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Abstract
Hybrid membranes comprised of diblock copolymers, and phospholipids have gained interest due to their unique properties that result from blending natural and synthetic components. The integration of membrane proteins into these synthetic membranes is an important step towards creating biomembrane systems for uses such as artificial cellular systems, biosensors, and drug delivery vehicles. Here, we outline a technique to create hybrid membranes composed of phospholipids and diblock copolymers. Next, we describe how membrane proteins can be co-translationally integrated into hybrid lipid/polymer membranes using a cell-free reaction. We then outline a method to monitor insertion and folding of a membrane-embedded channel protein into the hybrid membrane using a fluorescent-protein reporter and dye release assay, respectively. This method is expected to be applicable for a wide range of membrane proteins that do not require chaperones for co-translational integration into vesicles and provides a generalized protocol for expressing a membrane protein into a membrane mimetic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda L Jacobs
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Neha P Kamat
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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2
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Chiba CH, Knirsch MC, Azzoni AR, Moreira AR, Stephano MA. Cell-free protein synthesis: advances on production process for biopharmaceuticals and immunobiological products. Biotechniques 2021; 70:126-133. [PMID: 33467890 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2020-0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biopharmaceutical products are of great importance in the treatment or prevention of many diseases and represent a growing share of the global pharmaceutical market. The usual technology for protein synthesis (cell-based expression) faces certain obstacles, especially with 'difficult-to-express' proteins. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) can overcome the main bottlenecks of cell-based expression. This review aims to present recent advances in the production process of biologic products by CFPS. First, key aspects of CFPS systems are summarized. A description of several biologic products that have been successfully produced using the CFPS system is provided. Finally, the CFPS system's ability to scale up and scale down, its main limitations and its application for biologics production are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Hiromi Chiba
- Departamento de Tecnologia Bioquímico-Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcos Camargo Knirsch
- Departamento de Tecnologia Bioquímico-Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriano Rodrigues Azzoni
- Departamento de Engenharia Química, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio R Moreira
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marco Antonio Stephano
- Departamento de Tecnologia Bioquímico-Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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3
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Laohakunakorn N, Grasemann L, Lavickova B, Michielin G, Shahein A, Swank Z, Maerkl SJ. Bottom-Up Construction of Complex Biomolecular Systems With Cell-Free Synthetic Biology. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:213. [PMID: 32266240 PMCID: PMC7105575 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free systems offer a promising approach to engineer biology since their open nature allows for well-controlled and characterized reaction conditions. In this review, we discuss the history and recent developments in engineering recombinant and crude extract systems, as well as breakthroughs in enabling technologies, that have facilitated increased throughput, compartmentalization, and spatial control of cell-free protein synthesis reactions. Combined with a deeper understanding of the cell-free systems themselves, these advances improve our ability to address a range of scientific questions. By mastering control of the cell-free platform, we will be in a position to construct increasingly complex biomolecular systems, and approach natural biological complexity in a bottom-up manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadanai Laohakunakorn
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Grasemann
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Barbora Lavickova
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Grégoire Michielin
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Amir Shahein
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zoe Swank
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian J. Maerkl
- School of Engineering, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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4
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Izri Z, Garenne D, Noireaux V, Maeda YT. Gene Expression in on-Chip Membrane-Bound Artificial Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1705-1712. [PMID: 31268305 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Artificial cells made of molecular components and lipid membrane are emerging platforms to characterize living systems properties. Cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) offers advantages for the bottom-up synthesis of cellular reactors. Yet, scaling up their design within well-defined geometries remains challenging. We present a microfluidic device hosting TXTL reactions of a reporter gene in thousands of microwells separated from an external buffer by a phospholipid membrane. In the presence of nutrients in the buffer, microreactors are stable beyond 24 h and yield a few mg/mL of proteins. Nutrients in the external solution feed the TXTL reaction at the picoliter scale via passive transport across the phospholipid membrane of each microfluidic well, despite the absence of pores. Replacing nutrients with an inert polymer and fatty acids at an isotonic concentration reduces microreactors efficiency, and a significant fraction yields no protein. This emphasizes the crucial role of the membrane for designing cell-free TXTL microreactors as efficient artificial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziane Izri
- Department of Physics , Kyushu University , Fukuoka , 819-0395 , Japan
| | - David Garenne
- School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Minnesota , Minneapolis , Minnesota 55455 United States
| | - Vincent Noireaux
- School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Minnesota , Minneapolis , Minnesota 55455 United States
| | - Yusuke T Maeda
- Department of Physics , Kyushu University , Fukuoka , 819-0395 , Japan
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5
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Blanken D, van Nies P, Danelon C. Quantitative imaging of gene-expressing liposomes reveals rare favorable phenotypes. Phys Biol 2019; 16:045002. [PMID: 30978176 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/ab0c62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The biosynthesis of proteins from genomic DNA is a universal process in every living organism. Building a synthetic cell using separate biological parts hence implies to reconstitute a minimal gene expression apparatus and to compartmentalize it in a cell-mimicking environment. Previous studies have demonstrated that the PURE (Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements) system could be functionally encapsulated inside lipid vesicles. However, quantitative insights on functional consequences of spatial confinement of PURE system reactions remain scarce, which has hampered the full exploitation of gene-expressing liposomes as the fundamental unit to build an artificial cell. We report on direct imaging of tens of thousands of gene-expressing liposomes per sample allowing us to assess sub-population features in a statistically relevant manner. Both the vesicle size (diameter <10 μm) and lipid composition (mixture of phospholipids with zwitterionic and negatively charged headgroups, including cardiolipin) are compatible with the properties of bacterial cells. Therefore, our liposomes provide a suitable chassis to host the Escherichia coli-derived PURE translation machinery and other bacterial processes in future developments. The potential of high-content imaging to identify rare phenotypes is demonstrated by the fact that a subset of the liposome population exhibits a remarkably high yield of synthesized protein or a prolonged expression lifespan that surpasses the performance of ensemble liposome-averaged and bulk reactions. Among the three commercial PURE systems tested, PUREfrex2.0 offers the most favorable phenotypes displaying both high yield and long protein synthesis lifespan. Moreover, probing membrane permeability reveals a large heterogeneity amongst liposomes. In situ expression and membrane embedding of the pore-forming connexin leads to a characteristic permeability time profile, while increasing the fraction of permeable liposomes in the population. We see diversity in gene expression dynamics and membrane permeability as an opportunity to complement a rational design approach aiming at further implementing biological functions in liposome-based synthetic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duco Blanken
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ, Delft, The Netherlands
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6
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Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has become an established tool for rapid protein synthesis in order to accelerate the discovery of new enzymes and the development of proteins with improved characteristics. Over the past years, progress in CFPS system preparation has been made towards simplification, and many applications have been developed with regard to tailor-made solutions for specific purposes. In this review, various preparation methods of CFPS systems are compared and the significance of individual supplements is assessed. The recent applications of CFPS are summarized and the potential for biocatalyst development discussed. One of the central features is the high-throughput synthesis of protein variants, which enables sophisticated approaches for rapid prototyping of enzymes. These applications demonstrate the contribution of CFPS to enhance enzyme functionalities and the complementation to in vivo protein synthesis. However, there are different issues to be addressed, such as the low predictability of CFPS performance and transferability to in vivo protein synthesis. Nevertheless, the usage of CFPS for high-throughput enzyme screening has been proven to be an efficient method to discover novel biocatalysts and improved enzyme variants.
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Beppu K, Izri Z, Maeda YT, Sakamoto R. Geometric Effect for Biological Reactors and Biological Fluids. Bioengineering (Basel) 2018; 5:E110. [PMID: 30551608 PMCID: PMC6316181 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering5040110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
As expressed "God made the bulk; the surface was invented by the devil" by W. Pauli, the surface has remarkable properties because broken symmetry in surface alters the material properties. In biological systems, the smallest functional and structural unit, which has a functional bulk space enclosed by a thin interface, is a cell. Cells contain inner cytosolic soup in which genetic information stored in DNA can be expressed through transcription (TX) and translation (TL). The exploration of cell-sized confinement has been recently investigated by using micron-scale droplets and microfluidic devices. In the first part of this review article, we describe recent developments of cell-free bioreactors where bacterial TX-TL machinery and DNA are encapsulated in these cell-sized compartments. Since synthetic biology and microfluidics meet toward the bottom-up assembly of cell-free bioreactors, the interplay between cellular geometry and TX-TL advances better control of biological structure and dynamics in vitro system. Furthermore, biological systems that show self-organization in confined space are not limited to a single cell, but are also involved in the collective behavior of motile cells, named active matter. In the second part, we describe recent studies where collectively ordered patterns of active matter, from bacterial suspensions to active cytoskeleton, are self-organized. Since geometry and topology are vital concepts to understand the ordered phase of active matter, a microfluidic device with designed compartments allows one to explore geometric principles behind self-organization across the molecular scale to cellular scale. Finally, we discuss the future perspectives of a microfluidic approach to explore the further understanding of biological systems from geometric and topological aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazusa Beppu
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Ziane Izri
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Yusuke T Maeda
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Ryota Sakamoto
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
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Altamura E, Carrara P, D'Angelo F, Mavelli F, Stano P. Extrinsic stochastic factors (solute partition) in gene expression inside lipid vesicles and lipid-stabilized water-in-oil droplets: a review. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2018; 3:ysy011. [PMID: 32995519 PMCID: PMC7445889 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysy011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The encapsulation of transcription-translation (TX-TL) machinery inside lipid vesicles and water-in-oil droplets leads to the construction of cytomimetic systems (often called 'synthetic cells') for synthetic biology and origins-of-life research. A number of recent reports have shown that protein synthesis inside these microcompartments is highly diverse in terms of rate and amount of synthesized protein. Here, we discuss the role of extrinsic stochastic effects (i.e. solute partition phenomena) as relevant factors contributing to this pattern. We evidence and discuss cases where between-compartment diversity seems to exceed the expected theoretical values. The need of accurate determination of solute content inside individual vesicles or droplets is emphasized, aiming at validating or rejecting the predictions calculated from the standard fluctuations theory. At the same time, we promote the integration of experiments and stochastic modeling to reveal the details of solute encapsulation and intra-compartment reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Altamura
- Chemistry Department, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70126, Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Carrara
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, Viale G. Marconi 446, I-00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca D'Angelo
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, Viale G. Marconi 446, I-00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Mavelli
- Chemistry Department, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70126, Bari, Italy
| | - Pasquale Stano
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Ecotekne, I-73100, Lecce, Italy
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9
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Tsuji S, Ichihashi N. Translation activity of chimeric ribosomes composed of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis or Geobacillus stearothermophilus subunits. Biochem Biophys Rep 2017; 10:325-328. [PMID: 28955760 PMCID: PMC5614676 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosome composition, consisting of rRNA and ribosomal proteins, is highly conserved among a broad range of organisms. However, biochemical studies focusing on ribosomal subunit exchangeability between organisms remain limited. In this study, we show that chimeric ribosomes, composed of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis or E. coli and Geobacillus stearothermophilus subunits, are active for β-galactosidase translation in a highly purified E. coli translation system. Activities of the chimeric ribosomes showed only a modest decrease when using E. coli 30 S subunits, indicating functional conservation of the 50 S subunit between these bacterial species. A highly sensitive translation assay was established. B. subtilis 50S subunit is active for translation in an E. coli system. G. stearothermophilus 50S subunit is active for translation in an E. coli system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayaka Tsuji
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Norikazu Ichihashi
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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10
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Sharma B, Takamura Y, Shimoda T, Biyani M. A bulk sub-femtoliter in vitro compartmentalization system using super-fine electrosprays. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26257. [PMID: 27199080 PMCID: PMC4873800 DOI: 10.1038/srep26257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The extreme miniaturization of biological and chemical assays in aqueous-droplet compartments enables spatiotemporal control for large-scale parallel experimentation and can thus permit new capabilities for "digitizing" directed molecular evolution methodologies. We report a remarkably facile bulk method to generate mega-scale monodisperse sub-femtoliter aqueous droplets by electrospray, using a prototype head with super-fine inkjet technology. Moreover, the electrostatic inkjet nozzle that injects the aqueous phase when immersed within an immiscible phase (an optimized oil/surfactant mixture) has the advantage of generating cell-like sub-femtoliter compartments for biomolecule encapsulation and successive biological and chemical reactions. Sub-femtoliter droplets of both liquid (water-in-oil, volumes ranging from 0.2 to 6.4 fL) and gel bead (agarose-in-oil, volume ranging from 0.3 to 15.6 fL) compartments with average sizes of 1.3 μm and 1.5 μm, respectively, were successfully generated using an inkjet nozzle at a speed of more than 10(5) droplets per second. We demonstrated the applicability of this system by synthesizing fluorescent proteins using a cell-free expression system inside electrosprayed sub-femtoliter droplets at an accelerated rate, thereby extending the utility of in vitro compartmentalization with improved analytical performance for a top-down artificial cellular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bineet Sharma
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Yuzuru Takamura
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
- Center for Single Nanoscale Innovative Devices, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Shimoda
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
- Center for Single Nanoscale Innovative Devices, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Manish Biyani
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
- Center for Single Nanoscale Innovative Devices, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
- Biyani BioSolutions Pvt. Ltd., Biyani Research Group, R-4, Sector 3, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jaipur 302023, India
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11
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Sunami T, Ichihashi N, Nishikawa T, Kazuta Y, Yomo T. Effect of Liposome Size on Internal RNA Replication Coupled with Replicase Translation. Chembiochem 2016; 17:1282-9. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201500662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Sunami
- Institute for Academic Initiatives; Osaka University; 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Norikazu Ichihashi
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering; Graduate School of Information Science and Technology; Osaka University; 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Takehiro Nishikawa
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Yasuaki Kazuta
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Tetsuya Yomo
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering; Graduate School of Information Science and Technology; Osaka University; 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; 1-5 Yamadaoka Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
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12
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Schinn SM, Broadbent A, Bradley WT, Bundy BC. Protein synthesis directly from PCR: progress and applications of cell-free protein synthesis with linear DNA. N Biotechnol 2016; 33:480-7. [PMID: 27085957 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A rapid, versatile method of protein expression and screening can greatly facilitate the future development of therapeutic biologics, proteomic drug targets and biocatalysts. An attractive candidate is cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS), a cell-lysate-based in vitro expression system, which can utilize linear DNA as expression templates, bypassing time-consuming cloning steps of plasmid-based methods. Traditionally, such linear DNA expression templates (LET) have been vulnerable to degradation by nucleases present in the cell lysate, leading to lower yields. This challenge has been significantly addressed in the recent past, propelling LET-based CFPS as a useful tool for studying, screening and engineering proteins in a high-throughput manner. Currently, LET-based CFPS has promise in fields such as functional proteomics, protein microarrays, and the optimization of complex biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Andrew Broadbent
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - William T Bradley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
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13
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TOYOTA T, KAZAYAMA Y, OSAKI T, TAKEUCHI S. Dynamics of Giant Vesicles and Their Application as Artificial Cell-based Sensor. BUNSEKI KAGAKU 2016. [DOI: 10.2116/bunsekikagaku.65.715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taro TOYOTA
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Yuki KAZAYAMA
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Toshihisa OSAKI
- Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo
- Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology
| | - Shoji TAKEUCHI
- Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo
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14
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Mavelli F, Marangoni R, Stano P. A Simple Protein Synthesis Model for the PURE System Operation. Bull Math Biol 2015; 77:1185-212. [PMID: 25911591 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-015-0082-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The encapsulation of transcription-translation (TX-TL) cell-free machinery inside lipid vesicles (liposomes) is a key element in synthetic cell technology. The PURE system is a TX-TL kit composed of well-characterized parts, whose concentrations are fine tunable, which works according to a modular architecture. For these reasons, the PURE system perfectly fulfils the requirements of synthetic biology and is widely used for constructing synthetic cells. In this work, we present a simplified mathematical model to simulate the PURE system operations. Based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics and differential equations, the model describes protein synthesis dynamics by using 9 chemical species, 6 reactions and 16 kinetic parameters. The model correctly predicts the time course for messenger RNA and protein production and allows quantitative predictions. By means of this model, it is possible to foresee how the PURE system species affect the mechanism of proteins synthesis and therefore help in understanding scenarios where the concentration of the PURE system components has been modified purposely or as a result of stochastic fluctuations (for example after random encapsulation inside vesicles). The model also makes the determination of response coefficients for all species involved in the TX-TL mechanism possible and allows for scrutiny on how chemical energy is consumed by the three PURE system modules (transcription, translation and aminoacylation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Mavelli
- Chemistry Department, University of Bari, Via Orabona 4, Bari, Italy,
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15
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Currin A, Swainston N, Day PJ, Kell DB. Synthetic biology for the directed evolution of protein biocatalysts: navigating sequence space intelligently. Chem Soc Rev 2015; 44:1172-239. [PMID: 25503938 PMCID: PMC4349129 DOI: 10.1039/c4cs00351a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 251] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The amino acid sequence of a protein affects both its structure and its function. Thus, the ability to modify the sequence, and hence the structure and activity, of individual proteins in a systematic way, opens up many opportunities, both scientifically and (as we focus on here) for exploitation in biocatalysis. Modern methods of synthetic biology, whereby increasingly large sequences of DNA can be synthesised de novo, allow an unprecedented ability to engineer proteins with novel functions. However, the number of possible proteins is far too large to test individually, so we need means for navigating the 'search space' of possible protein sequences efficiently and reliably in order to find desirable activities and other properties. Enzymologists distinguish binding (Kd) and catalytic (kcat) steps. In a similar way, judicious strategies have blended design (for binding, specificity and active site modelling) with the more empirical methods of classical directed evolution (DE) for improving kcat (where natural evolution rarely seeks the highest values), especially with regard to residues distant from the active site and where the functional linkages underpinning enzyme dynamics are both unknown and hard to predict. Epistasis (where the 'best' amino acid at one site depends on that or those at others) is a notable feature of directed evolution. The aim of this review is to highlight some of the approaches that are being developed to allow us to use directed evolution to improve enzyme properties, often dramatically. We note that directed evolution differs in a number of ways from natural evolution, including in particular the available mechanisms and the likely selection pressures. Thus, we stress the opportunities afforded by techniques that enable one to map sequence to (structure and) activity in silico, as an effective means of modelling and exploring protein landscapes. Because known landscapes may be assessed and reasoned about as a whole, simultaneously, this offers opportunities for protein improvement not readily available to natural evolution on rapid timescales. Intelligent landscape navigation, informed by sequence-activity relationships and coupled to the emerging methods of synthetic biology, offers scope for the development of novel biocatalysts that are both highly active and robust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Currin
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK . ; http://dbkgroup.org/; @dbkell ; Tel: +44 (0)161 306 4492
- School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester M13 9PL , UK
- Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK
| | - Neil Swainston
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK . ; http://dbkgroup.org/; @dbkell ; Tel: +44 (0)161 306 4492
- Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK
- School of Computer Science , The University of Manchester , Manchester M13 9PL , UK
| | - Philip J. Day
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK . ; http://dbkgroup.org/; @dbkell ; Tel: +44 (0)161 306 4492
- Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK
- Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester M13 9PT , UK
| | - Douglas B. Kell
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK . ; http://dbkgroup.org/; @dbkell ; Tel: +44 (0)161 306 4492
- School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester M13 9PL , UK
- Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) , The University of Manchester , 131, Princess St , Manchester M1 7DN , UK
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16
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Wiktor P, Brunner A, Kahn P, Qiu J, Magee M, Bian X, Karthikeyan K, LaBaer J. Microreactor array device. Sci Rep 2015; 5:8736. [PMID: 25736721 PMCID: PMC4348619 DOI: 10.1038/srep08736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a device to fill an array of small chemical reaction chambers (microreactors) with reagent and then seal them using pressurized viscous liquid acting through a flexible membrane. The device enables multiple, independent chemical reactions involving free floating intermediate molecules without interference from neighboring reactions or external environments. The device is validated by protein expressed in situ directly from DNA in a microarray of ~10,000 spots with no diffusion during three hours incubation. Using the device to probe for an autoantibody cancer biomarker in blood serum sample gave five times higher signal to background ratio compared to standard protein microarray expressed on a flat microscope slide. Physical design principles to effectively fill the array of microreactors with reagent and experimental results of alternate methods for sealing the microreactors are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Wiktor
- 1] Engineering Arts LLC, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A [2] The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Al Brunner
- Engineering Arts LLC, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Peter Kahn
- Engineering Arts LLC, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Ji Qiu
- The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Mitch Magee
- The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Xiaofang Bian
- The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Kailash Karthikeyan
- The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
| | - Joshua LaBaer
- The Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A
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17
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Ichihashi N, Yomo T. Positive roles of compartmentalization in internal reactions. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2014; 22:12-7. [PMID: 25032508 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Recently, many researchers have attempted to construct artificial cell models using a bottom-up approach in which various biochemical reactions that involve a defined set of molecules are reconstructed in cell-like compartments, such as liposomes and water-in-oil droplets. In many of these studies, the cell-like compartments have acted only as containers for the encapsulated biochemical reactions, whereas other studies have indicated that compartmentalization improves the rates and yields of these reactions. Here, we introduce two ways in which compartmentalization can improve internal reactions: the isolation effect and the condensation effect. These positive effects of compartmentalization might have played an important role in the genesis of the first primitive cell on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norikazu Ichihashi
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Yomo
- Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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18
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Soga H, Fujii S, Yomo T, Kato Y, Watanabe H, Matsuura T. In vitro membrane protein synthesis inside cell-sized vesicles reveals the dependence of membrane protein integration on vesicle volume. ACS Synth Biol 2014; 3:372-9. [PMID: 24328098 DOI: 10.1021/sb400094c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are vesicles>1 μm in diameter that provide an environment in which the effect of a confined reaction volume on intravesicular reactions can be investigated. By synthesizing EmrE, a multidrug transporter from Escherichia coli, as a model membrane protein using a reconstituted in vitro transcription-translation system inside GUVs, we investigated the effect of a confined volume on the synthesis and membrane integration of EmrE. Flow cytometry was used to analyze multiple properties of the vesicles and to quantify EmrE synthesis inside GUVs composed of only 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. We found that EmrE was synthesized and integrated into the GUV membrane in its active form. We also found that the ratio of membrane-integrated EmrE to total synthesized EmrE increased with decreasing vesicle volume; this finding is explained by the effect of an increased surface-area-to-volume ratio in smaller vesicles. In vitro membrane synthesis inside GUVs is a useful approach to study quantitatively the properties of membrane proteins and their interaction with the membrane under cell-mimicking environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Soga
- Department
of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1
Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Fujii
- Exploratory
Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Yomo
- Exploratory
Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department
of Bioinformatic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science
and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Kato
- Department
of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1
Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hajime Watanabe
- Department
of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1
Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Matsuura
- Department
of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1
Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Exploratory
Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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19
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Sun ZZ, Yeung E, Hayes CA, Noireaux V, Murray RM. Linear DNA for rapid prototyping of synthetic biological circuits in an Escherichia coli based TX-TL cell-free system. ACS Synth Biol 2014; 3:387-97. [PMID: 24303785 DOI: 10.1021/sb400131a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Accelerating the pace of synthetic biology experiments requires new approaches for rapid prototyping of circuits from individual DNA regulatory elements. However, current testing standards require days to weeks due to cloning and in vivo transformation. In this work, we first characterized methods to protect linear DNA strands from exonuclease degradation in an Escherichia coli based transcription-translation cell-free system (TX-TL), as well as mechanisms of degradation. This enabled the use of linear DNA PCR products in TX-TL. We then compared expression levels and binding dynamics of different promoters on linear DNA and plasmid DNA. We also demonstrated assembly technology to rapidly build circuits entirely in vitro from separate parts. Using this strategy, we prototyped a four component genetic switch in under 8 h entirely in vitro. Rapid in vitro assembly has future applications for prototyping multiple component circuits if combined with predictive computational models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Z. Sun
- Division
of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91101, United States of America
| | - Enoch Yeung
- Department
of Control and Dynamical Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91101, United States of America
| | - Clarmyra A. Hayes
- Division
of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91101, United States of America
| | - Vincent Noireaux
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Murray
- Division
of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91101, United States of America
- Department
of Control and Dynamical Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91101, United States of America
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