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: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In enzyme engineering, the main targets for enhancing properties are enzyme activity, stereoselective specificity, stability, substrate range, and the development of unique functions. With the advent of genetic code extension technology, non-natural amino acids (nnAAs) are able to be incorporated into proteins in a site-specific or residue-specific manner, which breaks the limit of 20 natural amino acids for protein engineering. Benefitting from this approach, numerous enzymes have been engineered with nnAAs for improved properties or extended functionality. In this review, we focus on applications and strategies for using nnAAs in enzyme engineering. Notably, approaches to computational modelling of enzymes with nnAAs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the bottlenecks that currently need to be addressed in order to realise the broader prospects of this genetic code extension technique.
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8
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Weaver JB, Kozuch J, Kirsh JM, Boxer SG. Nitrile Infrared Intensities Characterize Electric Fields and Hydrogen Bonding in Protic, Aprotic, and Protein Environments. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:7562-7567. [PMID: 35467853 PMCID: PMC10082610 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nitriles are widely used vibrational probes; however, the interpretation of their IR frequencies is complicated by hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) in protic environments. We report a new vibrational Stark effect (VSE) that correlates the electric field projected on the -C≡N bond to the transition dipole moment and, by extension, the nitrile peak area or integrated intensity. This linear VSE applies to both H-bonding and non-H-bonding interactions. It can therefore be generally applied to determine electric fields in all environments. Additionally, it allows for semiempirical extraction of the H-bonding contribution to the blueshift of the nitrile frequency. Nitriles were incorporated at H-bonding and non-H-bonding protein sites using amber suppression, and each nitrile variant was structurally characterized at high resolution. We exploited the combined information available from variations in frequency and integrated intensity and demonstrate that nitriles are a generally useful probe for electric fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Bryce Weaver
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
| | - Jacek Kozuch
- Experimental Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacob M Kirsh
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
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9
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Vatansever EC, Yang KS, Geng ZZ, Qiao Y, Li P, Xu S, Liu WR. A Designed, Highly Efficient Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase Mutant Binds o-Chlorophenylalanine Using Two Halogen Bonds. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167534. [PMID: 35278475 PMCID: PMC9018553 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
As one of the most valuable tools for genetic code expansion, pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) is structurally related to phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS). By introducing mutations that mimic ligand interactions in PheRS into PylRS, we designed a PylRS mutant. This mutant, designated as oClFRS, recognizes a number of o-substituted phenylalanines for their genetic incorporation at amber codon. Its efficiency in catalyzing genetic incorporation of o-chlorophenylalanine (o-ClF) is better than that for Nε-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-lysine catalyzed by PylRS. The crystal structure of oClFRS bound with o-ClF shows that o-ClF binds deeply into a hydrophobic but catalytically inactive pocket in the active site and involves two halogen bonds to achieve strong interactions. The shift of o-ClF to a catalytically active position in the oClFRS active site will be necessary for its activation. This is the first reported aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that involves two halogen bonds for ligation recognition and might represent an alternative route to develop aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase mutants that are selective for noncanonical amino acids over native amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erol C Vatansever
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Kai S Yang
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhi Zachary Geng
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yuchen Qiao
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Pingwei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Shiqing Xu
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Institute of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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10
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Photosynthetic reaction center variants made via genetic code expansion show Tyr at M210 tunes the initial electron transfer mechanism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2116439118. [PMID: 34907018 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116439118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides were engineered to vary the electronic properties of a key tyrosine (M210) close to an essential electron transfer component via its replacement with site-specific, genetically encoded noncanonical amino acid tyrosine analogs. High fidelity of noncanonical amino acid incorporation was verified with mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography and demonstrated that RC variants exhibit no significant structural alterations relative to wild type (WT). Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy indicates the excited primary electron donor, P*, decays via a ∼4-ps and a ∼20-ps population to produce the charge-separated state P+HA - in all variants. Global analysis indicates that in the ∼4-ps population, P+HA - forms through a two-step process, P*→ P+BA -→ P+HA -, while in the ∼20-ps population, it forms via a one-step P* → P+HA - superexchange mechanism. The percentage of the P* population that decays via the superexchange route varies from ∼25 to ∼45% among variants, while in WT, this percentage is ∼15%. Increases in the P* population that decays via superexchange correlate with increases in the free energy of the P+BA - intermediate caused by a given M210 tyrosine analog. This was experimentally estimated through resonance Stark spectroscopy, redox titrations, and near-infrared absorption measurements. As the most energetically perturbative variant, 3-nitrotyrosine at M210 creates an ∼110-meV increase in the free energy of P+BA - along with a dramatic diminution of the 1,030-nm transient absorption band indicative of P+BA - formation. Collectively, this work indicates the tyrosine at M210 tunes the mechanism of primary electron transfer in the RC.
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11
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Jones CM, Robkis DM, Blizzard RJ, Munari M, Venkatesh Y, Mihaila TS, Eddins AJ, Mehl RA, Zagotta WN, Gordon SE, Petersson EJ. Genetic encoding of a highly photostable, long lifetime fluorescent amino acid for imaging in mammalian cells. Chem Sci 2021; 12:11955-11964. [PMID: 34976337 PMCID: PMC8634729 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01914g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acridonylalanine (Acd) is a fluorescent amino acid that is highly photostable, with a high quantum yield and long fluorescence lifetime in water. These properties make it superior to existing genetically encodable fluorescent amino acids for monitoring protein interactions and conformational changes through fluorescence polarization or lifetime experiments, including fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Here, we report the genetic incorporation of Acd using engineered pyrrolysine tRNA synthetase (RS) mutants that allow for efficient Acd incorporation in both E. coli and mammalian cells. We compare protein yields and amino acid specificity for these Acd RSs to identify an optimal construct. We also demonstrate the use of Acd in FLIM, where its long lifetime provides strong contrast compared to endogenous fluorophores and engineered fluorescent proteins, which have lifetimes less than 5 ns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe M Jones
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania 231 South 34th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania 3700 Hamilton Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - D Miklos Robkis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania 231 South 34th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania 3700 Hamilton Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Robert J Blizzard
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University 2011 Ag Life Sciences Building Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Mika Munari
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington 1705 NE Pacific St., Box 357290 Seattle WA 98195 USA
| | - Yarra Venkatesh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania 231 South 34th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Tiberiu S Mihaila
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania 231 South 34th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Alex J Eddins
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University 2011 Ag Life Sciences Building Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Ryan A Mehl
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University 2011 Ag Life Sciences Building Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - William N Zagotta
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington 1705 NE Pacific St., Box 357290 Seattle WA 98195 USA
| | - Sharona E Gordon
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington 1705 NE Pacific St., Box 357290 Seattle WA 98195 USA
| | - E James Petersson
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania 3700 Hamilton Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
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12
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Yu Z, Yu H, Tang H, Wang Z, Wu J, Yang L, Xu G. Site‐specifically Incorporated Non‐Canonical Amino Acids into
Pseudomonas alcaligenes
Lipase to Hydrolyze
L
‐menthol Propionate among the Eight Isomers. ChemCatChem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202100358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhonglang Yu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
| | - Haoran Yu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
| | - Haibin Tang
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd Hangzhou 310011 P. R. China
| | - Jianping Wu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
| | - Lirong Yang
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
| | - Gang Xu
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China
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13
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Tharp JM, Vargas-Rodriguez O, Schepartz A, Söll D. Genetic Encoding of Three Distinct Noncanonical Amino Acids Using Reprogrammed Initiator and Nonsense Codons. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:766-774. [PMID: 33723984 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
We recently described an orthogonal initiator tRNA (itRNATy2) that can initiate protein synthesis with noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) in response to the UAG nonsense codon. Here, we report that a mutant of itRNATy2 (itRNATy2AUA) can efficiently initiate translation in response to the UAU tyrosine codon, giving rise to proteins with an ncAA at their N-terminus. We show that, in cells expressing itRNATy2AUA, UAU can function as a dual-use codon that selectively encodes ncAAs at the initiating position and predominantly tyrosine at elongating positions. Using itRNATy2AUA, in conjunction with its cognate tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase and two mutually orthogonal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetases, we demonstrate that UAU can be reassigned along with UAG or UAA to encode two distinct ncAAs in the same protein. Furthermore, by engineering the substrate specificity of one of the pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetases, we developed a triply orthogonal system that enables simultaneous reassignment of UAU, UAG, and UAA to produce proteins containing three distinct ncAAs at precisely defined sites. To showcase the utility of this system, we produced proteins containing two or three ncAAs, with unique bioorthogonal functional groups, and demonstrate that these proteins can be separately modified with multiple fluorescent probes.
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14
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Ho JML, Miller CA, Parks SE, Mattia JR, Bennett M. A suppressor tRNA-mediated feedforward loop eliminates leaky gene expression in bacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e25. [PMID: 33290521 PMCID: PMC7969014 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ligand-inducible genetic systems are the mainstay of synthetic biology, allowing gene expression to be controlled by the presence of a small molecule. However, 'leaky' gene expression in the absence of inducer remains a persistent problem. We developed a leak dampener tool that drastically reduces the leak of inducible genetic systems while retaining signal in Escherichia coli. Our system relies on a coherent feedforward loop featuring a suppressor tRNA that enables conditional readthrough of silent non-sense mutations in a regulated gene, and this approach can be applied to any ligand-inducible transcription factor. We demonstrate proof-of-principle of our system with the lactate biosensor LldR and the arabinose biosensor AraC, which displayed a 70-fold and 630-fold change in output after induction of a fluorescence reporter, respectively, without any background subtraction. Application of the tool to an arabinose-inducible mutagenesis plasmid led to a 540-fold change in its output after induction, with leak decreasing to the level of background mutagenesis. This study provides a modular tool for reducing leak and improving the fold-induction within genetic circuits, demonstrated here using two types of biosensors relevant to cancer detection and genetic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne M L Ho
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Corwin A Miller
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Sydney E Parks
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jacob R Mattia
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Matthew R Bennett
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University MS-140, 6100 Main St. Houston, TX 77005, USA
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15
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Abstract
Within the broad field of synthetic biology, genetic code expansion (GCE) techniques enable creation of proteins with an expanded set of amino acids. This may be invaluable for applications in therapeutics, bioremediation, and biocatalysis. Central to GCE are aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) as they link a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) to their cognate tRNA, allowing ncAA incorporation into proteins on the ribosome. The ncAA-acylating aaRSs and their tRNAs should not cross-react with 20 natural aaRSs and tRNAs in the host, i.e., they need to function as an orthogonal translating system. All current orthogonal aaRS•tRNA pairs have been engineered from naturally occurring molecules to change the aaRS's amino acid specificity or assign the tRNA to a liberated codon of choice. Here we discuss the importance of orthogonality in GCE, laboratory techniques employed to create designer aaRSs and tRNAs, and provide an overview of orthogonal aaRS•tRNA pairs for GCE purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Krahn
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jeffery M Tharp
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ana Crnković
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Dieter Söll
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
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16
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Jiang HK, Wang YH, Weng JH, Kurkute P, Li CL, Lee MN, Chen PJ, Tseng HW, Tsai MD, Wang YS. Probing the Active Site of Deubiquitinase USP30 with Noncanonical Tryptophan Analogues. Biochemistry 2020; 59:2205-2209. [PMID: 32484330 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Methanosarcina mazei pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and its cognate tRNA have been evolved to generate genetically encoded noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). Use of tryptophan (Trp) analogues with pyrrole ring modification for their spatial and polarity tuning in enzyme activity and substrate specificity is still limited. Herein, we report the application of an evolved PylRS, FOWRS2, for efficient incorporation of five Trp analogues into the deubiquitinase USP30 to decipher the role of W475 for diubiquitin selectivity. Structures of the five FOWRS-C/Trp analogue complexes at 1.7-2.5 Å resolution showed multiple ncAA binding modes. The W475 near the USP30 active site was replaced with Trp analogues, and the effect on the activity as well as the selectivity toward diubiquitin linkage types was examined. It was found that the Trp analogue with a formyl group attached to the nitrogen atom of the indole ring led to an improved activity of USP30 likely due to enhanced polar interactions and that another Trp analogue, 3-benzothienyl-l-alanine, induced a unique K6-specificity. Collectively, genetically encoded noncanonical Trp analogues by evolved PylRS·tRNACUAPyl pair unravel the spatial role of USP30-W475 in its diubiquitin selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Kai Jiang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hui Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hung Weng
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Prashant Kurkute
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Lung Li
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Man-Nee Lee
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jung Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hsueh-Wei Tseng
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Daw Tsai
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yane-Shih Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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17
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Nödling AR, Spear LA, Williams TL, Luk LYP, Tsai YH. Using genetically incorporated unnatural amino acids to control protein functions in mammalian cells. Essays Biochem 2019; 63:237-266. [PMID: 31092687 PMCID: PMC6610526 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20180042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion allows unnatural (non-canonical) amino acid incorporation into proteins of interest by repurposing the cellular translation machinery. The development of this technique has enabled site-specific incorporation of many structurally and chemically diverse amino acids, facilitating a plethora of applications, including protein imaging, engineering, mechanistic and structural investigations, and functional regulation. Particularly, genetic code expansion provides great tools to study mammalian proteins, of which dysregulations often have important implications in health. In recent years, a series of methods has been developed to modulate protein function through genetically incorporated unnatural amino acids. In this review, we will first discuss the basic concept of genetic code expansion and give an up-to-date list of amino acids that can be incorporated into proteins in mammalian cells. We then focus on the use of unnatural amino acids to activate, inhibit, or reversibly modulate protein function by translational, optical or chemical control. The features of each approach will also be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luke A Spear
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas L Williams
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
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18
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Abstract
Expanding the genetic code to enable the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in biological systems provides a powerful tool for studying protein structure and function. While this technology has been mostly developed and applied in bacterial and mammalian cells, it recently expanded into animals, including worms, fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice. In this review, we highlight recent advances toward the methodology development of genetic code expansion in animal model organisms. We further illustrate the applications, including proteomic labeling in fruit flies and mice and optical control of protein function in mice and zebrafish. We summarize the challenges of unnatural amino acid mutagenesis in animals and the promising directions toward broad application of this emerging technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, United States
| | - Jihe Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, United States
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19
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Muzika M, Muskat NH, Sarid S, Ben-David O, Mehl RA, Arbely E. Chemically-defined lactose-based autoinduction medium for site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins. RSC Adv 2018; 8:25558-25567. [PMID: 30713681 PMCID: PMC6333248 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra04359k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic code expansion technology enables the site-specific incorporation of dozens of non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs) into proteins expressed in live cells. The NCAAs can introduce various chemical functionalities into proteins, ranging from natural post-translational modifications, to spectroscopic probes and chemical handles for bioorthogonal reactions. These chemical groups provide powerful tools for structural, biochemical, and biophysical studies, which may require significant quantities of recombinantly expressed proteins. NCAAs are usually encoded by an in-frame stop codon, such as the TAG (amber) stop codon, which leads to the expression of C-terminally truncated proteins. In addition, the incubation medium should be supplemented with the NCAA at a final concentration of 1–10 mM, which may be challenging when the availability of the NCAA is limited. Hence, bacterial expression of proteins carrying NCAAs can benefit from improvement in protein yield per given amount of added NCAA. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of an optimized chemically-defined lactose-based autoinduction (AI) medium to the expression of proteins carrying a NCAA, using the archaeal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair from the Methanosarcina genus. Per given amount of added NCAA, the use of AI medium improved protein expression levels by up to 3-fold, compared to IPTG induction, without an increase in misincorporation of canonical amino acids in response to the in-frame stop codon. The suggested medium composition can be used with various Escherichia coli variants transformed with different expression vectors and incubated at different temperatures. Optimized chemically-defined lactose-based autoinduction media for superior expression levels of proteins with non-canonical amino acids.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Muzika
- Department of Chemistry and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel. ; ; Tel: +972-(0)8-6428739
| | - Natali H Muskat
- Department of Chemistry and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel. ; ; Tel: +972-(0)8-6428739
| | - Shani Sarid
- Department of Chemistry and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel. ; ; Tel: +972-(0)8-6428739
| | - Oshrit Ben-David
- Department of Chemistry and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel. ; ; Tel: +972-(0)8-6428739
| | - Ryan A Mehl
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, Oregon, USA
| | - Eyal Arbely
- Department of Chemistry and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel. ; ; Tel: +972-(0)8-6428739.,Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
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20
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Fladischer P, Weingartner A, Blamauer J, Darnhofer B, Birner-Gruenberger R, Kardashliev T, Ruff AJ, Schwaneberg U, Wiltschi B. A Semi-Rationally Engineered Bacterial Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase Genetically Encodes Phenyl Azide Chemistry. Biotechnol J 2018; 14:e1800125. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Fladischer
- Acib − Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology; Petersgasse 14 A-8010 Graz Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology; Graz University of Technology; Graz Austria
| | - Alexandra Weingartner
- Acib − Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology; Petersgasse 14 A-8010 Graz Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology; Graz University of Technology; Graz Austria
| | - Johannes Blamauer
- Acib − Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology; Petersgasse 14 A-8010 Graz Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology; Graz University of Technology; Graz Austria
| | - Barbara Darnhofer
- Acib − Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology; Petersgasse 14 A-8010 Graz Austria
- Research Unit Functional Proteomics and Metabolomic Pathways; Institute of Pathology; Medical University of Graz; Graz Austria
- Omics Center Graz; BioTechMed-Graz; Graz Austria
| | - Ruth Birner-Gruenberger
- Research Unit Functional Proteomics and Metabolomic Pathways; Institute of Pathology; Medical University of Graz; Graz Austria
- Omics Center Graz; BioTechMed-Graz; Graz Austria
| | | | - Anna Joelle Ruff
- Lehrstuhl für Biotechnologie; RWTH Aachen University; Aachen Germany
| | | | - Birgit Wiltschi
- Acib − Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology; Petersgasse 14 A-8010 Graz Austria
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21
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Kakkar N, Perez JG, Liu WR, Jewett MC, van der Donk WA. Incorporation of Nonproteinogenic Amino Acids in Class I and II Lantibiotics. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:951-957. [PMID: 29439566 PMCID: PMC5910287 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.7b01024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products that contain thioether cross-links formed by lanthionine and methyllanthionine residues. They exert potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. We herein report production of analogues of two lantibiotics, lacticin 481 and nisin, that contain nonproteinogenic amino acids using two different strategies involving amber stop codon suppression technology. These methods complement recent alternative approaches to incorporate nonproteinogenic amino acids into lantibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Kakkar
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Roger Adams Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jessica G. Perez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Wenshe R. Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843m United States
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Wilfred A. van der Donk
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Roger Adams Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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22
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Lee YJ, Schmidt MJ, Tharp JM, Weber A, Koenig AL, Zheng H, Gao J, Waters ML, Summerer D, Liu WR. Genetically encoded fluorophenylalanines enable insights into the recognition of lysine trimethylation by an epigenetic reader. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 52:12606-12609. [PMID: 27711380 DOI: 10.1039/c6cc05959g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Fluorophenylalanines bearing 2-5 fluorine atoms at the phenyl ring have been genetically encoded by amber codon. Replacement of F59, a phenylalanine residue that is directly involved in interactions with trimethylated K9 of histone H3, in the Mpp8 chromodomain recombinantly with fluorophenylalanines significantly impairs the binding to a K9-trimethylated H3 peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jiun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA.
| | - M J Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jeffery M Tharp
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA.
| | - Annemarie Weber
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Amber L Koenig
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Boston, MA 02467, USA
| | - Hong Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jianmin Gao
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Marcey L Waters
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Boston, MA 02467, USA
| | - Daniel Summerer
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical University of Dortmund, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Wenshe R Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA.
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23
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Brabham R, Fascione MA. Pyrrolysine Amber Stop-Codon Suppression: Development and Applications. Chembiochem 2017; 18:1973-1983. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201700148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Brabham
- York Structural Biology Laboratory; Department of Chemistry; University of York; Heslington Road York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Martin A. Fascione
- York Structural Biology Laboratory; Department of Chemistry; University of York; Heslington Road York YO10 5DD UK
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24
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Sharma V, Wang YS, Liu WR. Probing the Catalytic Charge-Relay System in Alanine Racemase with Genetically Encoded Histidine Mimetics. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:3305-3309. [PMID: 27978711 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Histidine is a unique amino acid with an imidazole side chain in which both of the nitrogen atoms are capable of serving as a proton donor and proton acceptor in hydrogen bonding interactions. In order to probe the functional role of histidine involved in hydrogen bonding networks, fine-tuning the hydrogen bonding potential of the imidazole side chain is required but not feasible through traditional mutagenesis methods. Here, we show that two close mimetics of histidine, 3-methyl-histidine and thiazole alanine, can be genetically encoded using engineered pyrrolysine incorporation machinery. Replacement of the three histidine residues predicted to be involved in an extended charge-relay system in alanine racemase with 3-methyl-histidine or thiazole alanine shows a dramatic loss in the enzyme's catalytic efficiency, implying the role of this extended charge-relay system in activating the active site residue Y265, a general acid/base catalyst in the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vangmayee Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Yane-Shih Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Wenshe R. Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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25
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Ho JM, Reynolds NM, Rivera K, Connolly M, Guo LT, Ling J, Pappin DJ, Church GM, Söll D. Efficient Reassignment of a Frequent Serine Codon in Wild-Type Escherichia coli. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:163-71. [PMID: 26544153 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Expansion of the genetic code through engineering the translation machinery has greatly increased the chemical repertoire of the proteome. This has been accomplished mainly by read-through of UAG or UGA stop codons by the noncanonical aminoacyl-tRNA of choice. While stop codon read-through involves competition with the translation release factors, sense codon reassignment entails competition with a large pool of endogenous tRNAs. We used an engineered pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase to incorporate 3-iodo-l-phenylalanine (3-I-Phe) at a number of different serine and leucine codons in wild-type Escherichia coli. Quantitative LC-MS/MS measurements of amino acid incorporation yields carried out in a selected reaction monitoring experiment revealed that the 3-I-Phe abundance at the Ser208AGU codon in superfolder GFP was 65 ± 17%. This method also allowed quantification of other amino acids (serine, 33 ± 17%; phenylalanine, 1 ± 1%; threonine, 1 ± 1%) that compete with 3-I-Phe at both the aminoacylation and decoding steps of translation for incorporation at the same codon position. Reassignments of different serine (AGU, AGC, UCG) and leucine (CUG) codons with the matching tRNA(Pyl) anticodon variants were met with varying success, and our findings provide a guideline for the choice of sense codons to be reassigned. Our results indicate that the 3-iodo-l-phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (IFRS)/tRNA(Pyl) pair can efficiently outcompete the cellular machinery to reassign select sense codons in wild-type E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne M. Ho
- Department
of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | | | - Keith Rivera
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold
Spring Harbor, New York 11724, United States
| | - Morgan Connolly
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold
Spring Harbor, New York 11724, United States
| | | | | | - Darryl J. Pappin
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold
Spring Harbor, New York 11724, United States
| | - George M. Church
- Department
of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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26
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Bindman NA, Bobeica SC, Liu WR, van der Donk WA. Facile Removal of Leader Peptides from Lanthipeptides by Incorporation of a Hydroxy Acid. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:6975-8. [PMID: 26006047 PMCID: PMC4505723 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b04681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products typically involves a precursor peptide which contains a leader peptide that is important for the modification process, and that is removed in the final step by a protease. Genome mining efforts for new RiPPs are often hampered by the lack of a general method to remove the leader peptides. We describe here the incorporation of hydroxy acids into the precursor peptides in E. coli which results in connection of the leader peptide via an ester linkage that is readily cleaved by simple hydrolysis. We demonstrate the method for two lantibiotics, lacticin 481 and nukacin ISK-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah A. Bindman
- Department of Chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Silvia C. Bobeica
- Department of Chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Wenshe R. Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Wilfred A. van der Donk
- Department of Chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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27
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Lee YJ, Kurra Y, Yang Y, Torres-Kolbus J, Deiters A, Liu WR. Genetically encoded unstrained olefins for live cell labeling with tetrazine dyes. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 50:13085-8. [PMID: 25224663 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc06435f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A number of non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs) with unstrained olefins are genetically encoded using mutant pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase-tRNA(Pyl)(CUA) pairs. These NCAAs readily undergo inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder cycloadditions with tetrazine dyes, leading to selective labeling of proteins bearing these NCAAs in live cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jiun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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28
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Tuley A, Lee YJ, Wu B, Wang ZU, Liu WR. A genetically encoded aldehyde for rapid protein labelling. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 50:7424-6. [PMID: 24756176 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc02000f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Using a mutant pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase-tRNA(Pyl)(CUA) pair, 3-formyl-phenylalanine is genetically incorporated into proteins at amber mutation sites in Escherichia coli. This non-canonical amino acid readily reacts with hydroxylamine dyes, leading to rapid and site-selective protein labelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred Tuley
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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29
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Dumas A, Lercher L, Spicer CD, Davis BG. Designing logical codon reassignment - Expanding the chemistry in biology. Chem Sci 2015; 6:50-69. [PMID: 28553457 PMCID: PMC5424465 DOI: 10.1039/c4sc01534g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 327] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last decade, the ability to genetically encode unnatural amino acids (UAAs) has evolved rapidly. The programmed incorporation of UAAs into recombinant proteins relies on the reassignment or suppression of canonical codons with an amino-acyl tRNA synthetase/tRNA (aaRS/tRNA) pair, selective for the UAA of choice. In order to achieve selective incorporation, the aaRS should be selective for the designed tRNA and UAA over the endogenous amino acids and tRNAs. Enhanced selectivity has been achieved by transferring an aaRS/tRNA pair from another kingdom to the organism of interest, and subsequent aaRS evolution to acquire enhanced selectivity for the desired UAA. Today, over 150 non-canonical amino acids have been incorporated using such methods. This enables the introduction of a large variety of structures into proteins, in organisms ranging from prokaryote, yeast and mammalian cells lines to whole animals, enabling the study of protein function at a level that could not previously be achieved. While most research to date has focused on the suppression of 'non-sense' codons, recent developments are beginning to open up the possibility of quadruplet codon decoding and the more selective reassignment of sense codons, offering a potentially powerful tool for incorporating multiple amino acids. Here, we aim to provide a focused review of methods for UAA incorporation with an emphasis in particular on the different tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs exploited or developed, focusing upon the different UAA structures that have been incorporated and the logic behind the design and future creation of such systems. Our hope is that this will help rationalize the design of systems for incorporation of unexplored unnatural amino acids, as well as novel applications for those already known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaëlle Dumas
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Lukas Lercher
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Christopher D Spicer
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
| | - Benjamin G Davis
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK .
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30
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Piscotta FJ, Tharp JM, Liu WR, Link AJ. Expanding the chemical diversity of lasso peptide MccJ25 with genetically encoded noncanonical amino acids. Chem Commun (Camb) 2014; 51:409-12. [PMID: 25407838 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc07778d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Using the amber suppression approach, four noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) were used to replace existing amino acids at four positions in lasso peptide microcin J25 (MccJ25). The lasso peptide biosynthesis enzymes tolerated all four ncAAs and produced antibiotics with efficacy equivalent to wild-type in some cases. Given the rapid expansion of the genetically encoded ncAA pool, this study is the first to demonstrate an expedient method to significantly increase the chemical diversity of lasso peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank J Piscotta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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31
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Luo J, Uprety R, Naro Y, Chou C, Nguyen DP, Chin JW, Deiters A. Genetically encoded optochemical probes for simultaneous fluorescence reporting and light activation of protein function with two-photon excitation. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:15551-8. [PMID: 25341086 PMCID: PMC4333581 DOI: 10.1021/ja5055862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
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The site-specific
incorporation of three new coumarin lysine analogues
into proteins was achieved in bacterial and mammalian cells using
an engineered pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase system. The genetically encoded
coumarin lysines were successfully applied as fluorescent cellular
probes for protein localization and for the optical activation of
protein function. As a proof-of-principle, photoregulation of firefly
luciferase was achieved in live cells by caging a key lysine residue,
and excellent OFF to ON light-switching ratios were observed. Furthermore,
two-photon and single-photon optochemical control of EGFP maturation
was demonstrated, enabling the use of different, potentially orthogonal
excitation wavelengths (365, 405, and 760 nm) for the sequential activation
of protein function in live cells. These results demonstrate that
coumarin lysines are a new and valuable class of optical probes that
can be used for the investigation and regulation of protein structure,
dynamics, function, and localization in live cells. The small size
of coumarin, the site-specific incorporation, the application as both
a light-activated caging group and as a fluorescent probe, and the
broad range of excitation wavelengths are advantageous over other
genetically encoded photocontrol systems and provide a precise and
multifunctional tool for cellular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Luo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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32
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Kurra Y, Odoi KA, Lee YJ, Yang Y, Lu T, Wheeler SE, Torres-Kolbus J, Deiters A, Liu WR. Two rapid catalyst-free click reactions for in vivo protein labeling of genetically encoded strained alkene/alkyne functionalities. Bioconjug Chem 2014; 25:1730-8. [PMID: 25158039 PMCID: PMC4166034 DOI: 10.1021/bc500361d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
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Detailed
kinetic analyses of inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder
cycloaddition and nitrilimine-alkene/alkyne 1,3-diploar cycloaddition
reactions were conducted and the reactions were applied for rapid
protein bioconjugation. When reacted with a tetrazine or a diaryl
nitrilimine, strained alkene/alkyne entities including norbornene, trans-cyclooctene, and cyclooctyne displayed rapid kinetics.
To apply these “click” reactions for site-specific protein
labeling, five tyrosine derivatives that contain a norbornene, trans-cyclooctene, or cyclooctyne entity were genetically
encoded into proteins in Escherichia coli using an engineered pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase-tRNACUAPyl pair. Proteins
bearing these noncanonical amino acids were successively labeled with
a fluorescein tetrazine dye and a diaryl nitrilimine both in vitro
and in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadagiri Kurra
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University , College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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33
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Genetic code expansion and bioorthogonal labelling enables cell specific proteomics in an animal. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2014; 21:154-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2014] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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34
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Wan W, Tharp JM, Liu WR. Pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase: an ordinary enzyme but an outstanding genetic code expansion tool. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2014; 1844:1059-70. [PMID: 24631543 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Revised: 03/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The genetic incorporation of the 22nd proteinogenic amino acid, pyrrolysine (Pyl) at amber codon is achieved by the action of pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) together with its cognate tRNA(Pyl). Unlike most aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, PylRS displays high substrate side chain promiscuity, low selectivity toward its substrate α-amine, and low selectivity toward the anticodon of tRNA(Pyl). These unique but ordinary features of PylRS as an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase allow the Pyl incorporation machinery to be easily engineered for the genetic incorporation of more than 100 non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs) or α-hydroxy acids into proteins at amber codon and the reassignment of other codons such as ochre UAA, opal UGA, and four-base AGGA codons to code NCAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wan
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA
| | - Jeffery M Tharp
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA
| | - Wenshe R Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA.
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