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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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [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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2
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Laatri S, El Khayari S, Qriouet Z. Exploring the molecular aspect and updating evolutionary approaches to the DNA polymerase enzymes for biotechnological needs: A comprehensive review. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 276:133924. [PMID: 39033894 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133924] [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: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 07/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are essential enzymes that play a key role in living organisms, as they participate in the synthesis and maintenance of the DNA molecule. The intrinsic properties of these enzymes have been widely observed and studied to understand their functions, activities, and behavior, which has allowed their natural power in DNA synthesis to be exploited in modern biotechnology, to the point of making them true pillars of the field. In this context, the laboratory evolution of these enzymes, either by directed evolution or rational design, has led to the generation of a wide range of new DNA polymerases with novel properties, suitable for a variety of biotechnological needs. In this review, we examine DNA polymerases at the molecular level, their biotechnological use, and their evolutionary methods in relation to the novel properties sought, providing a chronological selection of evolved DNA polymerases cited in the literature that we consider to be of great interest. To our knowledge, this work is the first to bring together the molecular, functional and evolutionary aspects of the DNA polymerase enzyme. We believe it will be of great interest to researchers whose aim is to produce new lines of evolved DNA polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Said Laatri
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V-Souissi University, Rabat 10100, Morocco.
| | | | - Zidane Qriouet
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V-Souissi University, Rabat 10100, Morocco
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3
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Majekodunmi T, Britton D, Montclare JK. Engineered Proteins and Materials Utilizing Residue-Specific Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation. Chem Rev 2024; 124:9113-9135. [PMID: 39008623 PMCID: PMC11327963 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00855] [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: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into proteins and protein-based materials has significantly expanded the repertoire of available protein structures and chemistries. Through residue-specific incorporation, protein properties can be globally modified, resulting in the creation of novel proteins and materials with diverse and tailored characteristics. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in residue-specific incorporation techniques as well as the applications of the engineered proteins and materials. Specifically, we discuss their utility in bio-orthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), fluorescent noncanonical amino acid tagging (FUNCAT), threonine-derived noncanonical amino acid tagging (THRONCAT), cross-linking, fluorination, and enzyme engineering. This review underscores the importance of noncanonical amino acid incorporation as a tool for the development of tailored protein properties to meet diverse research and industrial needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temiloluwa Majekodunmi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Dustin Britton
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10012, United States
- Department of Biomaterials, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York 10010, United States
- Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York 10016, United States
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4
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Debnath T, Cisneros GA. Investigation of the stability of D5SIC-DNAM-incorporated DNA duplex in Taq polymerase binary system: a systematic classical MD approach. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:7287-7295. [PMID: 38353000 PMCID: PMC11078294 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp05571j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are fundamental enzymes that play a crucial role in processing DNA with high fidelity and accuracy ensuring the faithful transmission of genetic information. The recognition of unnatural base pairs (UBPs) by polymerases, enabling their replication, represents a significant and groundbreaking discovery with profound implications for genetic expansion. Romesberg et al. examined the impact of DNA containing 2,6-dimethyl-2H-isoquiniline-1-thione: D5SIC (DS) and 2-methoxy-3-methylnaphthalene: DNAM (DN) UBPs bound to T. aquaticus DNA polymerase (Taq) through crystal structure analysis. Here, we have used polarizable and nonpolarizable classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structural aspects and stability of Taq in complex with a DNA duplex including a DS-DN pair in the terminal 3' and 5' positions. Our results suggest that the flexibility of UBP-incorporated DNA in the terminal position is arrested by the polymerase, thus preventing fraying and mispairing. Our investigation also reveals that the UBP remains in an intercalated conformation inside the active site, exhibiting two distinct orientations in agreement with experimental findings. Our analysis pinpoints particular residues responsible for favorable interactions with the UBP, with some relying on van der Waals interactions while other on Coulombic forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanay Debnath
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA.
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA
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5
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Debnath T, Cisneros GA. Investigation of dynamical flexibility of D5SIC-DNAM inside DNA duplex in aqueous solution: a systematic classical MD approach. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:7435-7445. [PMID: 38353005 PMCID: PMC11080001 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp05572h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Incorporation of artificial 3rd base pairs (unnatural base pairs, UBPs) has emerged as a fundamental technique in pursuit of expanding the genetic alphabet. 2,6-Dimethyl-2H-isoquiniline-1-thione: D5SIC (DS) and 2-methoxy-3-methylnaphthalene: DNAM (DN), a potential unnatural base pair (UBP) developed by Romesberg and colleagues, has been shown to have remarkable capability for replication within DNA. Crystal structures of a Taq polymerase/double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) complex containing a DS-DN pair in the 3' terminus showed a parallelly stacked geometry for the pre-insertion, and an intercalated geometry for the post-insertion structure. Unconventional orientations of DS-DN inside a DNA duplex have inspired scientists to investigate the conformational orientations and structural properties of UBP-incorporated DNA. In recent years, computational simulations have been used to investigate the geometry of DS-DN within the DNA duplex; nevertheless, unresolved questions persist owing to inconclusive findings. In this work, we investigate the structural and dynamical properties of DS and DN inside a ds-DNA strand in aqueous solution considering both short and long DNA templates using polarizable, and non-polarizable classical MD simulations. Flexible conformational change of UBP with major populations of Watson-Crick-Franklin (WCF) and three distinct non-Watson-Crick-Franklin (nWCFP1, nWCFP2, nWCFO) conformations through intra and inter-strand flipping have been observed. Our results suggest that a dynamical conformational change leads to the production of diffierent conformational distribution for the systems. Simulations with a short ds-DNA duplex suggest nWCF (P1 and O) as the predominant structures, whereas long ds-DNA duplex simulations indicate almost equal populations of WCF, nWCFP1, nWCFO. DS-DN in the terminal position is found to be more flexible with occasional mispairing and fraying. Overall, these results suggest flexibility and dynamical conformational change of the UBP as well as indicate varied conformational distribution irrespective of starting orientation of the UBP and length og DNA strand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanay Debnath
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA.
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, Dallas, USA
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Sett A, Gadewar M, Babu MA, Panja A, Sachdeva P, Almutary AG, Upadhye V, Jha SK, Jha NK. Orchestration and theranostic applications of synthetic genome with Hachimoji bases/building blocks. Chem Biol Drug Des 2024; 103:e14378. [PMID: 38230795 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14378] [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: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic genomics is a novel field of chemical biology where the chemically modified genetic alphabets have been considered in central dogma of life. Tweaking of chemical compositions of natural nucleotide bases could be developed as novel building blocks of DNA/RNA. The modified bases (dP, dZ, dS, and dB etc.) have been demonstrated to be adaptable for replication, transcription and follow Darwinism law of evolution. With advancement of chemical biology especially nucleotide chemistry, synthetic genetic codes have been discovered and Hachimoji nucleotides are the most important and significant one among them. These additional nucleotide bases can form orthogonal base-pairing, and also follow Darwinian evolution and other structural features. In the Hachimoji base pairing, synthetic building blocks are formed using eight modified nucleotide (DNA/RNA) letters (hence the name "Hachimoji"). Their structural conformations, like polyelectrolyte backbones and stereo-regular building blocks favor thermodynamic stability and confirm Schrodinger aperiodic crystal. From the structural genomics aspect, these synthetic bases could be incorporated into the central dogma of life. Researchers have shown Hachimoji building blocks were transcribed to its RNA counterpart as a functional fluorescent Hachimoji aptamer. Apart from several unnatural nucleotide base pairs maneuvered into its in vitro and in vivo applications, this review describes future perspective towards the development and therapeutic utilization of the genetic codes, a primary objective of synthetic and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arghya Sett
- ERIN Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Av. des Hauts-Fourneaux, Belval, 4362, Esch, Luxembourg
| | - Manoj Gadewar
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical and Allied Sciences, K R Mangalam University, Gurgaon, India
| | - M Arockia Babu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, India
| | | | | | - Abdulmajeed G Almutary
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Vijay Upadhye
- Centre of Research for Development (CR4D) and Department of Microbiology, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Saurabh Kumar Jha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Niraj Kumar Jha
- Centre for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
- Centre of Research Impact and Outreach, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
- School of Bioengineering & Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, India
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering and Food Technology, Chandigarh University, Mohali, 140413, India
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7
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Huo B, Wang C, Hu X, Wang H, Zhu G, Zhu A, Li L. Peripheral substitution effects on unnatural base pairs: A case of brominated TPT3 to enhance replication fidelity. Bioorg Chem 2023; 140:106827. [PMID: 37683537 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106827] [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: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
The high fidelity poses a central role in developing unnatural base pairs (UBPs), which means the high pairing capacity of unnatural bases with their partners, and low mispairing with all the natural bases. Different strategies have been used to develop higher-fidelity UBPs, including optimizing hydrophobic interaction forces between UBPs. Variant substituent groups are allowed to fine tune the hydrophobic forces of different UBPs' candidates. However, the modifications on the skeleton of TPT3 base are rare and the replication fidelity of TPT3-NaM remains hardly to improve so far. In this paper, we reasoned that modifying and/or expanding the aromatic surface by Bromo-substituents to slightly increase hydrophobicity of TPT3 might offer a way to increase the fidelity of this pair. Based on the hypothesis, we synthesized the bromine substituted TPT3, 2-bromo-TPT3 and 2, 4-dibromo-TPT3 as the new TPT3 analogs. While the enzyme reaction kinetic experiments showed that d2-bromo-TPT3-dNaM pair and d2, 4-dibromo-TPT3TP-dNaM pair had slightly less efficient incorporation and extension rates than that of dTPT3-dNaM pair, the assays did reveal that the mispairing of 2-bromo-TPT3 and 2, 4-dibromo-TPT3 with all the natural bases could dramatically decrease in contrast to TPT3. Their lower mispairing capacity promoted us to run polymerase chain amplification reactions, and a higher fidelity of d2-bromo-TPT3-dNaM pair could be obtained with 99.72 ± 0.01% of the in vitro replication fidelity than that of dTPT3-dNaM pair, 99.52 ± 0.09%. In addition, d2-bromo-TPT3-dNaM can also be effectively copied in E. coli cells, which showed the same replication fidelity as that of dTPT3-dNaM in the specific sequence, but a higher fidelity in the random sequence context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianbian Huo
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Chao Wang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Xiaoqi Hu
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Honglei Wang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Gongming Zhu
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Anlian Zhu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Lingjun Li
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drug, China Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China; Pingyuan Laboratory, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
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8
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Kawabe H, Thomas CA, Hoshika S, Kim MJ, Kim MS, Miessner L, Kaplan N, Craig JM, Gundlach JH, Laszlo AH, Benner SA, Marchand JA. Enzymatic synthesis and nanopore sequencing of 12-letter supernumerary DNA. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6820. [PMID: 37884513 PMCID: PMC10603101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42406-z] [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: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The 4-letter DNA alphabet (A, T, G, C) as found in Nature is an elegant, yet non-exhaustive solution to the problem of storage, transfer, and evolution of biological information. Here, we report on strategies for both writing and reading DNA with expanded alphabets composed of up to 12 letters (A, T, G, C, B, S, P, Z, X, K, J, V). For writing, we devise an enzymatic strategy for inserting a singular, orthogonal xenonucleic acid (XNA) base pair into standard DNA sequences using 2'-deoxy-xenonucleoside triphosphates as substrates. Integrating this strategy with combinatorial oligos generated on a chip, we construct libraries containing single XNA bases for parameterizing kmer basecalling models for commercially available nanopore sequencing. These elementary steps are combined to synthesize and sequence DNA containing 12 letters - the upper limit of what is accessible within the electroneutral, canonical base pairing framework. By introducing low-barrier synthesis and sequencing strategies, this work overcomes previous obstacles paving the way for making expanded alphabets widely accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hinako Kawabe
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | | | - Shuichi Hoshika
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
| | - Myong-Jung Kim
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
| | - Myong-Sang Kim
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
| | - Logan Miessner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Nicholas Kaplan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jonathan M Craig
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jens H Gundlach
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Andrew H Laszlo
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Steven A Benner
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL, 32615, USA
| | - Jorge A Marchand
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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9
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Cao Y, Bai J, Zou J, Du Y, Chen T. One-Pot Enzymatic Preparation of Oligonucleotides with an Expanded Genetic Alphabet via Controlled Pause and Restart of Primer Extension: Making Unnatural Out of Natural. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:2691-2706. [PMID: 37672623 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00258] [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: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The genetic alphabet of life has been dramatically expanded via the development of unnatural base pairs (UBPs) that work as efficiently as natural base pairs in the storage and retrieval of genetic information. Among the most predominant UBPs, dNaM-dTPT3 and its analogues have been successfully employed to build semisynthetic cells with a functional six-letter genome. With the rapidly growing applications of UBPs in vitro and in vivo, there is an ever-increasing demand for DNA oligonucleotides containing unnatural bases (UBs) at desired positions. Conventional solid-phase synthesis of oligonucleotides has intrinsic limitations and needs to use unstable unnatural phosphoramidites and a DNA synthesizer, so it does not meet the daily urgent requirement for a few UB-containing DNA oligonucleotides in the laboratory. In this work, we develop a one-pot enzymatic method for preparing dNaM- or dTPT3-containing DNA oligonucleotides via controlled pause and restart of primer extension mediated by Klenow fragment (exo-). By systematic optimization of the reaction conditions, high efficiencies and product purities have been achieved. The universality of this method for preparing DNA oligonucleotides containing dNaM or dTPT3 in different sequence contexts is also demonstrated. This method allows convenient production of an arbitrary UB-containing DNA oligonucleotide in a single test tube with only two natural DNA oligonucleotides, stable nucleoside triphosphates, Klenow fragment (exo-), and other common reagents in the laboratory, providing the lowest cost and the highest simplicity for the enzymatic preparation of UB-containing oligonucleotides. Clearly, this method has great potential to facilitate the in vitro and in vivo applications of the UBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Cao
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Jingsi Bai
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Jinrong Zou
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yuhui Du
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Tingjian Chen
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
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10
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Xiao S, Fleming AM, Burrows CJ. Sequencing for oxidative DNA damage at single-nucleotide resolution with click-code-seq v2.0. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:8997-9000. [PMID: 37401666 PMCID: PMC10909242 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc02699j] [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: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Oxidative damage to DNA nucleotides has many cellular outcomes that could be aided by the development of sequencing methods. Herein, the previously reported click-code-seq method for sequencing a single damage type is redeveloped to enable the sequencing of many damage types by making simple changes to the protocol (i.e., click-code-seq v2.0).
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Affiliation(s)
- Songjun Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0850, USA.
| | - Aaron M Fleming
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0850, USA.
| | - Cynthia J Burrows
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0850, USA.
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11
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Gerecht K, Freund N, Liu W, Liu Y, Fürst MJLJ, Holliger P. The Expanded Central Dogma: Genome Resynthesis, Orthogonal Biosystems, Synthetic Genetics. Annu Rev Biophys 2023; 52:413-432. [PMID: 37159296 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-111622-091203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology seeks to probe fundamental aspects of biological form and function by construction [i.e., (re)synthesis] rather than deconstruction (analysis). In this sense, biological sciences now follow the lead given by the chemical sciences. Synthesis can complement analytic studies but also allows novel approaches to answering fundamental biological questions and opens up vast opportunities for the exploitation of biological processes to provide solutions for global problems. In this review, we explore aspects of this synthesis paradigm as applied to the chemistry and function of nucleic acids in biological systems and beyond, specifically, in genome resynthesis, synthetic genetics (i.e., the expansion of the genetic alphabet, of the genetic code, and of the chemical make-up of genetic systems), and the elaboration of orthogonal biosystems and components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karola Gerecht
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
| | - Niklas Freund
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
| | - Wei Liu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
| | - Yang Liu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
| | - Maximilian J L J Fürst
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
- Current address: Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Philipp Holliger
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
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12
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Jena NR, Das P, Shukla PK. Complementary base pair interactions between different rare tautomers of the second-generation artificial genetic alphabets. J Mol Model 2023; 29:125. [PMID: 37014428 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05537-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
The functionality of a semisynthetic DNA in the biological environment will depend on the base pair nature of its complementary base pairs. To understand this, base pair interactions between complementary bases of recently proposed eight second-generation artificial nucleobases are studied herein by considering their rare tautomeric conformations and a dispersion-corrected density functional theoretic method. It is found that the binding energies of two hydrogen-bonded complementary base pairs are more negative than those of the three hydrogen-bonded base pairs. However, as the former base pairs are endothermic, the semisynthetic duplex DNA would involve the latter base pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Jena
- Discipline of Natural Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, 482005, India.
| | - P Das
- Discipline of Natural Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, 482005, India
| | - P K Shukla
- Department of Physics, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, India
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13
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Romesberg FE. Discovery, implications and initial use of semi-synthetic organisms with an expanded genetic alphabet/code. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220030. [PMID: 36633274 PMCID: PMC9835597 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Much recent interest has focused on developing proteins for human use, such as in medicine. However, natural proteins are made up of only a limited number of canonical amino acids with limited functionalities, and this makes the discovery of variants with some functions difficult. The ability to recombinantly express proteins containing non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) with properties selected to impart the protein with desired properties is expected to dramatically improve the discovery of proteins with different functions. Perhaps the most straightforward approach to such an expansion of the genetic code is through expansion of the genetic alphabet, so that new codon/anticodon pairs can be created to assign to ncAAs. In this review, I briefly summarize more than 20 years of effort leading ultimately to the discovery of synthetic nucleotides that pair to form an unnatural base pair, which when incorporated into DNA, is stably maintained, transcribed and used to translate proteins in Escherichia coli. In addition to discussing wide ranging conceptual implications, I also describe ongoing efforts at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi to employ the resulting 'semi-synthetic organisms' or SSOs, for the production of next-generation protein therapeutics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floyd E. Romesberg
- Platform Innovation, Synthorx, a Sanofi Company, 11099 N. Torrey Pines Road, Suite 190, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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14
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Jena NR, Das P. Hybrid nucleobases as new and efficient unnatural genetic letters. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:366-376. [PMID: 34796792 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2003863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
To expand the existing genetic letters beyond the natural four nucleotides, such as G, C, A, and T, it is necessary to design robust nucleotides that can not only produce stable and unperturbed DNA but also function naturally in living cells. Although hydrophobic bases, such as d5SICS (2,6-dimethyl-2H-isoquiniline-1-thione) and dNaM (2-methoxy-3-methylnaphthalene) were shown to be replicated in bacterial cells, the d5SICS:dNaM base-pair was found to perturb the structure of the duplex DNA. Therefore, it is necessary to design nucleobases that can form base pairs like the natural G:C and A:T pairs. Here, a reliable dispersion-corrected density functional theory has been used to design several nucleobases that can produce three-hydrogen-bonded base pairs like the G:C pair. In doing so, the Watson-Crick faces of d5SICS and dNaM were modified by replacing the hydrophobic groups with hydrogen bond donors and acceptors. As dNaM contains an unnatural C-glycosidic bond (C-dNaM), it was also modified to contain the natural N-glycosidic bond (N-dNaM). This technique produced 91 new bases (N-d5SICS-X (X = 1-33), C-dNaM-X (X = 1-35), and N-dNaM-X (X = 1-23), where X is the different types of modifications applied to d5SICS and dNaM) and 259 base-pairs. Among these base pairs, 76 base pairs are found to be more stable than the G:C pair. Interestingly, the N-d5SICS-32:C-dNaM-32 and N-d5SICS-32:N-dNaM-20 pairs are found to be the most stable with binding energies of about -28.0 kcal/mol. The base-pair patterns of these pairs are also analogous to that of the G:C pair. Hence, it is proposed that N-d5SICS-32, C-dNaM-32, and N-dNaM-20 would act as efficient new genetic letters to produce stable and unperturbed artificial DNA.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Jena
- Discipline of Natural Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing, Khamaria, Jabalpur, India
| | - P Das
- Discipline of Natural Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing, Khamaria, Jabalpur, India
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15
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Sun L, Ma X, Zhang B, Qin Y, Ma J, Du Y, Chen T. From polymerase engineering to semi-synthetic life: artificial expansion of the central dogma. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1173-1197. [PMID: 36320892 PMCID: PMC9533422 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00116k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids have been extensively modified in different moieties to expand the scope of genetic materials in the past few decades. While the development of unnatural base pairs (UBPs) has expanded the genetic information capacity of nucleic acids, the production of synthetic alternatives of DNA and RNA has increased the types of genetic information carriers and introduced novel properties and functionalities into nucleic acids. Moreover, the efforts of tailoring DNA polymerases (DNAPs) and RNA polymerases (RNAPs) to be efficient unnatural nucleic acid polymerases have enabled broad application of these unnatural nucleic acids, ranging from production of stable aptamers to evolution of novel catalysts. The introduction of unnatural nucleic acids into living organisms has also started expanding the central dogma in vivo. In this article, we first summarize the development of unnatural nucleic acids with modifications or alterations in different moieties. The strategies for engineering DNAPs and RNAPs are then extensively reviewed, followed by summarization of predominant polymerase mutants with good activities for synthesizing, reverse transcribing, or even amplifying unnatural nucleic acids. Some recent application examples of unnatural nucleic acids with their polymerases are then introduced. At the end, the approaches of introducing UBPs and synthetic genetic polymers into living organisms for the creation of semi-synthetic organisms are reviewed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leping Sun
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Xingyun Ma
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Binliang Zhang
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Yanjia Qin
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Jiezhao Ma
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Yuhui Du
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
| | - Tingjian Chen
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology 510006 Guangzhou China
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16
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Kimoto M, Hirao I. Genetic Code Engineering by Natural and Unnatural Base Pair Systems for the Site-Specific Incorporation of Non-Standard Amino Acids Into Proteins. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:851646. [PMID: 35685243 PMCID: PMC9171071 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.851646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Amino acid sequences of proteins are encoded in nucleic acids composed of four letters, A, G, C, and T(U). However, this four-letter alphabet coding system limits further functionalities of proteins by the twenty letters of amino acids. If we expand the genetic code or develop alternative codes, we could create novel biological systems and biotechnologies by the site-specific incorporation of non-standard amino acids (or unnatural amino acids, unAAs) into proteins. To this end, new codons and their complementary anticodons are required for unAAs. In this review, we introduce the current status of methods to incorporate new amino acids into proteins by in vitro and in vivo translation systems, by focusing on the creation of new codon-anticodon interactions, including unnatural base pair systems for genetic alphabet expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ichiro Hirao
- *Correspondence: Michiko Kimoto, ; Ichiro Hirao,
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17
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Wang H, Wang L, Ma N, Zhu W, Huo B, Zhu A, Li L. Access to Photostability-Enhanced Unnatural Base Pairs via Local Structural Modifications. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:334-342. [PMID: 34889587 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Completing the storage and retrieval of increased genetic information in vivo and producing therapeutic proteins have been achieved by the unnatural base pair dNaM-dTPT3. Up to now, some biological and chemical approaches are implemented to improve the semi-synthetic organism (SSO). However, the photosensitivity of this pair, suggested as a potential threat to the healthy growth of cells, is still a problem to solve. Hence, we designed and synthesized a panel of TPT3 analogues with the basic structural skeletons of TPT3 but modified thiophene rings at variant sites to improve the photostability of unnatural base pairs. A comprehensive screening strategy, including photosensitivity tests, kinetic experiments, and replication in vitro by PCR and in vivo by amplification, was implemented. A new pair, dNaM-dTAT1, which had almost equally high efficiency and fidelity with the dNaM-dTPT3 pair itself both in vivo and in vitro, was proven to be more photostable and thermostable and less toxic to E. coli cells. The discovery of dNaM-dTAT1 represents our first progress for the optimization of this type of bases toward more photostable properties; our data also suggest that less photosensitive unnatural base pairs will be beneficial to build a healthier cellular replication system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglei Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Luying Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Nana Ma
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Wuyuan Zhu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Bianbian Huo
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Anlian Zhu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Lingjun Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
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18
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Jena NR. Rare Tautomers of Artificially Expanded Genetic Letters and their Effects on the Base pair Stabilities. Chemphyschem 2022; 23:e202100908. [PMID: 35029036 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202100908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
To expand the existing genetic letters, it is necessary to design robust nucleotides that can function naturally in living cells. Therefore, it is desirable to examine the roles of recently proposed second-generation artificially expanded genetic letters in producing stable duplex DNA. Here, a reliable dispersion-corrected density functional theory method is used to understand the electronic structures and properties of different rare tautomers of proposed expanded genetic letters and their effects on the base pair stabilities in the duplex DNA. It is found that the rare tautomers are not only stable in the aqueous medium but can also base pair with natural bases to produce stable mispairs. Except for J and V, all the artificial genetic letters are found to produce mispairs that are about 1-7 kcal/mol more stable than their complementary counterparts. They are also appreciably more stable than the naturally occurring G:C, A:T, and G:T pairs. The higher base pair stabilities are found to be mainly because of the polarity of monomers and attractive electrostatic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Jena
- IIITDM Jabalpur, Discipline of Natural Sciences, Dumna Airport Road, Khamaria, India, 482005, Jabalpur, INDIA
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19
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Abstract
Modern genome-scale methods that identify new genes, such as proteogenomics and ribosome profiling, have revealed, to the surprise of many, that overlap in genes, open reading frames and even coding sequences is widespread and functionally integrated into prokaryotic, eukaryotic and viral genomes. In parallel, the constraints that overlapping regions place on genome sequences and their evolution can be harnessed in bioengineering to build more robust synthetic strains and constructs. With a focus on overlapping protein-coding and RNA-coding genes, this Review examines their discovery, topology and biogenesis in the context of their genome biology. We highlight exciting new uses for sequence overlap to control translation, compress synthetic genetic constructs, and protect against mutation.
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20
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Xie BB, Tang XF, Liu XY, Chang XP, Cui G. Mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry of unnatural bases and sunscreen molecules: insights from electronic structure calculations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:27124-27149. [PMID: 34849517 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03994f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Photophysics and photochemistry are basic subjects in the study of light-matter interactions and are ubiquitous in diverse fields such as biology, energy, materials, and environment. A full understanding of mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry underpins many recent advances and applications. This contribution first provides a short discussion on the theoretical calculation methods we have used in relevant studies, then we introduce our latest progress on the mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry of two classes of molecular systems, namely unnatural bases and sunscreens. For unnatural bases, we disclose the intrinsic driving forces for the ultrafast population to reactive triplet states, impacts of the position and degree of chalcogen substitutions, and the effects of complex environments. For sunscreen molecules, we reveal the photoprotection mechanisms that dissipate excess photon energy to the surroundings by ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state. Finally, relevant theoretical challenges and outlooks are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Bin Xie
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Xiu-Fang Tang
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Xiang-Yang Liu
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610068, China
| | - Xue-Ping Chang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, P. R. China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China.
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21
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Freund N, Fürst MJLJ, Holliger P. New chemistries and enzymes for synthetic genetics. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 74:129-136. [PMID: 34883451 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Beyond the natural nucleic acids DNA and RNA, nucleic acid chemistry has unlocked a whole universe of modifications to their canonical chemical structure, which can in various ways modify and enhance nucleic acid function and utility for applications in biotechnology and medicine. Unlike the natural modifications of tRNA and rRNA or the epigenetic modifications in mRNA and genomic DNA, these altered chemistries are not found in nature and therefore these molecules are referred to as xeno-nucleic acids (XNAs). In this review we aim to focus specifically on recent progress in a subsection of this vast field-synthetic genetics-concerned with encoded synthesis, reverse transcription, and evolution of XNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Freund
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | | | - Philipp Holliger
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
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22
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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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23
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Romesberg FE. Creation, Optimization, and Use of Semi-Synthetic Organisms that Store and Retrieve Increased Genetic Information. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167331. [PMID: 34710400 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
With few exceptions, natural proteins are built from only 20 canonical (proteogenic) amino acids which limits the functionality and accordingly the properties they can possess. Genetic code expansion, i.e. the creation of codons and the machinery needed to assign them to non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs), promises to enable the discovery of proteins with novel properties that are otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain. One approach to expanding the genetic code is to expand the genetic alphabet via the development of unnatural nucleotides that pair to form an unnatural base pair (UBP). Semi-synthetic organisms (SSOs), i.e. organisms that stably maintain the UBP, transcribe its component nucleotides into RNA, and use it to translate proteins, would have available to them new codons and the anticodons needed to assign them to ncAAs. This review summarizes the development of a family of UBPs, their use to create SSOs, and the optimization and application of the SSOs to produce candidate therapeutic proteins with improved properties that are now undergoing evaluation in clinical trials.
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24
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Karadeema RJ, Morris SE, Lairson LL, Krishnamurthy R. Towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of variable unnatural base pair behavior-A biophysical analysis of dNaM-dTPT3. Chemistry 2021; 27:13991-13997. [PMID: 34382264 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202102348] [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: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The series of unnatural base pairs (UBPs) developed by the Romesberg lab which pair via hydrophobic and packing interactions have been replicated, transcribed, and translated inside of a living organism. However, as to why these UBPs exhibit variable fidelity and efficiency when used in different contexts is not clear. In an effort to gain some insights, we investigated the thermal stability and pairing selectivity of the (d) NaM -(d) TPT3 UBP in 11nt duplexes via UV spectroscopy and the effects on helical structure via CD spectroscopy. We observed that while the duplexes containing a UBP are less stable than fully natural duplexes, they are generally more stable than duplexes containing natural mispairs. This work provides the first insights connecting the thermal stability of the (d) NaM -(d) TPT3 UBP to the molecular mechanisms for varying replication fidelity in different sequence contexts in DNA, asymmetrical transcription fidelity, and codon:anticodon interactions and can assist in future UBP development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luke L Lairson
- The Scripps Research Institute, Chemistry, UNITED STATES
| | - Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
- The Scripps Research Institute, Chemistry snd The Skaggs Institute For Chemical Biology, 10550 North Torrey Pines Rd, MB-16, 92037, La Jolla, UNITED STATES
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25
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Manandhar M, Chun E, Romesberg FE. Genetic Code Expansion: Inception, Development, Commercialization. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:4859-4878. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c11938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miglena Manandhar
- Synthorx, a Sanofi Company, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Eugene Chun
- Synthorx, a Sanofi Company, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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26
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Lim CK, Nirantar S, Yew WS, Poh CL. Novel Modalities in DNA Data Storage. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:990-1003. [PMID: 33455842 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The field of storing information in DNA has expanded exponentially. Most common modalities involve encoding information from bits into synthesized nucleotides, storage in liquid or dry media, and decoding via sequencing. However, limitations to this paradigm include the cost of DNA synthesis and sequencing, along with low throughput. Further unresolved questions include the appropriate media of storage and the scalability of such approaches for commercial viability. In this review, we examine various storage modalities involving the use of DNA from a systems-level perspective. We compare novel methods that draw inspiration from molecular biology techniques that have been devised to overcome the difficulties posed by standard workflows and conceptualize potential applications that can arise from these advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Kai Lim
- NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore; NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), Centre for Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | | | - Wen Shan Yew
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), Centre for Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | - Chueh Loo Poh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore; NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), Centre for Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore.
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27
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Crnković A, Srnko M, Anderluh G. Biological Nanopores: Engineering on Demand. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11010027. [PMID: 33466427 PMCID: PMC7824896 DOI: 10.3390/life11010027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanopore-based sensing is a powerful technique for the detection of diverse organic and inorganic molecules, long-read sequencing of nucleic acids, and single-molecule analyses of enzymatic reactions. Selected from natural sources, protein-based nanopores enable rapid, label-free detection of analytes. Furthermore, these proteins are easy to produce, form pores with defined sizes, and can be easily manipulated with standard molecular biology techniques. The range of possible analytes can be extended by using externally added adapter molecules. Here, we provide an overview of current nanopore applications with a focus on engineering strategies and solutions.
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28
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Špaček J, Fojta M. Electroanalysis of unnatural base pair content in plasmid DNA generated in a semi-synthetic organism. Electrochim Acta 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2020.137298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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29
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Marx A, Betz K. The Structural Basis for Processing of Unnatural Base Pairs by DNA Polymerases. Chemistry 2020; 26:3446-3463. [PMID: 31544987 PMCID: PMC7155079 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201903525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Unnatural base pairs (UBPs) greatly increase the diversity of DNA and RNA, furthering their broad range of molecular biological and biotechnological approaches. Different candidates have been developed whereby alternative hydrogen-bonding patterns and hydrophobic and packing interactions have turned out to be the most promising base-pairing concepts to date. The key in many applications is the highly efficient and selective acceptance of artificial base pairs by DNA polymerases, which enables amplification of the modified DNA. In this Review, computational as well as experimental studies that were performed to characterize the pairing behavior of UBPs in free duplex DNA or bound to the active site of KlenTaq DNA polymerase are highlighted. The structural studies, on the one hand, elucidate how base pairs lacking hydrogen bonds are accepted by these enzymes and, on the other hand, highlight the influence of one or several consecutive UBPs on the structure of a DNA double helix. Understanding these concepts facilitates optimization of future UBPs for the manifold fields of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Marx
- Department of ChemistryKonstanz Research School Chemical BiologyUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078464KonstanzGermany
| | - Karin Betz
- Department of ChemistryKonstanz Research School Chemical BiologyUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078464KonstanzGermany
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30
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Seio K, Yamaguchi K, Yamazaki A, Kanamori T, Masaki Y. Transcription of DNA duplex containing deoxypseudouridine and deoxypseudoisocytidine, and inhibition of transcription by triplex forming oligonucleotide that recognizes the modified duplex. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 39:892-904. [PMID: 32126878 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2020.1714652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
We developed new DNA triplexes that contain four base triads T-A·T, A-ψ·CBr, G-PIC·YO, and C-G·Py+, where CBr, YO, Py, ψ, and PIC are 5-bromocytosine, 5-methyl-4-pyrimidone, 2-aminopyridine, the aglycons of deoxypseudouridine, and deoxypseudoisocytidine, respectively. DNA duplex incorporating T-A, A-ψ, G-PIC, and C-G, and triplex forming oligonucleotide incorporating T, CBr, YO, and Py formed the triplex as evaluated by Tm measurements. The triplex formation was successfully applied to the inhibition of transcription of the DNA duplex incorporating T7-promoter sequence modified by the above modified bases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohji Seio
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kei Yamaguchi
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Ayano Yamazaki
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takashi Kanamori
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Masaki
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
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31
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Ntoukam DHS, Mutlu H, Theato P. Post-polymerization modification of Poly(vinylcyclopropanes): A potential route to periodic copolymers. Eur Polym J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2019.109319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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32
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Jena NR. Electron and hole interactions with P, Z, and P:Z and the formation of mutagenic products by proton transfer reactions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:919-931. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05367k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Z would act as an electron acceptor and P would capture a hole in the unnatural DNA. The latter process would produce mutagenic products via a proton transfer reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. R. Jena
- Discipline of Natural Sciences
- Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing
- Jabalpur-482005
- India
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33
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Ledbetter MP, Malyshev DA, Romesberg FE. Site-Specific Labeling of DNA via PCR with an Expanded Genetic Alphabet. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1973:193-212. [PMID: 31016704 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9216-4_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a universal and essential tool in molecular biology and biotechnology, but it is generally limited to the amplification of DNA with the four-letter genetic alphabet. Here, we describe PCR amplification with a six-letter alphabet that includes the two natural dA-dT and dG-dC base pairs and an unnatural base pair (UBP) formed between the synthetic nucleotides dNaM and d5SICS or dTPT3 or analogs of these synthetic nucleotides modified with linkers that allow for the site-specific labeling of the amplified DNA with different functional groups. Under standard conditions, the six-letter DNA may be amplified with high efficiency and with greater than 99.9% fidelity. This allows for the efficient production of DNA site-specifically modified with different functionalities of interest for use in a wide range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis A Malyshev
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Floyd E Romesberg
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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34
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Hölz K, Schaudy E, Lietard J, Somoza MM. Multi-level patterning nucleic acid photolithography. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3805. [PMID: 31444344 PMCID: PMC6707258 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11670-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The versatile and tunable self-assembly properties of nucleic acids and engineered nucleic acid constructs make them invaluable in constructing microscale and nanoscale devices, structures and circuits. Increasing the complexity, functionality and ease of assembly of such constructs, as well as interfacing them to the macroscopic world requires a multifaceted and programmable fabrication approach that combines efficient and spatially resolved nucleic acid synthesis with multiple post-synthetic chemical and enzymatic modifications. Here we demonstrate a multi-level photolithographic patterning approach that starts with large-scale in situ surface synthesis of natural, modified or chimeric nucleic acid molecular structures and is followed by chemical and enzymatic nucleic acid modifications and processing. The resulting high-complexity, micrometer-resolution nucleic acid surface patterns include linear and branched structures, multi-color fluorophore labeling and programmable targeted oligonucleotide immobilization and cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Hölz
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14 (UZA II), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Erika Schaudy
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14 (UZA II), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jory Lietard
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14 (UZA II), 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Mark M Somoza
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14 (UZA II), 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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35
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Behera B, Das P, Jena NR. Accurate Base Pair Energies of Artificially Expanded Genetic Information Systems (AEGIS): Clues for Their Mutagenic Characteristics. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:6728-6739. [PMID: 31290661 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b04653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recently, several artificial nucleobases, such as B, S, J, V, X, K, P, and Z, have been proposed to help in the expansion of the genetic information system and diagnosis of diseases. Among these bases, P and Z were identified to form stable DNA and to participate in the replication. However, the stabilities of P:Z and other artificial base pairs are not fully understood. The abilities of these unnatural nucleobases in mispairing with themselves and with natural bases are also not known. Here, the ωB97X-D dispersion-corrected density functional theoretical and complete basis set (CBS-QB3) methods are used to obtain accurate structural and energetic data related to base pair interactions involving these unnatural nucleobases. The roles of protonation and deprotonation of certain artificial bases in inducing mutations are also studied. It is found that each artificial purine has a complementary artificial pyrimidine, the base pair interactions between which are similar to those of the natural Watson-Crick base pairs. Hence, these base pairs will function naturally and would not impart mutagenicity. Among these base pairs, the J:V complex is found to be the most stable and promising artificial base pair. Remarkably, the noncomplementary artificial nucleobases are found to form stable mispairs, which may generate mutagenic products in DNA. Similarly, the misinsertions of natural bases opposite artificial bases are also found to be mutagenic. The mechanisms of these mutations are explained in detail. These results are in agreement with earlier biochemical studies. It is thus expected that this study would aid in the advancement of the synthetic biology to design more robust artificial nucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Behera
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Jabalpur 482005 , India
| | - P Das
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Jabalpur 482005 , India
| | - N R Jena
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Jabalpur 482005 , India
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36
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Singh I, Laos R, Hoshika S, Benner SA, Georgiadis MM. Snapshots of an evolved DNA polymerase pre- and post-incorporation of an unnatural nucleotide. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:7977-7988. [PMID: 29986111 PMCID: PMC6125688 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The next challenge in synthetic biology is to be able to replicate synthetic nucleic acid sequences efficiently. The synthetic pair, 2-amino-8-(1-beta-d-2′- deoxyribofuranosyl) imidazo [1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin-[8H]-4-one (trivially designated P) with 6-amino-3-(2′-deoxyribofuranosyl)-5-nitro-1H-pyridin-2-one (trivially designated Z), is replicated by certain Family A polymerases, albeit with lower efficiency. Through directed evolution, we identified a variant KlenTaq polymerase (M444V, P527A, D551E, E832V) that incorporates dZTP opposite P more efficiently than the wild-type enzyme. Here, we report two crystal structures of this variant KlenTaq, a post-incorporation complex that includes a template-primer with P:Z trapped in the active site (binary complex) and a pre-incorporation complex with dZTP paired to template P in the active site (ternary complex). In forming the ternary complex, the fingers domain exhibits a larger closure angle than in natural complexes but engages the template-primer and incoming dNTP through similar interactions. In the binary complex, although many of the interactions found in the natural complexes are retained, there is increased relative motion of the thumb domain. Collectively, our analyses suggest that it is the post-incorporation complex for unnatural substrates that presents a challenge to the natural enzyme and that more efficient replication of P:Z pairs requires a more flexible polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isha Singh
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Roberto Laos
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and the Westheimer Institute of Science & Technology, Alachua, FL 32615, USA
| | - Shuichi Hoshika
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and the Westheimer Institute of Science & Technology, Alachua, FL 32615, USA
| | - Steven A Benner
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and the Westheimer Institute of Science & Technology, Alachua, FL 32615, USA.,Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL 32615, USA
| | - Millie M Georgiadis
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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37
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Hamashima K, Soong YT, Matsunaga KI, Kimoto M, Hirao I. DNA Sequencing Method Including Unnatural Bases for DNA Aptamer Generation by Genetic Alphabet Expansion. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1401-1410. [PMID: 30995835 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The creation of unnatural base pairs (UBPs) has rapidly advanced the genetic alphabet expansion technology of DNA, requiring a new sequencing method for UB-containing DNAs with five or more letters. The hydrophobic UBP, Ds-Px, exhibits high fidelity in PCR and has been applied to DNA aptamer generation involving Ds as a fifth base. Here, we present a sequencing method for Ds-containing DNAs, in which Ds bases are replaced with natural bases by PCR using intermediate UB substrates (replacement PCR) for conventional deep sequencing. The composition rates of the natural bases converted from Ds significantly varied, depending on the sequence contexts around Ds and two different intermediate substrates. Therefore, we made an encyclopedia of the natural-base composition rates for all sequence contexts in each replacement PCR using different intermediate substrates. The Ds positions in DNAs can be determined by comparing the natural-base composition rates in both the actual and encyclopedia data, at each position of the DNAs obtained by deep sequencing after replacement PCR. We demonstrated the sequence determination of DNA aptamers in the enriched Ds-containing DNA libraries isolated by aptamer generation procedures targeting proteins. This study also provides valuable information about the fidelity of the Ds-Px pair in replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyofumi Hamashima
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #07-01, Singapore 138669
| | - Yun Ting Soong
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #07-01, Singapore 138669
| | - Ken-ichiro Matsunaga
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #07-01, Singapore 138669
| | - Michiko Kimoto
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #07-01, Singapore 138669
| | - Ichiro Hirao
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #07-01, Singapore 138669
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38
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Eggert F, Kurscheidt K, Hoffmann E, Kath‐Schorr S. Towards Reverse Transcription with an Expanded Genetic Alphabet. Chembiochem 2019; 20:1642-1645. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Eggert
- LIMES Institute, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry UnitUniversity of Bonn Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1 53121 Bonn Germany
| | - Katharina Kurscheidt
- LIMES Institute, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry UnitUniversity of Bonn Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1 53121 Bonn Germany
| | - Eva Hoffmann
- LIMES Institute, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry UnitUniversity of Bonn Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1 53121 Bonn Germany
| | - Stephanie Kath‐Schorr
- LIMES Institute, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry UnitUniversity of Bonn Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1 53121 Bonn Germany
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39
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Guo WW, Zhang TS, Fang WH, Cui G. QM/MM studies on the excited-state relaxation mechanism of a semisynthetic dTPT3 base. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:5067-5073. [PMID: 29388994 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp08696b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Semisynthetic alphabets can potentially increase the genetic information stored in DNA through the formation of unusual base pairs. Recent experiments have shown that near-visible-light irradiation of the dTPT3 chromophore could lead to the formation of a reactive triplet state and of singlet oxygen in high quantum yields. However, the detailed excited-state relaxation paths that populate the lowest triplet state are unclear. Herein, we have for the first time employed the QM(MS-CASPT2//CASSCF)/MM method to explore the spectroscopic properties and excited-state relaxation mechanism of the aqueous dTPT3 chromophore. On the basis of the results, we have found that (1) the S2(1ππ*) state of dTPT3 is the initially populated excited singlet state upon near-visible light irradiation; and (2) there are two efficient relaxation pathways to populate the lowest triplet state, i.e. T1(3ππ*). In the first one, the S2(1ππ*) system first decays to the S1(1nπ*) state near the S2/S1 conical intersection, which is followed by an efficient S1 → T1 intersystem crossing process at the S1/T1 crossing point; in the second one, an efficient S2 → T2 intersystem crossing takes place first, and then, the T2(3nπ*) system hops to the T1(3ππ*) state through an internal conversion process at the T2/T1 conical intersection. Moreover, an S2/S1/T2 intersection region is found to play a vital role in the excited-state relaxation. These new mechanistic insights help in understanding the photophysics and photochemistry of unusual base pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Wei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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40
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Dien VT, Holcomb M, Feldman AW, Fischer EC, Dwyer TJ, Romesberg FE. Progress Toward a Semi-Synthetic Organism with an Unrestricted Expanded Genetic Alphabet. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:16115-16123. [PMID: 30418780 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We have developed a family of unnatural base pairs (UBPs), exemplified by the pair formed between dNaM and dTPT3, for which pairing is mediated not by complementary hydrogen bonding but by hydrophobic and packing forces. These UBPs enabled the creation of the first semisynthetic organisms (SSOs) that store increased genetic information and use it to produce proteins containing noncanonical amino acids. However, retention of the UBPs was poor in some sequence contexts. Here, to optimize the SSO, we synthesize two novel benzothiophene-based dNaM analogs, dPTMO and dMTMO, and characterize the corresponding UBPs, dPTMO-dTPT3 and dMTMO-dTPT3. We demonstrate that these UBPs perform similarly to, or slightly worse than, dNaM-dTPT3 in vitro. However, in the in vivo environment of an SSO, retention of dMTMO-dTPT3, and especially dPTMO-dTPT3, is significantly higher than that of dNaM-dTPT3. This more optimal in vivo retention results from better replication, as opposed to more efficient import of the requisite unnatural nucleoside triphosphates. Modeling studies suggest that the more optimal replication results from specific internucleobase interactions mediated by the thiophene sulfur atoms. Finally, we show that dMTMO and dPTMO efficiently template the transcription of RNA containing TPT3 and that their improved retention in DNA results in more efficient production of proteins with noncanonical amino acids. This is the first instance of using performance within the SSO as part of the UBP evaluation and optimization process. From a general perspective, the results demonstrate the importance of evaluating synthetic biology "parts" in their in vivo context and further demonstrate the ability of hydrophobic and packing interactions to replace the complementary hydrogen bonding that underlies the replication of natural base pairs. From a more practical perspective, the identification of dMTMO-dTPT3 and especially dPTMO-dTPT3 represents significant progress toward the development of SSOs with an unrestricted ability to store and retrieve increased information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian T Dien
- Department of Chemistry , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California 92037 United States
| | - Matthew Holcomb
- Department of Chemistry , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California 92037 United States
| | - Aaron W Feldman
- Department of Chemistry , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California 92037 United States
| | - Emil C Fischer
- Department of Chemistry , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California 92037 United States
| | - Tammy J Dwyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of San Diego , San Diego , California 92110 , United States
| | - Floyd E Romesberg
- Department of Chemistry , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California 92037 United States
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41
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Dien VT, Morris SE, Karadeema RJ, Romesberg FE. Expansion of the genetic code via expansion of the genetic alphabet. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 46:196-202. [PMID: 30205312 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Current methods to expand the genetic code enable site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. However, current methods are limited by the number of codons possible, their orthogonality, and possibly their effects on protein synthesis and folding. An alternative approach relies on unnatural base pairs to create a virtually unlimited number of genuinely new codons that are efficiently translated and highly orthogonal because they direct ncAA incorporation using forces other than the complementary hydrogen bonds employed by their natural counterparts. This review outlines progress and achievements made towards developing a functional unnatural base pair and its use to generate semi-synthetic organisms with an expanded genetic alphabet that serves as the basis of an expanded genetic code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian T Dien
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sydney E Morris
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Rebekah J Karadeema
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Floyd E Romesberg
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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42
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Jena NR, Das P, Behera B, Mishra PC. Analogues of P and Z as Efficient Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:8134-8145. [PMID: 30063353 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b04207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
To artificially expand the genetic information system and to realize artificial life, it is necessary to discover new functional DNA bases that can form stable duplex DNA and participate in error-free replication. It is recently proposed that the 2-amino-imidazo[1,2- a]-1,3,5-triazin-4(8 H)one (P) and 6-amino-5-nitro-2(1 H)-pyridone (Z) would form a base pair complex, which is more stable than that of the normal G-C base pair and would produce an unperturbed duplex DNA. Here, by using quantum chemical calculations in aqueous medium, it is shown that the P and Z molecules can be modified with the help of electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents mainly found in B-DNA to generate new bases that can produce even more stable base pairs. Among the various bases studied, P3, P4, Z3, and Z5 are found to produce base pairs, which are about 2-15 kcal/mol more stable than the P-Z base pair. It is further shown that these base pairs can be stacked onto the G-C and A-T base pairs to produce stable dimers. The consecutive stacking of these base pairs is found to yield even more stable dimers. The influence of charge penetration effects and backbone atoms in stabilizing these dimers are also discussed. It is thus proposed that the P3, P4, Z3, and Z5 would form promiscuous artificial genetic information system and can be used for different biological applications. However, the evaluations of the dynamical effects of these bases in DNA-containing several nucleotides and the efficacy of DNA polymerases to replicate these bases would provide more insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Jena
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Khamaria, Jabalpur 482005 , India
| | - P Das
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Khamaria, Jabalpur 482005 , India
| | - B Behera
- Discipline of Natural Sciences , Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing , Khamaria, Jabalpur 482005 , India
| | - P C Mishra
- Department of Physics , Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi 221005 , India
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43
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Tomori T, Nagaoka K, Takeshita L, Shiozawa T, Miyatake Y, Masaki Y, Sekine M, Seio K. Deoxynucleoside Triphosphate Containing Pyridazin-3-one Aglycon as a Thymidine Triphosphate Substitute for Primer Extension and Chain Elongation by Klenow Fragments. J Org Chem 2018; 83:8353-8363. [PMID: 29952565 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b00918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Deoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphate was synthesized with 3-oxo-2 H-pyridazin-6-yl (PzO)-a uracil analogue lacking a 2-keto group-as the nucleobase. Theoretical analyses and hybridization experiments indicated that PzO recognizes adenine (A) for formation of a Watson-Crick base pair. Primer extension reactions using nucleoside 5'-triphosphate and the Klenow fragment revealed that the synthetic nucleoside 5'-triphosphate was incorporated into the 3' end of the primer through recognition of A in the template strand. Moreover, the 3'-nucleotide residue harboring PzO as the base was resistant to the 3'-exonuclease activity of Klenow fragment exo+. The primer bearing the PzO base at the 3' end could function in subsequent chain elongation. These properties of PzO were attributed to the presence of an endocyclic nitrogen atom at the position ortho to the glycosidic bond, which was presumed to form an H-bond with the amino acid residue of DNA polymerase for effective recognition of the 3' end of the primer for primer extension. These results provide a basis for designing new nucleobases by combining a nitrogen atom at the position ortho to the glycosidic bond and base-pairing sites for Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahito Tomori
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Kento Nagaoka
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Leo Takeshita
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Takashi Shiozawa
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Yuya Miyatake
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Masaki
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Mitsuo Sekine
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
| | - Kohji Seio
- School of Life Science and Technology , Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta , Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501 , Japan
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44
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Randrianjatovo-Gbalou I, Rosario S, Sismeiro O, Varet H, Legendre R, Coppée JY, Huteau V, Pochet S, Delarue M. Enzymatic synthesis of random sequences of RNA and RNA analogues by DNA polymerase theta mutants for the generation of aptamer libraries. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:6271-6284. [PMID: 29788485 PMCID: PMC6158600 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers, especially RNA, exhibit valuable advantages compared to protein therapeutics in terms of size, affinity and specificity. However, the synthesis of libraries of large random RNAs is still difficult and expensive. The engineering of polymerases able to directly generate these libraries has the potential to replace the chemical synthesis approach. Here, we start with a DNA polymerase that already displays a significant template-free nucleotidyltransferase activity, human DNA polymerase theta, and we mutate it based on the knowledge of its three-dimensional structure as well as previous mutational studies on members of the same polA family. One mutant exhibited a high tolerance towards ribonucleotides (NTPs) and displayed an efficient ribonucleotidyltransferase activity that resulted in the assembly of long RNA polymers. HPLC analysis and RNA sequencing of the products were used to quantify the incorporation of the four NTPs as a function of initial NTP concentrations and established the randomness of each generated nucleic acid sequence. The same mutant revealed a propensity to accept other modified nucleotides and to extend them in long fragments. Hence, this mutant can deliver random natural and modified RNA polymers libraries ready to use for SELEX, with custom lengths and balanced or unbalanced ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Randrianjatovo-Gbalou
- Unit of Structural Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Sandrine Rosario
- Unit of Structural Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Odile Sismeiro
- Transcriptome and EpiGenome platform, BioMics, Center of Innovation and Technological Research, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Hugo Varet
- Transcriptome and EpiGenome platform, BioMics, Center of Innovation and Technological Research, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
- Hub informatique et Biostatistique, Centre de Bioinformatique, Biostatistique et Biologie Intégrative (C3BI, USR 3756 IP-CNRS), Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Rachel Legendre
- Transcriptome and EpiGenome platform, BioMics, Center of Innovation and Technological Research, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
- Hub informatique et Biostatistique, Centre de Bioinformatique, Biostatistique et Biologie Intégrative (C3BI, USR 3756 IP-CNRS), Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Jean-Yves Coppée
- Transcriptome and EpiGenome platform, BioMics, Center of Innovation and Technological Research, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Valérie Huteau
- Unité de Chimie et Biocatalyse, CNRS UMR 3523, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Sylvie Pochet
- Unité de Chimie et Biocatalyse, CNRS UMR 3523, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Marc Delarue
- Unit of Structural Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, CNRS UMR 3528, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
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Abstract
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The information available to any organism is encoded in a four
nucleotide, two base pair genetic code. Since its earliest days, the
field of synthetic biology has endeavored to impart organisms with
novel attributes and functions, and perhaps the most fundamental approach
to this goal is the creation of a fifth and sixth nucleotide that
pair to form a third, unnatural base pair (UBP) and thus allow for
the storage and retrieval of increased information. Achieving this
goal, by definition, requires synthetic chemistry to create unnatural
nucleotides and a medicinal chemistry-like approach to guide their
optimization. With this perspective, almost 20 years ago we began
designing unnatural nucleotides with the ultimate goal of developing
UBPs that function in vivo, and thus serve as the
foundation of semi-synthetic organisms (SSOs) capable of storing and
retrieving increased information. From the beginning, our efforts
focused on the development of nucleotides that bear predominantly
hydrophobic nucleobases and thus that pair not based on the complementary
hydrogen bonds that are so prominent among the natural base pairs
but rather via hydrophobic and packing interactions. It was envisioned
that such a pairing mechanism would provide a basal level of selectivity
against pairing with natural nucleotides, which we expected would
be the greatest challenge; however, this choice mandated starting
with analogs that have little or no homology to their natural counterparts
and that, perhaps not surprisingly, performed poorly. Progress toward
their optimization was driven by the construction of structure–activity
relationships, initially from in vitro steady-state
kinetic analysis, then later from pre-steady-state and PCR-based assays,
and ultimately from performance in vivo, with the
results augmented three times with screens that explored combinations
of the unnatural nucleotides that were too numerous to fully characterize
individually. The structure–activity relationship data identified
multiple features required by the UBP, and perhaps most prominent
among them was a substituent ortho to the glycosidic linkage that
is capable of both hydrophobic packing and hydrogen bonding, and nucleobases
that stably stack with flanking natural nucleobases in lieu of the potentially more stabilizing stacking interactions afforded
by cross strand intercalation. Most importantly, after the examination
of hundreds of unnatural nucleotides and thousands of candidate UBPs,
the efforts ultimately resulted in the identification of a family
of UBPs that are well recognized by DNA polymerases when incorporated
into DNA and that have been used to create SSOs that store and retrieve
increased information. In addition to achieving a longstanding goal
of synthetic biology, the results have important implications for
our understanding of both the molecules and forces that can underlie
biological processes, so long considered the purview of molecules
benefiting from eons of evolution, and highlight the promise of applying
the approaches and methodologies of synthetic and medical chemistry
in the pursuit of synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron W. Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La
Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Floyd E. Romesberg
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La
Jolla, California 92037, United States
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Wang W, Sheng X, Zhang S, Huang F, Sun C, Liu J, Chen D. Theoretical characterization of the conformational features of unnatural oligonucleotides containing a six nucleotide genetic alphabet. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 18:28492-28501. [PMID: 27711557 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp05594j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The addition of the unnatural P:Z base pair to the four naturally occurring DNA bases expands the genetic alphabet and yields an artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS). Herein, the structural feature of oligonucleotides containing a novel unnatural P:Z base pair is characterized using both molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry. The results show that the incorporation of the novel artificial base pair (P:Z) preserves the global conformational feature of duplex DNA except for some local structures. The Z-nitro group imparts new properties to the groove width, which widens the major groove. The unnatural oligonucleotides containing mismatched base pairs exhibit low stability. This ensures efficient and high-fidelity replication. In general, the incorporation of the P:Z pair strengthens the stability of the corresponding DNA duplex. The calculated results also show that the thermostability originates from both hydrogen interaction and stacking interaction. The Z-nitro group plays an important role in enhancing the stability of the H-bonds and stacking strength of the P:Z pair. Overall, the present results provide theoretical insights in the exploration of artificially expanded genetic information systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Wang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
| | - Xiehuang Sheng
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
| | - Shaolong Zhang
- College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China
| | - Fang Huang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
| | - Chuanzhi Sun
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
| | - Jianbiao Liu
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
| | - Dezhan Chen
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clean Production of Fine Chemicals, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, P. R. China.
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47
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Kimoto M, Matsunaga KI, Hirao I. Evolving Aptamers with Unnatural Base Pairs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 9:315-339. [PMID: 29241296 DOI: 10.1002/cpch.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A novel technology, genetic alphabet expansion, has rapidly advanced through the successful creation of unnatural base pairs that function as a third base pair in replication. Recently, genetic alphabet expansion has been applied to some practical areas. Among them, the application to DNA aptamer generation is a good example of the broad utility of this technology. A hydrophobic unnatural base pair, Ds-Px, which exhibits high fidelity in replication as a third base pair, has been applied to an evolutionary engineering method called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) to generate DNA aptamers that bind to targets. A few Ds bases in DNA aptamers significantly increase the binding affinity to targets, enabling the use of DNA aptamers as an alternative to antibodies. This protocol describes the ExSELEX (genetic alphabet Expansion for SELEX) method to generate Ds-containing DNA aptamers. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiko Kimoto
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, Singapore
| | | | - Ichiro Hirao
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, Singapore
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48
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Wang Q, Xie XY, Han J, Cui G. QM and QM/MM Studies on Excited-State Relaxation Mechanisms of Unnatural Bases in Vacuo and Base Pairs in DNA. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:10467-10478. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b09046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical
and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of
Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiao-Ying Xie
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical
and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of
Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Juan Han
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical
and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of
Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical
and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of
Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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49
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Morris SE, Feldman AW, Romesberg FE. Synthetic Biology Parts for the Storage of Increased Genetic Information in Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1834-1840. [PMID: 28654252 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To bestow cells with novel forms and functions, the goal of synthetic biology, we have developed the unnatural nucleoside triphosphates dNaMTP and dTPT3TP, which form an unnatural base pair (UBP) and expand the genetic alphabet. While the UBP may be retained in the DNA of a living cell, its retention is sequence-dependent. We now report a steady-state kinetic characterization of the rate with which the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I synthesizes the UBP and its mispairs in a variety of sequence contexts. Correct UBP synthesis is as efficient as for a natural base pair, except in one sequence context, and in vitro performance is correlated with in vivo performance. The data elucidate the determinants of efficient UBP synthesis, show that the dNaM-dTPT3 UBP is the first generally recognized natural-like base pair, and importantly, demonstrate that dNaMTP and dTPT3TP are well optimized and standardized parts for the expansion of the genetic alphabet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney E. Morris
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Aaron W. Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Floyd E. Romesberg
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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50
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Kimoto M, Hirao I. Unique Thermal Stability of Unnatural Hydrophobic Ds Bases in Double-Stranded DNAs. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1944-1951. [PMID: 28704034 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Genetic alphabet expansion technology, the introduction of unnatural bases or base pairs into replicable DNA, has rapidly advanced as a new synthetic biology area. A hydrophobic unnatural base pair between 7-(2-thienyl)imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Ds) and 2-nitro-4-propynylpyrrole (Px) exhibited high fidelity as a third base pair in PCR. SELEX methods using the Ds-Px pair enabled high-affinity DNA aptamer generation, and introducing a few Ds bases into DNA aptamers extremely augmented their affinities and selectivities to target proteins. Here, to further scrutinize the functions of this highly hydrophobic Ds base, the thermal stabilities of double-stranded DNAs (dsDNA) containing a noncognate Ds-Ds or G-Ds pair were examined. The thermal stability of the Ds-Ds self-pair was as high as that of the natural G-C pair, and apart from the generally higher stability of the G-C pair than that of the A-T pair, most of the 5'-pyrimidine-Ds-purine-3' sequences, such as CDsA and TDsA, exhibited higher stability than the 5'-purine-Ds-pyrimidine-3' sequences, such as GDsC and ADsC, in dsDNAs. This trait enabled the GC-content-independent control of the thermal stability of the designed dsDNA fragments. The melting temperatures of dsDNA fragments containing the Ds-Ds pair can be predicted from the nearest-neighbor parameters including the Ds base. In addition, the noncognate G-Ds pair can efficiently distinguish its neighboring cognate natural base pairs from noncognate pairs. We demonstrated that real-time PCR using primers containing Ds accurately detected a single-nucleotide mismatch in target DNAs. These unique properties of the Ds base that affect the stabilities of the neighboring base pairs could impart new functions to DNA molecules and technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiko Kimoto
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #09-01, Singapore 138669
- RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Ichiro Hirao
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #09-01, Singapore 138669
- RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
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