1
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Liu X, Yang S, Sun M, Gao AX, Fan Z, Yang Y, Zheng P, Liu C, Li Y, Bai Z. Enhanced molecular stability of ApxII antigen during secretion in Corynebacterium glutamicum by rational design. J Biotechnol 2024; 394:73-84. [PMID: 39173715 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
ApxII is a vaccine antigen used to protect against porcine contagious pleuropneumonia, which is a significant threat to the pig industry. Here, we aimed to improve the proteolytic degradation stability of ApxII during its secretion by establishing a complete screening process of stable variants through bioinformatics and site-directed mutagenesis. We employed a combination of semi-rational and rational design strategies to create 34 single-point variants of ApxII. Among them, R114E and T115D variants exhibited better stability without compromising antigen activity. Furthermore, we constructed a multi-site variant, R114E/T115D, which demonstrated the best stability, activity, and yield. Protein stability and molecular dynamic analysis indicated that the greater solubility and lower structural expansion coefficient might explain the increased stability of R114E/T115D. Additionally, site T115 was identified as a key point of truncated ApxII stability. The R114E/T115D variant, with its proven stability and intact antigenic activity, holds promising prospects for industrial-scale applications in the prevention of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuxia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Shujie Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Manman Sun
- Key laboratory of high magnetic field and Ion beam physical biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Alex Xiong Gao
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ziming Fan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yankun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Pei Zheng
- Tecon Biology CO.Ltd, Urumqi 83000, China
| | - Chunli Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Ye Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Zhonghu Bai
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214112, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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2
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Lino BR, Williams SJ, Castor ME, Van Deventer JA. Reaching New Heights in Genetic Code Manipulation with High Throughput Screening. Chem Rev 2024. [PMID: 39418482 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2024]
Abstract
The chemical and physical properties of proteins are limited by the 20 canonical amino acids. Genetic code manipulation allows for the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) that enhance or alter protein functionality. This review explores advances in the three main strategies for introducing ncAAs into biosynthesized proteins, focusing on the role of high throughput screening in these advancements. The first section discusses engineering aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) and tRNAs, emphasizing how novel selection methods improve characteristics including ncAA incorporation efficiency and selectivity. The second section examines high-throughput techniques for improving protein translation machinery, enabling accommodation of alternative genetic codes. This includes opportunities to enhance ncAA incorporation through engineering cellular components unrelated to translation. The final section highlights various discovery platforms for high-throughput screening of ncAA-containing proteins, showcasing innovative binding ligands and enzymes that are challenging to create with only canonical amino acids. These advances have led to promising drug leads and biocatalysts. Overall, the ability to discover unexpected functionalities through high-throughput methods significantly influences ncAA incorporation and its applications. Future innovations in experimental techniques, along with advancements in computational protein design and machine learning, are poised to further elevate this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana R Lino
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Sean J Williams
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Michelle E Castor
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - James A Van Deventer
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
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3
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Brouwer B, Della-Felice F, Illies JH, Iglesias-Moncayo E, Roelfes G, Drienovská I. Noncanonical Amino Acids: Bringing New-to-Nature Functionalities to Biocatalysis. Chem Rev 2024; 124:10877-10923. [PMID: 39329413 PMCID: PMC11467907 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00136] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 08/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Biocatalysis has become an important component of modern organic chemistry, presenting an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to synthetic transformations. Advances in molecular biology, computational modeling, and protein engineering have unlocked the full potential of enzymes in various industrial applications. However, the inherent limitations of the natural building blocks have sparked a revolutionary shift. In vivo genetic incorporation of noncanonical amino acids exceeds the conventional 20 amino acids, opening new avenues for innovation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of applications of noncanonical amino acids in biocatalysis. We aim to examine the field from multiple perspectives, ranging from their impact on enzymatic reactions to the creation of novel active sites, and subsequent catalysis of new-to-nature reactions. Finally, we discuss the challenges, limitations, and promising opportunities within this dynamic research domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Brouwer
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Franco Della-Felice
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Hendrik Illies
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Emilia Iglesias-Moncayo
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Roelfes
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ivana Drienovská
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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Pigula ML, Schultz PG. Recent advances in the expanding genetic code. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2024; 83:102537. [PMID: 39366132 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.102537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 10/06/2024]
Abstract
For over a billion years, the central dogma of biology has been limited largely to 20 canonical amino acids with relatively simple functionalities. The ability to rationally add new building blocks to the genetic code has enabled the site-specific incorporation of hundreds of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with novel properties into proteins in living organisms. Recent technological advances have enabled high level mammalian expression of proteins containing ncAAs, the use of unique codons to direct ncAA incorporation, extension of this methodology to a range of eukaryotic organisms, and the ability to encode building blocks beyond α-amino acids. These ncAAs have been used to study and control proteins in their native cellular context and to engineer enzymes and biotherapeutics with improved or novel properties. Herein we discuss recent developments in the field and potential future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Pigula
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Peter G Schultz
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
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5
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Jann C, Giofré S, Bhattacharjee R, Lemke EA. Cracking the Code: Reprogramming the Genetic Script in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes to Harness the Power of Noncanonical Amino Acids. Chem Rev 2024; 124:10281-10362. [PMID: 39120726 PMCID: PMC11441406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00878] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Over 500 natural and synthetic amino acids have been genetically encoded in the last two decades. Incorporating these noncanonical amino acids into proteins enables many powerful applications, ranging from basic research to biotechnology, materials science, and medicine. However, major challenges remain to unleash the full potential of genetic code expansion across disciplines. Here, we provide an overview of diverse genetic code expansion methodologies and systems and their final applications in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, represented by Escherichia coli and mammalian cells as the main workhorse model systems. We highlight the power of how new technologies can be first established in simple and then transferred to more complex systems. For example, whole-genome engineering provides an excellent platform in bacteria for enabling transcript-specific genetic code expansion without off-targets in the transcriptome. In contrast, the complexity of a eukaryotic cell poses challenges that require entirely new approaches, such as striving toward establishing novel base pairs or generating orthogonally translating organelles within living cells. We connect the milestones in expanding the genetic code of living cells for encoding novel chemical functionalities to the most recent scientific discoveries, from optimizing the physicochemical properties of noncanonical amino acids to the technological advancements for their in vivo incorporation. This journey offers a glimpse into the promising developments in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Jann
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB
Postdoc Programme (IPPro), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sabrina Giofré
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB
Postdoc Programme (IPPro), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Rajanya Bhattacharjee
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB
International PhD Programme (IPP), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Edward A. Lemke
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute
of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128 Mainz, Germany
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6
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Schultz PG. Synthesis at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology. Acc Chem Res 2024; 57:2631-2642. [PMID: 39198974 PMCID: PMC11443489 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00320] [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: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusChemical synthesis as a tool to control the structure and properties of matter is at the heart of chemistry─from the synthesis of fine chemicals and polymers to drugs and solid-state materials. But as the field evolves to tackle larger and larger molecules and molecular complexes, the traditional tools of synthetic chemistry become limiting. In contrast, Mother Nature has developed very different strategies to create the macromolecules and molecular systems that make up the living cell. Our focus has been to ask whether we can use the synthetic strategies and machinery of Mother Nature, together with modern chemical tools, to create new macromolecules, and even whole organisms with properties not existing in nature. One such example involves reprogramming the complex, multicomponent machinery of ribosomal protein synthesis to add new building blocks to the genetic code, overcoming a billion-year constraint on the chemical nature of proteins. This methodology exploits the concept of bioorthogonality to add unique codons, tRNAs and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to cells to encode amino acids with physical, chemical and biological properties not found in nature. As a result, we can make precise changes to the structures of proteins, much like those made by chemists to small molecules and beyond those possible by biological approaches alone. This technology has made it possible to probe protein structure and function in vitro and in vivo in ways heretofore not possible, and to make therapeutic proteins with enhanced pharmacology. A second example involves exploiting the molecular diversity of the humoral immune system together with synthetic transition state analogues to make catalytic antibodies, and then expanding this diversity-based strategy (new to chemists at the time) to drug discovery and materials science. This work ushered in a new nature-inspired synthetic strategy in which large libraries of natural or synthetic molecules are designed and then rationally selected or screened for new function, increasing the efficiency by which we can explore chemical space for new physical, chemical and biological properties. A final example is the use of large chemical libraries, robotics and high throughput phenotypic cellular screens to identify small synthetic molecules that can be used to probe and manipulate the complex biology of the cell, exemplified by druglike molecules that control cell fate. This approach provides new insights into complex biology that complements genomic approaches and can lead to new drugs that act by novel mechanisms of action, for example to selectively regenerate tissues. These and other advances have been made possible by using our knowledge of molecular structure and reactivity hand in hand with our understanding of and ability to manipulate the complex machinery of living cells, opening a new frontier in synthesis. This Account overviews the work in my lab and with our collaborators, from our early days to the present, that revolves around this central theme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter G. Schultz
- Department of Chemistry,
L.S. Sam Skaggs Presidential Chair, Scripps
Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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7
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Choi J, Ahn J, Bae J, Yoon M, Yun H, Koh M. Designing a Novel Temperature- and Noncanonical Amino Acid-Controlled Biological Logic Gate in Escherichia coli. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:2587-2599. [PMID: 39110782 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion (GCE) is a powerful strategy that expands the genetic code of an organism for incorporating noncanonical amino acids into proteins using engineered tRNAs and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs). While GCE has opened up new possibilities for synthetic biology, little is known about the potential side effects of exogenous aaRS/tRNA pairs. In this study, we investigated the impact of exogenous aaRS and amber suppressor tRNA on gene expression in Escherichia coli. We discovered that in DH10β ΔcyaA, transformed with the F1RP/F2P two-hybrid system, the high consumption rate of cellular adenosine triphosphate by exogenous aaRS/tRNA at elevated temperatures induces temperature sensitivity in the expression of genes regulated by the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP). We harnessed this temperature sensitivity to create a novel biological AND gate in E. coli, responsive to both p-benzoylphenylalanine (BzF) and low temperature, using a BzF-dependent variant of E. coli chorismate mutase and split subunits of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase. Our study provides new insights into the unexpected effects of exogenous aaRS/tRNA pairs and offers a new approach for constructing a biological logic gate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongdoo Choi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyeun Ahn
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Bae
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Moonsang Yoon
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwayoung Yun
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Minseob Koh
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
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8
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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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9
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Ray D, Chamlagai D, Kumar S, Mukhopadhyay S, Chakrabarty S, Aswal VK, Mitra S. Molecular Insights into the Conformational and Binding Behaviors of Human Serum Albumin Induced by Surface-Active Ionic Liquids. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:6622-6637. [PMID: 38937939 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Extensive research has been carried out to investigate the stability and function of human serum albumin (HSA) when exposed to surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) with different head groups (imidazolium, morpholinium, and pyridinium) and alkyl chain lengths (ranging from decyl to tetradecyl). Analysis of the protein fluorescence spectra indicates noticeable changes in the secondary structure of HSA with varying concentrations of all SAILs tested. Helicity calculations based on the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data show that HSA becomes more organized at the micellar concentration of SAILs, leading to an increased protein activity at this level. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data confirm the formation of a bead-necklace structure between the SAILs and HSA. Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results identify several hotspots on the protein surface for interaction with SAIL, which results in the modulation of protein conformational fluctuation and stability. Furthermore, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments with the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) probe trans-ethyl p-(dimethylamino) cinnamate (EDAC) demonstrate that higher alkyl chain lengths and SAIL concentrations result in a significantly increased energy transfer efficiency. The findings of this study provide a detailed molecular-level understanding of how the protein structure and function are affected by the presence of SAILs, with potential implications for a wide range of applications involving protein-SAIL composite systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhiman Ray
- Department of Chemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793 022, India
| | - Dipak Chamlagai
- Department of Chemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793 022, India
| | - Sugam Kumar
- Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India
| | - Sutanu Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Suman Chakrabarty
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Vinod K Aswal
- Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India
| | - Sivaprasad Mitra
- Department of Chemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793 022, India
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10
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Cao L, Wang L. Biospecific Chemistry for Covalent Linking of Biomacromolecules. Chem Rev 2024; 124:8516-8549. [PMID: 38913432 PMCID: PMC11240265 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Interactions among biomacromolecules, predominantly noncovalent, underpin biological processes. However, recent advancements in biospecific chemistry have enabled the creation of specific covalent bonds between biomolecules, both in vitro and in vivo. This Review traces the evolution of biospecific chemistry in proteins, emphasizing the role of genetically encoded latent bioreactive amino acids. These amino acids react selectively with adjacent natural groups through proximity-enabled bioreactivity, enabling targeted covalent linkages. We explore various latent bioreactive amino acids designed to target different protein residues, ribonucleic acids, and carbohydrates. We then discuss how these novel covalent linkages can drive challenging protein properties and capture transient protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions in vivo. Additionally, we examine the application of covalent peptides as potential therapeutic agents and site-specific conjugates for native antibodies, highlighting their capacity to form stable linkages with target molecules. A significant focus is placed on proximity-enabled reactive therapeutics (PERx), a pioneering technology in covalent protein therapeutics. We detail its wide-ranging applications in immunotherapy, viral neutralization, and targeted radionuclide therapy. Finally, we present a perspective on the existing challenges within biospecific chemistry and discuss the potential avenues for future exploration and advancement in this rapidly evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Cao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The Cardiovascular Research Institute, and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The Cardiovascular Research Institute, and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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11
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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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12
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Yang Y, Zhang J, Yang J, Luo H, Sun Y, Ke F, Wang Q, Gao X. Directed evolution of the fluorescent protein CGP with in situ biosynthesized noncanonical amino acids. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0186323. [PMID: 38446072 PMCID: PMC11022568 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01863-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins can enhance their function beyond the abilities of canonical amino acids and even generate new functions. However, the ncAAs used for such research are usually chemically synthesized, which is expensive and hinders their application on large industrial scales. We believe that the biosynthesis of ncAAs using metabolic engineering and their employment in situ in target protein engineering with genetic code expansion could overcome these limitations. As a proof of principle, we biosynthesized four ncAAs, O-L-methyltyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and 5-chloro-L-tryptophan using metabolic engineering and directly evolved the fluorescent consensus green protein (CGP) by combination with nine other exogenous ncAAs in Escherichia coli. After screening a TAG scanning library expressing 13 ncAAs, several variants with enhanced fluorescence and stability were identified. The variants CGPV3pMeoF/K190pMeoF and CGPG20pMeoF/K190pMeoF expressed with biosynthetic O-L-methyltyrosine showed an approximately 1.4-fold improvement in fluorescence compared to the original level, and a 2.5-fold improvement in residual fluorescence after heat treatment. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of integrating metabolic engineering, genetic code expansion, and directed evolution in engineered cells to employ biosynthetic ncAAs in protein engineering. These results could further promote the application of ncAAs in protein engineering and enzyme evolution. IMPORTANCE Noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) have shown great potential in protein engineering and enzyme evolution through genetic code expansion. However, in most cases, ncAAs must be provided exogenously during protein expression, which hinders their application, especially when they are expensive or have poor cell membrane penetration. Engineering cells with artificial metabolic pathways to biosynthesize ncAAs and employing them in situ for protein engineering and enzyme evolution could facilitate their application and reduce costs. Here, we attempted to evolve the fluorescent consensus green protein (CGP) with biosynthesized ncAAs. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of using biosynthesized ncAAs in protein engineering, which could further stimulate the application of ncAAs in bioengineering and biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Huiwen Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yingjie Sun
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Famin Ke
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Dazhou Vocational College of Chinese Medicine, Dazhou, China
| | - Xiaowei Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Dazhou Vocational College of Chinese Medicine, Dazhou, China
- Green Pharmaceutical Technology Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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13
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Percec V, Sahoo D. From Frank-Kasper, Quasicrystals, and Biological Membrane Mimics to Reprogramming In Vivo the Living Factory to Target the Delivery of mRNA with One-Component Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1353-1370. [PMID: 38232372 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01390] [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: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
This Perspective is dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of Biomacromolecules. It provides a personal view on the developing field of the polymer and biology interface over the 25 years since the journal was launched by the American Chemical Society (ACS). This Perspective is meant to bridge an article published in the first issue of the journal and recent bioinspired developments in the laboratory of the corresponding author. The discovery of supramolecular spherical helices self-organizing into Frank-Kasper and quasicrystals as models of icosahedral viruses, as well as of columnar helical assemblies that mimic rodlike viruses by supramolecular dendrimers, is briefly presented. The transplant of these assemblies from supramolecular dendrimers to block copolymers, giant surfactants, and other self-organized soft matter follows. Amphiphilic self-assembling Janus dendrimers and glycodendrimers as mimics of biological membranes and their glycans are discussed. New concepts derived from them that evolved in the in vivo targeted delivery of mRNA with the simplest one-component synthetic vector systems are introduced. Some synthetic methodologies employed during the synthesis and self-assembly are explained. Unraveling bioinspired applications of novel materials concludes this brief 25th Anniversary Perspective of Biomacromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virgil Percec
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6323, United States
| | - Dipankar Sahoo
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6323, United States
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14
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Song X, Bai S, Li Y, Yi T, Long X, Pu Q, Dang T, Ma M, Ren Q, Qin X. Expedient and divergent synthesis of unnatural peptides through cobalt-catalyzed diastereoselective umpolung hydrogenation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadk4950. [PMID: 38117889 PMCID: PMC10732522 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
The development of a reliable method for asymmetric synthesis of unnatural peptides is highly desirable and particularly challenging. In this study, we present a versatile and efficient approach that uses cobalt-catalyzed diastereoselective umpolung hydrogenation to access noncanonical aryl alanine peptides. This protocol demonstrates good tolerance toward various functional groups, amino acid sequences, and peptide lengths. Moreover, the versatility of this reaction is illustrated by its successful application in the late-stage functionalization and formal synthesis of various representative chiral natural products and pharmaceutical scaffolds. This strategy eliminates the need for synthesizing chiral noncanonical aryl alanines before peptide formation, and the hydrogenation reaction does not result in racemization or epimerization. The underlying mechanism was extensively explored through deuterium labeling, control experiments, HRMS identification, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, which supported a reasonable CoI/CoIII catalytic cycle. Notably, acetic acid and methanol serve as safe and cost-effective hydrogen sources, while indium powder acts as the terminal electron source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinjian Song
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Shuangyi Bai
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Li
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Tong Yi
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Xinyu Long
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Qinghua Pu
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Ting Dang
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Mengjie Ma
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Qiao Ren
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
| | - Xurong Qin
- Engineering Research Center of Coptis Development and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing, 400715, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, No. 94 Wei Jin Road, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
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15
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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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16
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Xu SY, Zhou L, Xu Y, Hong HY, Dai C, Wang YJ, Zheng YG. Recent advances in structure-based enzyme engineering for functional reconstruction. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:3427-3445. [PMID: 37638646 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Structural information can help engineer enzymes. Usually, specific amino acids in particular regions are targeted for functional reconstruction to enhance the catalytic performance, including activity, stereoselectivity, and thermostability. Appropriate selection of target sites is the key to structure-based design, which requires elucidation of the structure-function relationships. Here, we summarize the mutations of residues in different specific regions, including active center, access tunnels, and flexible loops, on fine-tuning the catalytic performance of enzymes, and discuss the effects of altering the local structural environment on the functions. In addition, we keep up with the recent progress of structure-based approaches for enzyme engineering, aiming to provide some guidance on how to take advantage of the structural information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen-Yuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Xu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Han-Yue Hong
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Dai
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Ya-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
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17
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Liu F, He L, Dong S, Xuan J, Cui Q, Feng Y. Artificial Small Molecules as Cofactors and Biomacromolecular Building Blocks in Synthetic Biology: Design, Synthesis, Applications, and Challenges. Molecules 2023; 28:5850. [PMID: 37570818 PMCID: PMC10421094 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28155850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Enzymes are essential catalysts for various chemical reactions in biological systems and often rely on metal ions or cofactors to stabilize their structure or perform functions. Improving enzyme performance has always been an important direction of protein engineering. In recent years, various artificial small molecules have been successfully used in enzyme engineering. The types of enzymatic reactions and metabolic pathways in cells can be expanded by the incorporation of these artificial small molecules either as cofactors or as building blocks of proteins and nucleic acids, which greatly promotes the development and application of biotechnology. In this review, we summarized research on artificial small molecules including biological metal cluster mimics, coenzyme analogs (mNADs), designer cofactors, non-natural nucleotides (XNAs), and non-natural amino acids (nnAAs), focusing on their design, synthesis, and applications as well as the current challenges in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghua Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lingling He
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Sheng Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jinsong Xuan
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qiu Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yingang Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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18
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19
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Twitty JC, Hong Y, Garcia B, Tsang S, Liao J, Schultz DM, Hanisak J, Zultanski SL, Dion A, Kalyani D, Watson MP. Diversifying Amino Acids and Peptides via Deaminative Reductive Cross-Couplings Leveraging High-Throughput Experimentation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:5684-5695. [PMID: 36853652 PMCID: PMC10117303 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
A deaminative reductive coupling of amino acid pyridinium salts with aryl bromides has been developed to enable efficient synthesis of noncanonical amino acids and diversification of peptides. This method transforms natural, commercially available lysine, ornithine, diaminobutanoic acid, and diaminopropanoic acid to aryl alanines and homologated derivatives with varying chain lengths. Attractive features include ability to transverse scales, tolerance of pharma-relevant (hetero)aryls and biorthogonal functional groups, and the applicability beyond monomeric amino acids to short and macrocyclic peptide substrates. The success of this work relied on high-throughput experimentation to identify complementary reaction conditions that proved critical for achieving the coupling of a broad scope of aryl bromides with a range of amino acid and peptide substrates including macrocyclic peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Cameron Twitty
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Yun Hong
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Bria Garcia
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Stephanie Tsang
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jennie Liao
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Danielle M. Schultz
- Department of Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., MRL, Rahway, NJ 07065, United States
| | - Jennifer Hanisak
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Susan L. Zultanski
- Department of Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., MRL, Rahway, NJ 07065, United States
| | - Amelie Dion
- Department of Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., MRL, Rahway, NJ 07065, United States
| | - Dipannita Kalyani
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Mary P. Watson
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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20
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Lugtenburg T, Gran-Scheuch A, Drienovská I. Non-canonical amino acids as a tool for the thermal stabilization of enzymes. Protein Eng Des Sel 2023; 36:gzad003. [PMID: 36897290 PMCID: PMC10064326 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Biocatalysis has become a powerful alternative for green chemistry. Expanding the range of amino acids used in protein biosynthesis can improve industrially appealing properties such as enantioselectivity, activity and stability. This review will specifically delve into the thermal stability improvements that non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) can confer to enzymes. Methods to achieve this end, such as the use of halogenated ncAAs, selective immobilization and rational design, will be discussed. Additionally, specific enzyme design considerations using ncAAs are discussed along with the benefits and limitations of the various approaches available to enhance the thermal stability of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lugtenburg
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Gran-Scheuch
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ivana Drienovská
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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21
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Wang Z, Rabb JD, Lin Q. Orthogonal Crosslinking: A Strategy to Generate Novel Protein Topology and Function. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202202828. [PMID: 36251567 PMCID: PMC9839582 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202202828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Compared to the disulfide bond, other naturally occurring intramolecular crosslinks have received little attention, presumably due to their rarity in the vast protein space. Here we presented examples of natural non-disulfide crosslinks, which we refer to as orthogonal crosslinks, emphasizing their effect on protein topology and function. We summarize recent efforts on expanding orthogonal crosslinks by using either the enzymes that catalyze protein circularization or the genetic code expansion strategy to add electrophilic amino acids site-specifically in proteins. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed, along with their applications to generate novel protein topology and function. In particular, we highlight our recent work on spontaneous orthogonal crosslinking, in which a carbamate-based crosslink was generated in situ, and its applications in designing orthogonally crosslinked domain antibodies with their topology-mimicking bacterial adhesins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000, USA
| | - Johnathan D Rabb
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000, USA
| | - Qing Lin
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000, USA
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22
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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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23
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Liu X, Liu P, Li H, Xu Z, Jia L, Xia Y, Yu M, Tang W, Zhu X, Chen C, Zhang Y, Nango E, Tanaka R, Luo F, Kato K, Nakajima Y, Kishi S, Yu H, Matsubara N, Owada S, Tono K, Iwata S, Yu LJ, Shen JR, Wang J. Excited-state intermediates in a designer protein encoding a phototrigger caught by an X-ray free-electron laser. Nat Chem 2022; 14:1054-1060. [DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-00992-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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24
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Li Y, Li P, Ke Y, Yu X, Yu W, Wen K, Shen J, Wang Z. A rare monoclonal antibody discovery based on indirect competitive screening of a single hapten-specific rabbit antibody secreting cell. Analyst 2022; 147:2942-2952. [PMID: 35674177 DOI: 10.1039/d2an00678b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A rare antibody that is able to tolerate physio-chemical factors is preferred and highly demanded in diagnosis and therapy. Rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RmAbs) are distinguished owing to their high affinity and stability. However, the efficiency and availability of traditional methods for RmAb discovery are limited, particularly for small molecules. Here, we present an indirect competitive screening method in nanowells, named CSMN, for single rabbit antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) selection with 20.6 h and propose an efficient platform for RmAb production against small molecules within 5.8 days for the first time. Chloramphenicol (CAP) as an antibacterial agent poses a great threat to public health. We applied CSMN to select CAP-specific ASCs and produced one high-affinity RmAb, surprisingly showed extremely halophilic properties with an IC50 of 0.08 ng mL-1 in the saturated salt solution, which has not yet been seen for other antibodies. The molecular dynamic simulation showed that the negatively charged surface improved the stability of the RmAb structure with additional disulfide bonds compared with mouse antibodies. Moreover, the reduced solvent accessible surface area of the binding pocket increased the interactions of RmAb with CAP in a saturated salt solution. Furthermore, RmAb was used to develop an immunoassay for the detection of CAP in real biological samples with simple pretreatment, shorter assay time, and higher sensitivity. The results demonstrated that the practical and efficient CSMN is suitable for rare RmAb discovery against small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Peipei Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yuebin Ke
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology of Shenzhen, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 518000 Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuezhi Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wenbo Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kai Wen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianzhong Shen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhanhui Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, 100193 Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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25
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Abstract
The ability to design efficient enzymes from scratch would have a profound effect on chemistry, biotechnology and medicine. Rapid progress in protein engineering over the past decade makes us optimistic that this ambition is within reach. The development of artificial enzymes containing metal cofactors and noncanonical organocatalytic groups shows how protein structure can be optimized to harness the reactivity of nonproteinogenic elements. In parallel, computational methods have been used to design protein catalysts for diverse reactions on the basis of fundamental principles of transition state stabilization. Although the activities of designed catalysts have been quite low, extensive laboratory evolution has been used to generate efficient enzymes. Structural analysis of these systems has revealed the high degree of precision that will be needed to design catalysts with greater activity. To this end, emerging protein design methods, including deep learning, hold particular promise for improving model accuracy. Here we take stock of key developments in the field and highlight new opportunities for innovation that should allow us to transition beyond the current state of the art and enable the robust design of biocatalysts to address societal needs.
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26
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Hans S, Kumar N, Gohil N, Khambhati K, Bhattacharjee G, Deb SS, Maurya R, Kumar V, Reshamwala SMS, Singh V. Rebooting life: engineering non-natural nucleic acids, proteins and metabolites in microorganisms. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:100. [PMID: 35643549 PMCID: PMC9148472 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01828-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The surging demand of value-added products has steered the transition of laboratory microbes to microbial cell factories (MCFs) for facilitating production of large quantities of important native and non-native biomolecules. This shift has been possible through rewiring and optimizing different biosynthetic pathways in microbes by exercising frameworks of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology principles. Advances in genome and metabolic engineering have provided a fillip to create novel biomolecules and produce non-natural molecules with multitude of applications. To this end, numerous MCFs have been developed and employed for production of non-natural nucleic acids, proteins and different metabolites to meet various therapeutic, biotechnological and industrial applications. The present review describes recent advances in production of non-natural amino acids, nucleic acids, biofuel candidates and platform chemicals.
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27
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Iannuzzelli J, Bacik JP, Moore EJ, Shen Z, Irving EM, Vargas DA, Khare SD, Ando N, Fasan R. Tuning Enzyme Thermostability via Computationally Guided Covalent Stapling and Structural Basis of Enhanced Stabilization. Biochemistry 2022; 61:1041-1054. [PMID: 35612958 PMCID: PMC9178789 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Enhancing the thermostability of enzymes without impacting their catalytic function represents an important yet challenging goal in protein engineering and biocatalysis. We recently introduced a novel method for enzyme thermostabilization that relies on the computationally guided installation of genetically encoded thioether "staples" into a protein via cysteine alkylation with the noncanonical amino acid O-2-bromoethyl tyrosine (O2beY). Here, we demonstrate the functionality of an expanded set of electrophilic amino acids featuring chloroacetamido, acrylamido, and vinylsulfonamido side-chain groups for protein stapling using this strategy. Using a myoglobin-based cyclopropanase as a model enzyme, our studies show that covalent stapling with p-chloroacetamido-phenylalanine (pCaaF) provides higher stapling efficiency and enhanced stability (thermodynamic and kinetic) compared to the other stapled variants and the parent protein. Interestingly, molecular simulations of conformational flexibility of the cross-links show that the pCaaF staple allows fewer energetically feasible conformers than the other staples, and this property may be a broader indicator of stability enhancement. Using this strategy, pCaaF-stapled variants with significantly enhanced stability against thermal denaturation (ΔTm' = +27 °C) and temperature-induced heme loss (ΔT50 = +30 °C) were obtained while maintaining high levels of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity. Crystallographic analyses of singly and doubly stapled variants provide key insights into the structural basis for stabilization, which includes both direct interactions of the staples with protein residues and indirect interactions through adjacent residues involved in heme binding. This work expands the toolbox of protein stapling strategies available for protein stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob
A. Iannuzzelli
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - John-Paul Bacik
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
| | - Eric J. Moore
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Zhuofan Shen
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers
University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Ellen M. Irving
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - David A. Vargas
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Sagar D. Khare
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers
University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Nozomi Ando
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
| | - Rudi Fasan
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
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28
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Zhang H, Gong X, Zhao Q, Mukai T, Vargas-Rodriguez O, Zhang H, Zhang Y, Wassel P, Amikura K, Maupin-Furlow J, Ren Y, Xu X, Wolf YI, Makarova K, Koonin E, Shen Y, Söll D, Fu X. The tRNA discriminator base defines the mutual orthogonality of two distinct pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNAPyl pairs in the same organism. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4601-4615. [PMID: 35466371 PMCID: PMC9071458 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-specific incorporation of distinct non-canonical amino acids into proteins via genetic code expansion requires mutually orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs. Pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS)/tRNAPyl pairs are ideal for genetic code expansion and have been extensively engineered for developing mutually orthogonal pairs. Here, we identify two novel wild-type PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs simultaneously present in the deep-rooted extremely halophilic euryarchaeal methanogen Candidatus Methanohalarchaeum thermophilum HMET1, and show that both pairs are functional in the model halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii. These pairs consist of two different PylRS enzymes and two distinct tRNAs with dissimilar discriminator bases. Surprisingly, these two PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs display mutual orthogonality enabled by two unique features, the A73 discriminator base of tRNAPyl2 and a shorter motif 2 loop in PylRS2. In vivo translation experiments show that tRNAPyl2 charging by PylRS2 is defined by the enzyme's shortened motif 2 loop. Finally, we demonstrate that the two HMET1 PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs can simultaneously decode UAG and UAA codons for incorporation of two distinct noncanonical amino acids into protein. This example of a single base change in a tRNA leading to additional coding capacity suggests that the growth of the genetic code is not yet limited by the number of identity elements fitting into the tRNA structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Takahito Mukai
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Huiming Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuxing Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China,Sino-Danish College, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Paul Wassel
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Kazuaki Amikura
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Julie Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Yan Ren
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Yue Shen
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Yue Shen.
| | - Dieter Söll
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 203 4326200;
| | - Xian Fu
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Xian Fu.
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29
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Veale CGL, Talukdar A, Vauzeilles B. ICBS 2021: Looking Toward the Next Decade of Chemical Biology. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:728-743. [PMID: 35293726 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clinton G. L. Veale
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
| | - Arindam Talukdar
- Department of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4 Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Boris Vauzeilles
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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30
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Yin X, Zeng Y, Chen J, Liu L, Gao Z. Combined active pocket and hinge region engineering to develop an NADPH-dependent phenylglycine dehydrogenase. Bioorg Chem 2022; 120:105601. [PMID: 35033816 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.105601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
NADPH-dependent amino acid dehydrogenases (AADHs) are favorable enzymes to construct artificial biosynthetic pathways in whole-cell for high-value noncanonical amino acids (NcAAs) production. Glutamate dehydrogenases (GluDHs) represent attractive candidates for the development of novel NADPH-dependent AADHs. Here, we report the development of a novel NADPH-dependent phenylglycine dehydrogenase by combining active pocket engineering and hinge region engineering of a GluDH from Pseudomonas putida (PpGluDH). The active pocket of PpGluDH was firstly tailored to optimize its binding mode with bulky substrate α-oxobenzeneacetic acid (α-OA), and then, the hinge region was further engineered to tune the protein conformational dynamics, which finally resulted in a mutant M3 (T196A/T121I/L123D) with a 103-fold increase of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) toward α-OA. The M3 mutant exhibited high catalytic performance in both in vitro biocatalysis preparation and in vivo biosynthesis of l-phenylglycine, indicating its promising practical applications. Our results demonstrated that co-engineering of the active pocket and hinge region is an effective strategy for developing novel NADPH-dependent AADHs from GluDHs for NcAAs production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinjian Yin
- School of Marine Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519080, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Yujing Zeng
- School of Marine Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Jun Chen
- School of Marine Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Lan Liu
- School of Marine Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519080, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Zhizeng Gao
- School of Marine Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519080, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China.
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31
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Abstract
The maturation of chemical synthesis during the 20th century has elevated the discipline from a largely empirical into a rational science. This ability to purposefully craft matter at the molecular level has put chemists in a privileged position to contribute to progress in neighboring natural sciences. Recently, we have witnessed another major advance in the field in which chemists use chemical and biological "synthetic" methods together to alter the structures and properties of biological macromolecules in ways heretofore unimagined. This interdisciplinary approach to synthesis has even allowed us to expand upon the defining characteristics of living organisms at the molecular level. In this perspective, we present a case study for the successful addition of new chemistries to the fundamental processes of the central dogma of molecular biology, exemplified by the expansion of the genetic code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian S. Diercks
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- These authors contributed equally
| | - David A. Dik
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Peter G. Schultz
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- Lead contact
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32
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Zhu HQ, Tang XL, Zheng RC, Zheng YG. Recent advancements in enzyme engineering via site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 37:213. [PMID: 34741210 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03177-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
With increased attention to excellent biocatalysts, evolving methods based on nature or unnatural amino acid (UAAs) mutagenesis have become an important part of enzyme engineering. The emergence of powerful method through expanding the genetic code allows to incorporate UAAs with unique chemical functionalities into proteins, endowing proteins with more structural and functional features. To date, over 200 diverse UAAs have been incorporated site-specifically into proteins via this methodology and many of them have been widely exploited in the field of enzyme engineering, making this genetic code expansion approach possible to be a promising tool for modulating the properties of enzymes. In this context, we focus on how this robust method to specifically incorporate UAAs into proteins and summarize their applications in enzyme engineering for tuning and expanding the functional properties of enzymes. Meanwhile, we aim to discuss how the benefits can be achieved by using the genetically encoded UAAs. We hope that this method will become an integral part of the field of enzyme engineering in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang-Qin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Ling Tang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren-Chao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China. .,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
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33
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Crespi S, Vadivel D, Bellisario A, Dondi D. Computational Study of the Stability of Natural Amino Acid isomers. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:287-298. [PMID: 34739664 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09615-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The secular debate on the origin of life on our planet represents one of the open challenges for the scientific community. In this endeavour, chemistry has a pivotal role in disclosing novel scenarios that allow us to understand how the formation of simple organic molecules would be possible in the early primitive geological ages of Earth. Amino acids play a crucial role in biological processes. They are known to be formed in experiments simulating primitive conditions and were found in meteoric samples retrieved throughout the years. Understanding their formation is a key step for prebiotic chemistry. Following this reasoning, we performed a computational investigation over 100'000 structural isomers of natural amino acids. The results we have found suggest that natural amino acids are among the most thermodynamically stable structures and, therefore, one of the most probable ones to be synthesised among their possible isomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Crespi
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dhanalakshmi Vadivel
- Dipartimento Di Chimica, Università Di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy. .,Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Alfredo Bellisario
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Husargatan 3, 752 37, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Daniele Dondi
- Dipartimento Di Chimica, Università Di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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34
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Haim A, Neubacher S, Grossmann TN. Protein Macrocyclization for Tertiary Structure Stabilization. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2672-2679. [PMID: 34060202 PMCID: PMC8453710 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proteins possess unique molecular recognition capabilities and enzymatic activities, features that are usually tied to a particular tertiary structure. To make use of proteins for biotechnological and biomedical purposes, it is often required to enforce their tertiary structure in order to ensure sufficient stability under the conditions inherent to the application of interest. The introduction of intramolecular crosslinks has proven efficient in stabilizing native protein folds. Herein, we give an overview of methods that allow the macrocyclization of expressed proteins, discussing involved reaction mechanisms and structural implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Haim
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Incircular B.V.De Boelelaan 11081081 HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tom N. Grossmann
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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35
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Panikar SS, Banu N, Haramati J, Del Toro-Arreola S, Riera Leal A, Salas P. Nanobodies as efficient drug-carriers: Progress and trends in chemotherapy. J Control Release 2021; 334:389-412. [PMID: 33964364 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Nanobodies (Nb) have a promising future as a part of next generation chemodrug delivery systems. Nb, or VHH, are small (15 kDa) monomeric antibody fragments consisting of the antigen binding region of heavy chain antibodies. Heavy chain antibodies are naturally produced by camelids, however the structure of their VHH regions can be readily reproduced in industrial expression systems, such as bacteria or yeast. Due to their small size, high solubility, remarkable stability, manipulatable characteristics, excellent in vivo tissue penetration, conjugation advantages, and ease of production, Nb have many advantages when compared against their antibody precursors. In this review, we discuss the generation and selection of Nbs via phage display libraries for easy screening, and the conjugation techniques involved in creating target-specific nanocarriers. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent developments and perspectives in the field of Nb drug conjugates (NDCs) and Nb-based drug vehicles (NDv) with respect to antitumor therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Surendra Panikar
- Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 1-1010, Queretaro, Queretaro 76000, Mexico.
| | - Nehla Banu
- Instituto de Enfermedades Crónico-Degenerativas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Genómica, CUCS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
| | - Jesse Haramati
- Laboratorio de Inmunobiología, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Susana Del Toro-Arreola
- Instituto de Enfermedades Crónico-Degenerativas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Genómica, CUCS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Annie Riera Leal
- UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, 2921 Stockton Blvd, Rm 1630, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Pedro Salas
- Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 1-1010, Queretaro, Queretaro 76000, Mexico
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36
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Pagar AD, Patil MD, Flood DT, Yoo TH, Dawson PE, Yun H. Recent Advances in Biocatalysis with Chemical Modification and Expanded Amino Acid Alphabet. Chem Rev 2021; 121:6173-6245. [PMID: 33886302 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The two main strategies for enzyme engineering, directed evolution and rational design, have found widespread applications in improving the intrinsic activities of proteins. Although numerous advances have been achieved using these ground-breaking methods, the limited chemical diversity of the biopolymers, restricted to the 20 canonical amino acids, hampers creation of novel enzymes that Nature has never made thus far. To address this, much research has been devoted to expanding the protein sequence space via chemical modifications and/or incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). This review provides a balanced discussion and critical evaluation of the applications, recent advances, and technical breakthroughs in biocatalysis for three approaches: (i) chemical modification of cAAs, (ii) incorporation of ncAAs, and (iii) chemical modification of incorporated ncAAs. Furthermore, the applications of these approaches and the result on the functional properties and mechanistic study of the enzymes are extensively reviewed. We also discuss the design of artificial enzymes and directed evolution strategies for enzymes with ncAAs incorporated. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future perspectives for biocatalysis using the expanded amino acid alphabet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amol D Pagar
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Mahesh D Patil
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Dillon T Flood
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Tae Hyeon Yoo
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, 206 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16499, Korea
| | - Philip E Dawson
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Hyungdon Yun
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
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37
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Bi J, Jing X, Wu L, Zhou X, Gu J, Nie Y, Xu Y. Computational design of noncanonical amino acid-based thioether staples at N/C-terminal domains of multi-modular pullulanase for thermostabilization in enzyme catalysis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:577-585. [PMID: 33510863 PMCID: PMC7811066 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzyme thermostabilization is considered a critical and often obligatory step in biosynthesis, because thermostability is a significant property of enzymes that can be used to evaluate their feasibility for industrial applications. However, conventional strategies for thermostabilizing enzymes generally introduce non-covalent interactions and/or natural covalent bonds caused by natural amino acid substitutions, and the trade-off between the activity and stability of enzymes remains a challenge. Here, we developed a computationally guided strategy for constructing thioether staples by incorporating noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) into the more flexible N/C-terminal domains of the multi-modular pullulanase from Bacillus thermoleovorans (BtPul) to enhance its thermostability. First, potential thioether staples located in the N/C-terminal domains of BtPul were predicted using RosettaMatch. Next, eight variants involving stable thioether staples were precisely predicted using FoldX and Rosetta ddg_monomer. Six positive variants were obtained, of which T73(O2beY)-171C had a 157% longer half-life at 70 °C and an increase of 7.0 °C in T m, when compared with the wild-type (WT). T73(O2beY)-171C/T126F/A72R exhibited an even more improved thermostability, with a 211% increase in half-life at 70 °C and a 44% enhancement in enzyme activity compared with the WT, which was attributed to further optimization of the local interaction network. This work introduces and validates an efficient strategy for enhancing the thermostability and activity of multi-modular enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Bi
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xiaoran Jing
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Lunjie Wu
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xia Zhou
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jie Gu
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yao Nie
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Suqian Industrial Technology Research Institute of Jiangnan University, Suqian 223814, China
| | - Yan Xu
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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38
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Galindo Casas M, Stargardt P, Mairhofer J, Wiltschi B. Decoupling Protein Production from Cell Growth Enhances the Site-Specific Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids in E. coli. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:3052-3066. [PMID: 33150786 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The site-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins by amber stop codon suppression has become a routine method in academic laboratories. This approach requires an amber suppressor tRNACUA to read the amber codon and an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to charge the tRNACUA with the ncAA. However, a major drawback is the low yield of the mutant protein in comparison to the wild type. This effect primarily results from the competition of release factor 1 with the charged suppressor tRNACUA for the amber codon at the A-site of the ribosome. A number of laboratories have attempted to improve the incorporation efficiency of ncAAs with moderate results. We aimed at increasing the efficiency to produce high yields of ncAA-functionalized proteins in a scalable setting for industrial application. To do this, we inserted an ncAA into the enhanced green fluorescent protein and an antibody mimetic molecule using an industrial E. coli strain, which produces recombinant proteins independent of cell growth. The controlled decoupling of recombinant protein production from cell growth considerably increased the incorporation of the ncAA, producing substantially higher protein yields versus the reference E. coli strain BL21(DE3). The target proteins were expressed at high levels, and the ncAA was efficiently incorporated with excellent fidelity while the protein function was preserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meritxell Galindo Casas
- acib − Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology, 8010 Graz, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | | | | | - Birgit Wiltschi
- acib − Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology, 8010 Graz, Austria
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39
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Pandurangan S, Murugesan P, Ramudu KN, Krishnaswamy B, Ayyadurai N. Enhanced Cellular Uptake and Sustained Transdermal Delivery of Collagen for Skin Regeneration. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2020; 3:7540-7549. [PMID: 35019495 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study reports a method for transporting high molecular weight collagen for skin regeneration. An independent engineered enzymatic vehicle that has the ability for efficient transdermal delivery of regenerative biomaterial was developed for tissue regeneration. Collagen has been well recognized as a skin regeneration molecule due to its interaction with the extracellular matrix to stimulate skin cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the transdermal delivery of collagen poses a significant challenge due to its high molecular weight as well as a lack of efficient approaches. Here, to improve the transdermal delivery efficiency, α-1,4-glycosidic hydrolase was engineered with genetically encoded 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, which enhanced its biological activity as revealed by microscale thermophoresis. The remodeled catalytic pocket resulted in enhanced substrate binding activity of the enzyme with a predominant glycosaminoglycan (chondroitin sulfate) present in the extracellular matrix of the skin. The engineered enzyme rapidly opened up the skin extracellular matrix fiber (15 min) to ferry collagen across the wall, without disturbing the cellular bundle architecture. Confocal microscopy indicated that macromolecules had diffused three times deeper into the engineered enzyme-treated skin than the native enzyme-treated skin. Gene expression, histopathology, and hematology analysis also supported the penetration of macromolecules. Cytotoxicity (mammalian cell culture) and in vivo (Caenorhabditis elegans and Rattus noryegicus) studies revealed that the congener enzyme could potentially be used as a penetration enhancer, which is of paramount importance for the multimillion cosmetic industries. Hence, it offers promise as a pharmaceutical enzyme for transdermal delivery bioenhancement and dermatological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suryalakshmi Pandurangan
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600 020, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Central Leather Research Institute Campus, Chennai 600 020, India
| | | | - Kamini Numbi Ramudu
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600 020, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Central Leather Research Institute Campus, Chennai 600 020, India
| | | | - Niraikulam Ayyadurai
- Division of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600 020, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Central Leather Research Institute Campus, Chennai 600 020, India
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40
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Zhang C, Bai X, Dedkova LM, Hecht SM. Protein synthesis with conformationally constrained cyclic dipeptides. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115780. [PMID: 33007560 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
We have synthesized several conformationally constrained dipeptide analogues as possible substrates for incorporation into proteins. These have included three cyclic dipeptides formed from Boc derivatives of 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, ornithine and lysine, having 5-, 6-, and 7-membered lactam rings, respectively. These dipeptides were used to activate a suppressor tRNA transcript, the latter of which had been prepared by in vitro transcription. Using modified E. coli ribosomes described previously, these activated suppressor tRNAs enabled the incorporation of the three cyclic dipeptides into dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) at positions 18 and 49. The suppression yields increased with increasing lactam ring size and were found to proceed in suppression yields ranging from 3.4 to 8.9% at two different protein sites for the 5-, 6- and 7-membered lactam dipeptides. The greater facility of incorporation of the 7-membered lactam prompted us to prepare two 7-membered cyclic acylhydrazides (4 and 5) by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDCI)-mediated cyclization of amino acids having selectively protected hydrazine functional groups in their side chains. In common with the lactam dipeptides, acylhydrazide dipeptides 4 and 5 could be used to activate the same suppressor tRNA transcript and to incorporate the cyclic dipeptides into DHFR. They were incorporated into the same two DHFR sites in suppression yields ranging from 8.3 to 11.2%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhang
- Biodesign Center for BioEnergetics and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Xiaoguang Bai
- Biodesign Center for BioEnergetics and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Larisa M Dedkova
- Biodesign Center for BioEnergetics and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States.
| | - Sidney M Hecht
- Biodesign Center for BioEnergetics and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States.
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41
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Wilkinson HC, Dalby PA. Fine-tuning the activity and stability of an evolved enzyme active-site through noncanonical amino-acids. FEBS J 2020; 288:1935-1955. [PMID: 32897608 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Site-specific saturation mutagenesis within enzyme active sites can radically alter reaction specificity, though often with a trade-off in stability. Extending saturation mutagenesis with a range of noncanonical amino acids (ncAA) potentially increases the ability to improve activity and stability simultaneously. Previously, an Escherichia coli transketolase variant (S385Y/D469T/R520Q) was evolved to accept aromatic aldehydes not converted by wild-type. The aromatic residue Y385 was critical to the new acceptor substrate binding, and so was explored here beyond the natural aromatic residues, to probe side chain structure and electronics effects on enzyme function and stability. A series of five variants introduced decreasing aromatic ring electron density at position 385 in the order para-aminophenylalanine (pAMF), tyrosine (Y), phenylalanine (F), para-cyanophenylalanine (pCNF) and para-nitrophenylalanine (pNTF), and simultaneously modified the hydrogen-bonding potential of the aromatic substituent from accepting to donating. The fine-tuning of residue 385 yielded variants with a 43-fold increase in specific activity for 50 mm 3-HBA and 100% increased kcat (pCNF), 290% improvement in Km (pNTF), 240% improvement in kcat /Km (pAMF) and decreased substrate inhibition relative to Y. Structural modelling suggested switching of the ring-substituted functional group, from donating to accepting, stabilised a helix-turn (D259-H261) through an intersubunit H-bond with G262, to give a 7.8 °C increase in the thermal transition mid-point, Tm , and improved packing of pAMF. This is one of the first examples in which both catalytic activity and stability are simultaneously improved via site-specific ncAA incorporation into an enzyme active site, and further demonstrates the benefits of expanding designer libraries to include ncAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry C Wilkinson
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Paul A Dalby
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
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42
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Yi D, Xing J, Gao Y, Pan X, Xie P, Yang J, Wang Q, Gao X. Enhancement of keratin-degradation ability of the keratinase KerBL from Bacillus licheniformis WHU by proximity-triggered chemical crosslinking. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 163:1458-1470. [PMID: 32771518 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Keratinases are valuable enzymes, given their application in keratin-rich waste recycling. Considering that keratinases usually require reducing agents to efficiently degrade keratin, improving the stability of keratinases under reducing conditions is highly desirable for practical applications. Here, we show that the introduction of several tyrosine derivatives containing para-substituted long-chain haloalkanes into the keratinase KerBL, which enabled proximity-triggered covalent crosslinking by rational design, could improve both the thermostability and autolytic resistance of the enzyme. After screening a series of noncanonical amino acid (ncAA)-based variants generated by rational design, two variants, N159C/Y260BprY and N159C/Y260BbtY, with enhanced keratinolytic activity were obtained. Both variants increased the Tm of the enzyme by approximately 10 °C. The potential mechanism underlying these improvements was investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) analysis. The results indicated that BprY-Cys and BbtY-Cys covalent bonds in the N159C/Y260TAG variant could significantly decrease the flexibility and fluctuations of the long loop (residues 151-162).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Yi
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Juan Xing
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanping Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianchao Pan
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Peijuan Xie
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Qin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xiaowei Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, China; Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
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43
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Hartrampf N, Saebi A, Poskus M, Gates ZP, Callahan AJ, Cowfer AE, Hanna S, Antilla S, Schissel CK, Quartararo AJ, Ye X, Mijalis AJ, Simon MD, Loas A, Liu S, Jessen C, Nielsen TE, Pentelute BL. Synthesis of proteins by automated flow chemistry. Science 2020; 368:980-987. [PMID: 32467387 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb2491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ribosomes can produce proteins in minutes and are largely constrained to proteinogenic amino acids. Here, we report highly efficient chemistry matched with an automated fast-flow instrument for the direct manufacturing of peptide chains up to 164 amino acids long over 327 consecutive reactions. The machine is rapid: Peptide chain elongation is complete in hours. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by the chemical synthesis of nine different protein chains that represent enzymes, structural units, and regulatory factors. After purification and folding, the synthetic materials display biophysical and enzymatic properties comparable to the biologically expressed proteins. High-fidelity automated flow chemistry is an alternative for producing single-domain proteins without the ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hartrampf
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A Saebi
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - M Poskus
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Z P Gates
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A J Callahan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A E Cowfer
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - S Hanna
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - S Antilla
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - C K Schissel
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A J Quartararo
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - X Ye
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A J Mijalis
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - M D Simon
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A Loas
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - S Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - C Jessen
- Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, DK-2760 Måløv, Denmark
| | - T E Nielsen
- Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, DK-2760 Måløv, Denmark
| | - B L Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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44
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Enzymes with noncanonical amino acids. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2020; 55:136-144. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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45
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Biava HD. Tackling Achilles' Heel in Synthetic Biology: Pairing Intracellular Synthesis of Noncanonical Amino Acids with Genetic-Code Expansion to Foster Biotechnological Applications. Chembiochem 2020; 21:1265-1273. [PMID: 31868982 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
For the last two decades, synthetic biologists have been able to unlock and expand the genetic code, generating proteins with unique properties through the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). These evolved biomaterials have shown great potential for applications in industrial biocatalysis, therapeutics, bioremediation, bioconjugation, and other areas. Our ability to continue developing such technologies depends on having relatively easy access to ncAAs. However, the synthesis of enantiomerically pure ncAAs in practical quantitates for large-scale processes remains a challenge. Biocatalytic ncAA production has emerged as an excellent alternative to traditional organic synthesis in terms of cost, enantioselectivity, and sustainability. Moreover, biocatalytic synthesis offers the opportunity of coupling the intracellular generation of ncAAs with genetic-code expansion to overcome the limitations of an external supply of amino acid. In this minireview, we examine some of the most relevant achievements of this approach and its implications for improving technological applications derived from synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hernán D Biava
- Department of Science and Mathematics, Brevard College, One Brevard College Drive, Brevard, 28712, NC, USA
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46
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Drienovská I, Roelfes G. Expanding the enzyme universe with genetically encoded unnatural amino acids. Nat Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1038/s41929-019-0410-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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47
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Xu Z, Cen YK, Zou SP, Xue YP, Zheng YG. Recent advances in the improvement of enzyme thermostability by structure modification. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2019; 40:83-98. [DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2019.1682963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Xu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Ke Cen
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shu-Ping Zou
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Ping Xue
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
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48
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Won Y, Pagar AD, Patil MD, Dawson PE, Yun H. Recent Advances in Enzyme Engineering through Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-019-0163-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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49
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Li JC, Nastertorabi F, Xuan W, Han GW, Stevens RC, Schultz PG. A Single Reactive Noncanonical Amino Acid Is Able to Dramatically Stabilize Protein Structure. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:1150-1153. [PMID: 31181898 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A p-isothiocyanate phenylalanine mutant of the homodimeric protein homoserine o-succinyltransferase (MetA) was isolated in a temperature dependent selection from a library of metA mutants containing noncanonical amino acids. This mutant protein has a dramatic increase of 24 °C in thermal stability compared to the wild type protein. Peptide mapping experiments revealed that the isothiocyanate group forms a thiourea cross-link to the N terminal proline of the other monomer, despite the two positions being >30 Å apart in the X-ray crystal structure of the wild type protein. These results show that an expanded set of building blocks beyond the canonical 20 amino acids can lead to significant changes in the properties of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C. Li
- Department of Chemistry and Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Fariborz Nastertorabi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridge Institute, Michaelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Weimin Xuan
- Department of Chemistry and Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Gye Won Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridge Institute, Michaelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Raymond C. Stevens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridge Institute, Michaelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Peter G. Schultz
- Department of Chemistry and Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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50
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Rezhdo A, Islam M, Huang M, Van Deventer JA. Future prospects for noncanonical amino acids in biological therapeutics. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 60:168-178. [PMID: 30974337 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) can be utilized in the creation of biological therapeutics ranging from protein conjugates to cell-based therapies. However, when does genetically encoding ncAAs yield biologics with unique properties compared to other approaches? In this review, we attempt to answer this question in the broader context of therapeutic development, emphasizing advances within the past two years. In several areas, ncAAs add valuable routes to therapeutically relevant entities, but application-specific needs ultimately determine whether ncAA-mediated or alternative solutions are preferred. Looking forward, using ncAAs to perform 'protein medicinal chemistry,' in which atomic-level changes to proteins dramatically enhance therapeutic properties, is a promising emerging area. Further upgrades to the performance of ncAA incorporation technologies will be essential to realizing the full potential of ncAAs in biological therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlinda Rezhdo
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Mariha Islam
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Manjie Huang
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - James A Van Deventer
- Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States; Biomedical Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States.
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