1
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Schloßhauer JL, Dondapati SK, Kubick S, Zemella A. A Cost-Effective Pichia pastoris Cell-Free System Driven by Glycolytic Intermediates Enables the Production of Complex Eukaryotic Proteins. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:92. [PMID: 38247969 PMCID: PMC10813726 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11010092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell-free systems are particularly attractive for screening applications and the production of difficult-to-express proteins. However, the production of cell lysates is difficult to implement on a larger scale due to large time requirements, cultivation costs, and the supplementation of cell-free reactions with energy regeneration systems. Consequently, the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, which is widely used in recombinant protein production, was utilized in the present study to realize cell-free synthesis in a cost-effective manner. Sensitive disruption conditions were evaluated, and appropriate signal sequences for translocation into ER vesicles were identified. An alternative energy regeneration system based on fructose-1,6-bisphosphate was developed and a ~2-fold increase in protein production was observed. Using a statistical experiment design, the optimal composition of the cell-free reaction milieu was determined. Moreover, functional ion channels could be produced, and a G-protein-coupled receptor was site-specifically modified using the novel cell-free system. Finally, the established P. pastoris cell-free protein production system can economically produce complex proteins for biotechnological applications in a short time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L. Schloßhauer
- Fraunhofer Project Group PZ-Syn of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Located at the Institute of Biotechnology, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, 01968 Senftenberg, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Am Mühlenberg, 14476 Potsdam, Germany (S.K.)
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Srujan Kumar Dondapati
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Am Mühlenberg, 14476 Potsdam, Germany (S.K.)
| | - Stefan Kubick
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Am Mühlenberg, 14476 Potsdam, Germany (S.K.)
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne Zemella
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Am Mühlenberg, 14476 Potsdam, Germany (S.K.)
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2
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Zhang XE, Liu C, Dai J, Yuan Y, Gao C, Feng Y, Wu B, Wei P, You C, Wang X, Si T. Enabling technology and core theory of synthetic biology. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:1742-1785. [PMID: 36753021 PMCID: PMC9907219 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2214-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology provides a new paradigm for life science research ("build to learn") and opens the future journey of biotechnology ("build to use"). Here, we discuss advances of various principles and technologies in the mainstream of the enabling technology of synthetic biology, including synthesis and assembly of a genome, DNA storage, gene editing, molecular evolution and de novo design of function proteins, cell and gene circuit engineering, cell-free synthetic biology, artificial intelligence (AI)-aided synthetic biology, as well as biofoundries. We also introduce the concept of quantitative synthetic biology, which is guiding synthetic biology towards increased accuracy and predictability or the real rational design. We conclude that synthetic biology will establish its disciplinary system with the iterative development of enabling technologies and the maturity of the core theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-En Zhang
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Chenli Liu
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Junbiao Dai
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Yingjin Yuan
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Caixia Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Yan Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Bian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Ping Wei
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Chun You
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
| | - Xiaowo Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology; Bioinformatics Division, Beijing National Research Center for Information Science and Technology; Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Tong Si
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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3
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Seki K, Galindo JL, Karim AS, Jewett MC. A Cell-Free Gene Expression Platform for Discovering and Characterizing Stop Codon Suppressing tRNAs. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1324-1334. [PMID: 37257197 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) can be incorporated into peptides and proteins to create new properties and functions. Site-specific ncAA incorporation is typically enabled by orthogonal translation systems comprising a stop codon suppressing tRNA (typically UAG), an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, and an ncAA of interest. Unfortunately, methods to discover and characterize suppressor tRNAs are limited because of laborious and time-consuming workflows in living cells. In this work, we develop anEscherichia coli crude extract-based cell-free gene expression system to rapidly express and characterize functional suppressor tRNAs. Our approach co-expresses orthogonal tRNAs using endogenous machinery alongside a stop-codon containing superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) reporter, which can be used as a simple read-out for suppression. As a model, we evaluate the UAG and UAA suppressing activity of several orthogonal tRNAs. Then, we demonstrate that co-transcription of two mutually orthogonal tRNAs can direct the incorporation of two unique ncAAs within a single modified sfGFP. Finally, we show that the cell-free workflow can be used to discover putative UAG-suppressor tRNAs found in metagenomic data, which are nonspecifically recognized by endogenous aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. We anticipate that our cell-free system will accelerate the development of orthogonal translation systems for synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Seki
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Joey L Galindo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Ashty S Karim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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4
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Tabares LC, Daniel DT, Vázquez-Ibar JL, Kouklovsky C, Alezra V, Un S. Using the Noncanonical Metallo-Amino Acid [Cu(II)(2,2'-Bipyridin-5-yl)]-alanine to Study the Structures of Proteins. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3368-3375. [PMID: 36995079 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Genetic code expansion allows modification of the physical and chemical properties of proteins by the site-directed insertion of noncanonical amino acids. Here we exploit this technology for measuring nanometer-scale distances in proteins. (2,2'-Bipyridin-5-yl)alanine was incorporated into the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and used as an anchoring point for Cu(II) to create a spin-label. The incorporation of (2,2'-bipyridin-5-yl)alanine directly into the protein resulted in a high-affinity binding site for Cu(II) capable of outcompeting other binding positions in the protein. The resulting Cu(II)-spin label is very compact and not larger than a conventional amino acid. By using 94 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) pulse dipolar spectroscopy we have been able to determine accurately the distance between two such spin-labels. Our measurements revealed that GFP dimers can adopt different quaternary conformations. The combination of spin-labeling using a paramagnetic nonconventional amino acid with high-frequency EPR techniques resulted in a sensitive method for studying the structures of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro C Tabares
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - Davis T Daniel
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - José Luis Vázquez-Ibar
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
| | - Cyrille Kouklovsky
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay F-91405, Cedex France
| | - Valérie Alezra
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay F-91405, Cedex France
| | - Sun Un
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, France
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5
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Lee K, Willi JA, Cho N, Kim I, Jewett MC, Lee J. Cell-free Biosynthesis of Peptidomimetics. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2023; 28:1-17. [PMID: 36778039 PMCID: PMC9896473 DOI: 10.1007/s12257-022-0268-5] [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: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A wide variety of peptidomimetics (peptide analogs) possessing innovative biological functions have been brought forth as therapeutic candidates through cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems. A key feature of these peptidomimetic drugs is the use of non-canonical amino acid building blocks with diverse biochemical properties that expand functional diversity. Here, we summarize recent technologies leveraging CFPS platforms to expand the reach of peptidomimetics drugs. We also offer perspectives on engineering the translational machinery that may open new opportunities for expanding genetically encoded chemistry to transform drug discovery practice beyond traditional boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanghun Lee
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering (I-Bio), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673 Korea
| | - Jessica A. Willi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
| | - Namjin Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673 Korea
| | - Inseon Kim
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering (I-Bio), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673 Korea
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
| | - Joongoo Lee
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering (I-Bio), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673 Korea
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673 Korea
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6
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Liu D, Liu Y, Duan HZ, Chen X, Wang Y, Wang T, Yu Q, Chen YX, Lu Y. Customized synthesis of phosphoprotein bearing phosphoserine or its nonhydrolyzable analog. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 8:69-78. [PMID: 36514487 PMCID: PMC9719085 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on the mechanism of protein phosphorylation and therapeutic interventions of its related molecular processes are limited by the difficulty in the production of purpose-built phosphoproteins harboring site-specific phosphorylated amino acids or their nonhydrolyzable analogs. Here we address this limitation by customizing the cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) machinery via chassis strain selection and orthogonal translation system (OTS) reconfiguration screening. The suited chassis strains and reconfigured OTS combinations with high orthogonality were consequently picked out for individualized phosphoprotein synthesis. Specifically, we synthesized the sfGFP protein and MEK1 protein with site-specific phosphoserine (O-pSer) or its nonhydrolyzable analog, 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (C-pSer). This study successfully realized building cell-free systems for site-specific incorporation of phosphonate mimics into the target protein. Our work lays the foundation for developing a highly expansible CFPS platform and the streamlined production of user-defined phosphoproteins, which can facilitate research on the physiological mechanism and potential interference tools toward protein phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Hua-Zhen Duan
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xinjie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ting Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Qing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yong-Xiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Corresponding author.
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Corresponding author.
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7
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Ranji Charna A, Des Soye BJ, Ntai I, Kelleher NL, Jewett MC. An efficient cell-free protein synthesis platform for producing proteins with pyrrolysine-based noncanonical amino acids. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2200096. [PMID: 35569121 PMCID: PMC9452482 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202200096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins opens new opportunities in biotechnology and synthetic biology. Pyrrolysine (Pyl)-based ncAAs are some of the most predominantly used, but expression systems suffer from low yields. Here, we report a highly efficient cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) platform for site-specific incorporation of Pyl-based ncAAs into proteins using amber suppression. This platform is based on cellular extracts derived from genomically recoded Escherichia coli lacking release factor 1 and enhanced through deletion of endonuclease A. To enable ncAA incorporation, orthogonal translation system (OTS) components (i.e., the orthogonal transfer RNA [tRNA] and orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase) were coexpressed in the source strain prior to lysis and the orthogonal tRNACUA Pyl that decodes the amber codon was further enriched in the CFPS reaction via co-synthesis with the product. Using this platform, we demonstrate production of up to 442 ± 23 µg/mL modified superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) containing a single Pyl-based ncAA at high (>95%) suppression efficiency, as well as sfGFP variants harboring multiple, identical ncAAs. Our CFPS platform can be used for the synthesis of modified proteins containing multiple precisely positioned, genetically encoded Pyl-based ncAAs. We anticipate that it will facilitate more general use of CFPS in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaz Ranji Charna
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Benjamin J Des Soye
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Ioanni Ntai
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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8
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Ma X, Wei B, Wang E. Efficient incorporation of p-azido-l-phenylalanine into the protein using organic solvents. Protein Expr Purif 2022; 200:106158. [PMID: 36007861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2022.106158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Azide, the most used photo-crosslinking group, facilitates the analysis of protein structure and function. This group is particularly useful when photochemically label antibodies and examine protein-protein interactions. The use of the expanded genetic code technique allows the special labeling of the functional azide group in proteins by adding the unnatural amino acid (UAA), p-azido-l-phenylalanine (AzF), in response to the amber codon during translation. However, a low UAA uptake rate due to mass transfer resistance in the cell membrane may lead to the early termination of the full-length protein. This study reports a general method for the efficient in vivo incorporation of AzF into the target protein by improving cell permeability using organic solvents. As expected, the yield of the full-length protein was significantly increased, which indicated that the AzF uptake was greatly improved due to the addition of organic solvents. Our method can serve as a good reference for improving the genetic incorporation of other kinds of UAAs into proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Ma
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
| | - Bing Wei
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
| | - Enlin Wang
- The College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
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9
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Zawada JF, Burgenson D, Yin G, Hallam TJ, Swartz JR, Kiss RD. Cell-free technologies for biopharmaceutical research and production. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 76:102719. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Ye Q, Lin X, Wang T, Cui Y, Jiang H, Lu Y. Programmable protein topology via
SpyCatcher‐SpyTag
chemistry in one‐pot cell‐free expression system. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4335. [DOI: 10.1002/pro.4335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingning Ye
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing China
- College of New Energy and Materials China University of Petroleum Beijing China
| | - Xiaomei Lin
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Ting Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Yuntao Cui
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Hao Jiang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing China
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11
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Mala P, Saraogi I. Enhanced Codon-Anticodon Interaction at In-Frame UAG Stop Codon Improves the Efficiency of Non-Natural Amino Acid Mutagenesis. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1051-1060. [PMID: 35532803 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of non-natural amino acids into proteins through the stop codon readthrough methodology has been used to design proteins for diverse applications. However, this method suffers from low yields of the modified protein, as the suppressor tRNA that recognizes the stop codon is unable to compete effectively with release factor 1 (RF1), which terminates translation. We reasoned that a suppressor tRNA with improved interaction with the UAG stop codon on the mRNA will be able to compete more effectively with RF1. To test this idea, we inserted two 2,6-diaminopurine (D) units in the tRNA anticodon stem loop, including one at the third position of the tRNA anticodon. The modified suppressor tRNA could potentially form additional H-bonds between the N2-exocyclic amine of D and the C2 carbonyl group of uracil, thereby enhancing mRNA-tRNA interaction and/or altering tRNA conformation. The stronger interaction at the codon-anticodon interface resulted in improved UAG decoding efficiency and a higher yield of the modified protein containing a non-natural amino acid at multiple sites. Our findings are consistent with the importance of hydrogen bonding and tRNA conformation at the tRNA-mRNA duplex interface during in-frame UAG suppression, which improves protein translation at multiple UAG stop sites. This work provides valuable inputs toward improved non-natural amino acid mutagenesis for creating designer proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purnima Mala
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Ishu Saraogi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
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12
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Krebs SK, Rakotoarinoro N, Stech M, Zemella A, Kubick S. A CHO-Based Cell-Free Dual Fluorescence Reporter System for the Straightforward Assessment of Amber Suppression and scFv Functionality. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:873906. [PMID: 35573244 PMCID: PMC9098822 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.873906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with bioorthogonal reactive groups by amber suppression allows the generation of synthetic proteins with desired novel properties. Such modified molecules are in high demand for basic research and therapeutic applications such as cancer treatment and in vivo imaging. The positioning of the ncAA-responsive codon within the protein’s coding sequence is critical in order to maintain protein function, achieve high yields of ncAA-containing protein, and allow effective conjugation. Cell-free ncAA incorporation is of particular interest due to the open nature of cell-free systems and their concurrent ease of manipulation. In this study, we report a straightforward workflow to inquire ncAA positions in regard to incorporation efficiency and protein functionality in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-free system. As a model, the well-established orthogonal translation components Escherichia coli tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) and tRNATyrCUA were used to site-specifically incorporate the ncAA p-azido-l-phenylalanine (AzF) in response to UAG codons. A total of seven ncAA sites within an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) single-chain variable fragment (scFv) N-terminally fused to the red fluorescent protein mRFP1 and C-terminally fused to the green fluorescent protein sfGFP were investigated for ncAA incorporation efficiency and impact on antigen binding. The characterized cell-free dual fluorescence reporter system allows screening for ncAA incorporation sites with high incorporation efficiency that maintain protein activity. It is parallelizable, scalable, and easy to operate. We propose that the established CHO-based cell-free dual fluorescence reporter system can be of particular interest for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon K. Krebs
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Biotechnology, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nathanaël Rakotoarinoro
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marlitt Stech
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne Zemella
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Kubick
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- *Correspondence: Stefan Kubick,
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13
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Smith JL, Madrigal Harrison I, Bingman C, Buller AR. Investigation of β-substitution activity of O-acetylserine sulfhydrolase from Citrullus vulgaris. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200157. [PMID: 35476889 PMCID: PMC9401013 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Pyridoxal‐5’‐phosphate (PLP)‐dependent enzymes have garnered interest for their ability to synthesize non‐standard amino acids (nsAAs). One such class of enzymes, O‐acetylserine sulfhydrylases (OASSs), catalyzes the final step in the biosynthesis of l‐cysteine. Here, we examine the β‐substitution capability of the OASS from Citrullus vulgaris (CvOASS), a putative l‐mimosine synthase. While the previously reported mimosine synthase activity was not reproducible in our hands, we successfully identified non‐native reactivity with a variety of O‐nucleophiles. Optimization of reaction conditions for carboxylate and phenolate substrates led to distinct conditions that were leveraged for the preparative‐scale synthesis of nsAAs. We further show this enzyme is capable of C−C bond formation through a β‐alkylation reaction with an activated nitroalkane. To facilitate understanding of this enzyme, we determined the crystal structure of the enzyme bound to PLP as the internal aldimine at 1.55 Å, revealing key features of the active site and providing information that may guide subsequent development of CvOASS as a practical biocatalyst.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Craig Bingman
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Biochemistry, UNITED STATES
| | - Andrew Richard Buller
- University of Wisconsin Madison, Chemistry, 1101 University Ave, 53706, Madison, UNITED STATES
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14
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Soltani M, Hunt JP, Smith AK, Zhao EL, Knotts TA, Bundy BC. Assessing the predictive capabilities of design heuristics and coarse-grain simulation toward understanding and optimizing site-specific covalent immobilization of β-lactamase. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100535. [PMID: 35189031 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100535] [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: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
For industrial applications, covalent immobilization of enzymes provides minimum leakage, recoverability, reusability, and high stability. Yet, the suitability of a given site on the enzyme for immobilization remains a trial-and-error procedure. Here, we investigate the reliability of design heuristics and a coarse-grain molecular simulation in predicting the optimum sites for covalent immobilization of TEM-1 β-lactamase. We utilized E. coli-lysate-based cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) to produce variants containing a site-specific incorporated unnatural amino acid with a unique moiety to facilitate site directed covalent immobilization. To constrain the number of potential immobilization sites, we investigated the predictive capability of several design heuristics. The suitability of immobilization sites was determined by analyzing expression yields, specific activity, immobilization efficiency, and stability of variants. These experimental findings are compared with coarse-grain simulation of TEM-1 domain stability and thermal stability and analyzed for a priori predictive capabilities. This work demonstrates that the design heuristics successfully identify a subset of locations for experimental validation. Specifically, the nucleotide following amber stop codon and domain stability correlate well with the expression yield and specific activity of the variants, respectively. Our approach highlights the advantages of combining coarse-grain simulation and high-throughput experimentation using CFPS to identify optimal enzyme immobilization sites. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehran Soltani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - J Porter Hunt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Addison K Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Emily Long Zhao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Thomas A Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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15
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Hunt JP, Zhao EL, Free TJ, Soltani M, Warr CA, Benedict AB, Takahashi MK, Griffitts JS, Pitt WG, Bundy BC. Towards detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human saliva: A paper-based cell-free toehold switch biosensor with a visual bioluminescent output. N Biotechnol 2022; 66:53-60. [PMID: 34555549 PMCID: PMC8452453 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2021.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the global demand for rapid, low-cost, widely distributable and point-of-care nucleic acid diagnostic technologies. Such technologies could help disrupt transmission, sustain economies and preserve health and lives during widespread infection. In contrast, conventional nucleic acid diagnostic procedures require trained personnel, complex laboratories, expensive equipment, and protracted processing times. In this work, lyophilized cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and toehold switch riboregulators are employed to develop a promising paper-based nucleic acid diagnostic platform activated simply by the addition of saliva. First, to facilitate distribution and deployment, an economical paper support matrix is identified and a mass-producible test cassette designed with integral saliva sample receptacles. Next, CFPS is optimized in the presence of saliva using murine RNase inhibitor. Finally, original toehold switch riboregulators are engineered to express the bioluminescent reporter NanoLuc in response to SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences present in saliva samples. The biosensor generates a visible signal in as few as seven minutes following administration of 15 μL saliva enriched with high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences. The estimated cost of this test is less than 0.50 USD, which could make this platform readily accessible to both the developed and developing world. While additional research is needed to decrease the limit of detection, this work represents important progress toward developing a diagnostic technology that is rapid, low-cost, distributable and deployable at the point-of-care by a layperson.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Porter Hunt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Emily Long Zhao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Tyler J Free
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Mehran Soltani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Chandler A Warr
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Alex B Benedict
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Melissa K Takahashi
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | - Joel S Griffitts
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - William G Pitt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
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16
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Hou J, Chen X, Jiang N, Wang Y, Cui Y, Ma L, Lin Y, Lu Y. Toward efficient multiple-site incorporation of unnatural amino acids using cell-free translation system. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 7:522-532. [PMID: 35024479 PMCID: PMC8718814 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2021.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Amber suppression has been widely used to incorporate unnatural amino acids (UNAAs) with unique structures or functional side-chain groups into specific sites of the target protein, which expands the scope of protein-coding chemistry. However, this traditional strategy does not allow multiple-site incorporation of different UNAAs into a single protein, which limits the development of unnatural proteins. To address this challenge, the suppression method using multiple termination codons (TAG, TAA or TGA) was proposed, and cell-free unnatural protein synthesis (CFUPS) system was employed. By the analysis of incorporating 3 different UNAAs (p-propargyloxy-l-phenylalanine, p-azyl-phenylalanine and L-4-Iodophenylalanine) and mass spectrometry, the simultaneous usage of the codons TAG and TAA were suggested for better multiple-site UNAA incorporation. The CFUPS conditions were further optimized for better UNAA incorporation efficiency, including the orthogonal translation system (OTS) components, magnesium ions, and the redox environment. This study established a CFUPS approach based on multiple termination codon suppression to achieve efficient and precise incorporation of different types of UNAAs, thereby synthesizing unnatural proteins with novel physicochemical functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Hou
- College of Life Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xinjie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Nan Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yi Cui
- College of Life Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Lianju Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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17
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Assessing Site-specific PEGylation of TEM-1 β-lactamase with Cell-free Protein Synthesis and Coarse-grained Simulation. J Biotechnol 2022; 345:55-63. [PMID: 34995558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.12.016] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PEGylation is a broadly used strategy to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic proteins. It is well established that the location and extent of PEGylation have a significant impact on protein properties. However, conventional PEGylation techniques have limited control over PEGylation sites. Emerging site-specific PEGylation technology provides control of PEG placement by conjugating PEG polymers via click chemistry reaction to genetically encoded non-canonical amino acids. Unfortunately, a method to rapidly determine the optimal PEGylation location has yet to be established. Here we seek to address this challenge. In this work, coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations are paired with high-throughput experimental screening utilizing cell-free protein synthesis to investigate the effect of site-specific PEGylation on the two-state folder protein TEM-1 β-lactamase. Specifically, the conjugation efficiency, thermal stability, and enzymatic activity are studied for the enzyme PEGylated at several different locations. The results of this analysis confirm that the physical properties of the PEGylated protein vary considerably with PEGylation site and that traditional design recommendations are insufficient to predict favorable PEGylation sites. In this study, the best predictor of the most favorable conjugation site is coarse-grained simulation. Thus, we propose a dual combinatorial screening approach in which coarse-grained molecular simulation informs site selection for high-throughput experimental verification.
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18
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19
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Chen X, Liu Y, Hou J, Lu Y. A linear DNA template-based framework for site-specific unnatural amino acid incorporation. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2021; 6:192-199. [PMID: 34401545 PMCID: PMC8347695 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UNAAs) into proteins using an orthogonal translation system (OTS) has expanded the scope of protein-coding chemistry. The key factor affecting UNAA embedding efficiency is the orthogonality of the OTS. Compared to traditional cell systems, cell-free systems are more convenient to control the reaction process and improve the utilization rate of UNAA. In this study, a linear DNA template-based cell-free unnatural protein synthesis system for rapid high-throughput screening and evolution was proposed. A total of 14 cell extracts were selected for screening out cell extract with high expression level. The result showed that EcAR7 ΔA ΔSer cell extract was optimal for the cell-free system. In addition, the screening results of four UNAAs, p-propargyloxy-l-phenylalanine (pPaF), p-azyl-phenylalanine (pAzF), p-acetyl-l-phenylalanine (pAcF), and p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (pBpF), showed that o-aaRS and o-tRNA of pPaF had good orthogonality. A new pair of corresponding o-aaRS and o-tRNA for pBpF was screened out. These results proved that this method could speed up the screening of optimal OTS components for UNAAs with versatile functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinjie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Jiaqi Hou
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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20
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Kofman C, Lee J, Jewett MC. Engineering molecular translation systems. Cell Syst 2021; 12:593-607. [PMID: 34139167 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Molecular translation systems provide a genetically encoded framework for protein synthesis, which is essential for all life. Engineering these systems to incorporate non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into peptides and proteins has opened many exciting opportunities in chemical and synthetic biology. Here, we review recent advances that are transforming our ability to engineer molecular translation systems. In cell-based systems, new processes to synthesize recoded genomes, tether ribosomal subunits, and engineer orthogonality with high-throughput workflows have emerged. In cell-free systems, adoption of flexizyme technology and cell-free ribosome synthesis and evolution platforms are expanding the limits of chemistry at the ribosome's RNA-based active site. Looking forward, innovations will deepen understanding of molecular translation and provide a path to polymers with previously unimaginable structures and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Kofman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Joongoo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Interdisplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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21
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Liu Y, Davis RG, Thomas PM, Kelleher NL, Jewett MC. In vitro-Constructed Ribosomes Enable Multi-site Incorporation of Noncanonical Amino Acids into Proteins. Biochemistry 2021; 60:161-169. [PMID: 33426883 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to expand the scope of ribosome-mediated polymerization to incorporate noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into peptides and proteins hold promise for creating new classes of enzymes, therapeutics, and materials. Recently, the integrated synthesis, assembly, and translation (iSAT) system was established to construct functional ribosomes in cell-free systems. However, the iSAT system has not been shown to be compatible with genetic code expansion. Here, to address this gap, we develop an iSAT platform capable of manufacturing pure proteins with site-specifically incorporated ncAAs. We first establish an iSAT platform based on extracts from genomically recoded Escherichia coli lacking release factor 1 (RF-1). This permits complete reassignment of the amber codon translation function. Next, we optimize orthogonal translation system components to demonstrate the benefits of genomic RF-1 deletion on incorporation of ncAAs into proteins. Using our optimized platform, we demonstrate high-level, multi-site incorporation of p-acetyl-phenylalanine (pAcF) and p-azido-phenylalanine into superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP). Mass spectrometry analysis confirms the high accuracy of incorporation for pAcF at one, two, and five amber sites in sfGFP. The iSAT system updated for ncAA incorporation sets the stage for investigating ribosomal mutations to better understand the fundamental basis of protein synthesis, manufacturing proteins with new properties, and engineering ribosomes for novel polymerization chemistries.
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22
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Cui Z, Johnston WA, Alexandrov K. Cell-Free Approach for Non-canonical Amino Acids Incorporation Into Polypeptides. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:1031. [PMID: 33117774 PMCID: PMC7550873 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.01031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology holds promise to revolutionize the life sciences and biomedicine via expansion of macromolecular diversity outside the natural chemical space. Use of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) via codon reassignment has found diverse applications in protein structure and interaction analysis, introduction of post-translational modifications, production of constrained peptides, antibody-drug conjugates, and novel enzymes. However, simultaneously encoding multiple ncAAs in vivo requires complex engineering and is sometimes restricted by the cell's poor uptake of ncAAs. In contrast the open nature of cell-free protein synthesis systems offers much greater freedom for manipulation and repurposing of the biosynthetic machinery by controlling the level and identity of translational components and reagents, and allows simultaneous incorporation of multiple ncAAs with non-canonical side chains and even backbones (N-methyl, D-, β-amino acids, α-hydroxy acids etc.). This review focuses on the two most used Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis systems; cell extract- and PURE-based systems. The former is a biological mixture with >500 proteins, while the latter consists of 38 individually purified biomolecules. We delineate compositions of these two systems and discuss their respective advantages and applications. Also, we dissect the translational components required for ncAA incorporation and compile lists of ncAAs that can be incorporated into polypeptides via different acylation approaches. We highlight the recent progress in using unnatural nucleobase pairs to increase the repertoire of orthogonal codons, as well as using tRNA-specific ribozymes for in situ acylation. We summarize advances in engineering of translational machinery such as tRNAs, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, elongation factors, and ribosomes to achieve efficient incorporation of structurally challenging ncAAs. We note that, many engineered components of biosynthetic machinery are developed for the use in vivo but are equally applicable to the in vitro systems. These are included in the review to provide a comprehensive overview for ncAA incorporation and offer new insights for the future development in cell-free systems. Finally, we highlight the exciting progress in the genomic engineering, resulting in E. coli strains free of amber and some redundant sense codons. These strains can be used for preparation of cell extracts offering multiple reassignment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenling Cui
- Synthetic Biology Laboratory, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Wayne A Johnston
- Synthetic Biology Laboratory, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kirill Alexandrov
- Synthetic Biology Laboratory, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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23
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Kögler LM, Stichel J, Beck-Sickinger AG. Structural investigations of cell-free expressed G protein-coupled receptors. Biol Chem 2020; 401:97-116. [PMID: 31539345 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are of great pharmaceutical interest and about 35% of the commercial drugs target these proteins. Still there is huge potential left in finding molecules that target new GPCRs or that modulate GPCRs differentially. For a rational drug design, it is important to understand the structure, binding and activation of the protein of interest. Structural investigations of GPCRs remain challenging, although huge progress has been made in the last 20 years, especially in the generation of crystal structures of GPCRs. This is mostly caused by issues with the expression yield, purity or labeling. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is an efficient alternative for recombinant expression systems that can potentially address many of these problems. In this article the use of CFPS for structural investigations of GPCRs is reviewed. We compare different CFPS systems, including the cellular basis and reaction configurations, and strategies for an efficient solubilization. Next, we highlight recent advances in the structural investigation of cell-free expressed GPCRs, with special emphasis on the role of photo-crosslinking approaches to investigate ligand binding sites on GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Maria Kögler
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, Leipzig University, Brüderstr. 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jan Stichel
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, Leipzig University, Brüderstr. 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Annette G Beck-Sickinger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, Leipzig University, Brüderstr. 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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24
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Cell-Free Protein Synthesis of Small Intrinsically Disordered Proteins for NMR Spectroscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2020. [PMID: 32696360 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0524-0_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is an established method to produce recombinant proteins and has been used in a wide variety of applications. The use of CFPS has almost from the onset been favorably linked to the production of isotopically labelled proteins for NMR spectroscopy as the resulting labelling of the produced protein is defined by the chosen amino acids during reaction setup. Here we describe how to set up production and isotopic labelling of small intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) for NMR spectroscopy applications using an E. coli-based CFPS system in batch mode.
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25
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Abstract
Cell-free systems are a widely used research tool in systems and synthetic biology and a promising platform for manufacturing of proteins and chemicals. In the past, cell-free biology was primarily used to better understand fundamental biochemical processes. Notably, E. coli cell-free extracts were used in the 1960s to decipher the sequencing of the genetic code. Since then, the transcription and translation capabilities of cell-free systems have been repeatedly optimized to improve energy efficiency and product yield. Today, cell-free systems, in combination with the rise of synthetic biology, have taken on a new role as a promising technology for just-in-time manufacturing of therapeutically important biologics and high-value small molecules. They have also been implemented at an industrial scale for the production of antibodies and cytokines. In this review, we discuss the evolution of cell-free technologies, in particular advancements in extract preparation, cell-free protein synthesis, and cell-free metabolic engineering applications. We then conclude with a discussion of the mathematical modeling of cell-free systems. Mathematical modeling of cell-free processes could be critical to addressing performance bottlenecks and estimating the costs of cell-free manufactured products.
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26
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Hammerling MJ, Krüger A, Jewett MC. Strategies for in vitro engineering of the translation machinery. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:1068-1083. [PMID: 31777928 PMCID: PMC7026604 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineering the process of molecular translation, or protein biosynthesis, has emerged as a major opportunity in synthetic and chemical biology to generate novel biological insights and enable new applications (e.g. designer protein therapeutics). Here, we review methods for engineering the process of translation in vitro. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the two major strategies-purified and extract-based systems-and how they may be used to manipulate and study translation. Techniques to engineer each component of the translation machinery are covered in turn, including transfer RNAs, translation factors, and the ribosome. Finally, future directions and enabling technological advances for the field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Hammerling
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Antje Krüger
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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27
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Escherichia coli Extract-Based Cell-Free Expression System as an Alternative for Difficult-to-Obtain Protein Biosynthesis. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21030928. [PMID: 32023820 PMCID: PMC7037961 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Before utilization in biomedical diagnosis, therapeutic treatment, and biotechnology, the diverse variety of peptides and proteins must be preliminarily purified and thoroughly characterized. The recombinant DNA technology and heterologous protein expression have helped simplify the isolation of targeted polypeptides at high purity and their structure-function examinations. Recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli, the most-established heterologous host organism, has been widely used to produce proteins of commercial and fundamental research interests. Nonetheless, many peptides/proteins are still difficult to express due to their ability to slow down cell growth or disrupt cellular metabolism. Besides, special modifications are often required for proper folding and activity of targeted proteins. The cell-free (CF) or in vitro recombinant protein synthesis system enables the production of such difficult-to-obtain molecules since it is possible to adjust reaction medium and there is no need to support cellular metabolism and viability. Here, we describe E. coli-based CF systems, the optimization steps done toward the development of highly productive and cost-effective CF methodology, and the modification of an in vitro approach required for difficult-to-obtain protein production.
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28
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Liu D, Yang Z, Zhang L, Wei M, Lu Y. Cell-free biology using remote-controlled digital microfluidics for individual droplet control. RSC Adv 2020; 10:26972-26981. [PMID: 35515808 PMCID: PMC9055536 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra04588h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free biology for diverse protein expression and biodetection in vitro has developed rapidly in recent years because of its more open and controllable reaction environment. However, complex liquid handling schemes are troublesome, especially when scaling up to perform multiple different reactions simultaneously. Digital microfluidic (DMF) technology can operate a single droplet by controlling its movement, mixing, separation, and some other actions, and is a suitable scaffold for cell-free reactions with higher efficiency. In this paper, a commercial DMF board, OpenDrop, was used, and DMF technology via remote real-time control inspired by the Internet of Things (IoT) was developed for detecting glucose enzyme catalytic cell-free reactions and verifying the feasibility of programmed cell-free protein expression. A cell-free biological reaction process which can be remote-controlled visually with excellent interactivity, controllability and flexibility was achieved. As proof-of-concept research, this work proposed a new control interface for single-drop cell-free biological reactions. It is much like the “droplet operation desktop” concept, used for remote-controllable operations and distributions of cell-free biology for efficient biological screening and protein synthesis in complex reaction networks, with expanded operability and less artificial interference. Cell-free biology using remote-controlled digital microfluidics for programmed biological screening and synthesis.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis
- Ministry of Education
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
| | - Zhenghuan Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis
- Ministry of Education
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
| | - Luyang Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis
- Ministry of Education
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
| | - Minglun Wei
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis
- Ministry of Education
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
| | - Yuan Lu
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis
- Ministry of Education
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
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29
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Silverman AD, Karim AS, Jewett MC. Cell-free gene expression: an expanded repertoire of applications. Nat Rev Genet 2019; 21:151-170. [DOI: 10.1038/s41576-019-0186-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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30
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Lee J, Schwieter KE, Watkins AM, Kim DS, Yu H, Schwarz KJ, Lim J, Coronado J, Byrom M, Anslyn EV, Ellington AD, Moore JS, Jewett MC. Expanding the limits of the second genetic code with ribozymes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5097. [PMID: 31704912 PMCID: PMC6841967 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12916-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The site-specific incorporation of noncanonical monomers into polypeptides through genetic code reprogramming permits synthesis of bio-based products that extend beyond natural limits. To better enable such efforts, flexizymes (transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase-like ribozymes that recognize synthetic leaving groups) have been used to expand the scope of chemical substrates for ribosome-directed polymerization. The development of design rules for flexizyme-catalyzed acylation should allow scalable and rational expansion of genetic code reprogramming. Here we report the systematic synthesis of 37 substrates based on 4 chemically diverse scaffolds (phenylalanine, benzoic acid, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic monomers) with different electronic and steric factors. Of these substrates, 32 were acylated onto tRNA and incorporated into peptides by in vitro translation. Based on the design rules derived from this expanded alphabet, we successfully predicted the acylation of 6 additional monomers that could uniquely be incorporated into peptides and direct N-terminal incorporation of an aldehyde group for orthogonal bioconjugation reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joongoo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, 60208, IL, USA
| | - Kenneth E Schwieter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Andrew M Watkins
- Departments of Biochemistry and Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Do Soon Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, 60208, IL, USA
| | - Hao Yu
- Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Kevin J Schwarz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Jongdoo Lim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Jaime Coronado
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Michelle Byrom
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Eric V Anslyn
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Andrew D Ellington
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Moore
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA.
- The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, 60208, IL, USA.
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31
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Khambhati K, Bhattacharjee G, Gohil N, Braddick D, Kulkarni V, Singh V. Exploring the Potential of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis for Extending the Abilities of Biological Systems. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:248. [PMID: 31681738 PMCID: PMC6797904 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system is a simple, rapid, and sensitive tool that is devoid of membrane-bound barriers, yet contains all the mandatory substrates, biomolecules, and machineries required for the synthesis of the desired proteins. It has the potential to overcome loopholes in the current in vivo production systems and is a promising tool in both basic and applied scientific research. It facilitates a simplified organization of desired experiments with a variety of reaction conditions, making CFPS a powerful tool in biological research. It has been used for the expansion of genetic code, assembly of viruses, and in metabolic engineering for production of toxic and complex proteins. Subsequently, CFPS systems have emerged as potent technology for high-throughput production of membrane proteins, enzymes, and therapeutics. The present review highlights the recent advances and uses of CFPS systems in biomedical, therapeutic, and biotechnological applications. Additionally, we highlight possible solutions to the potential biosafety issues that may be encountered while using CFPS technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khushal Khambhati
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Gargi Bhattacharjee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Nisarg Gohil
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, India
| | | | - Vishwesh Kulkarni
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Vijai Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, India
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32
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Seto J. On a Robust, Sensitive Cell-Free Method for Pseudomonas Sensing and Quantification in Microfluidic Templated Hydrogels. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:E506. [PMID: 31370199 PMCID: PMC6723077 DOI: 10.3390/mi10080506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Through the use of droplet microfluidics to integrate cell-free activity into inert hydrogel beads, we have developed a platform that can perform biologically relevant functions without the need for cells. Specifically, cell-free lysates serve a utility in performing cellular functions and providing biologically relevant metabolic products without requiring the optimal biological conditions for cell growth and proliferation. By teasing out specific biological components that enable transcription and translation to occur, these cell-like functions can be reconstituted in vitro without requiring the entire cell and milieu of cellular organelles. This enables the optimization of synthetic biological circuits, either by concentration or logic switches, simply through the addition or removal of genetic components (plasmids, inducers, or repressors) of regulatory elements. Here, we demonstrate an application of cell-free processes that is robust and portable, independent of a substrate, to apply for sensing and reporting functions of a quorum-sensing molecule N-3-oxododecanoyl homoserine lactone (3OC12HSL) found crucial for pathological Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. We develop an agarose bead platform that is easily adaptable and simply programmable to fit a variety of biological and chemical sensing applications for the utility of ease of delivery and activation in remote environments-even in conditions with very little hydration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Seto
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisco and California, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), 1700 4th Street, Byers Hall #303, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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33
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Jin X, Park OJ, Hong SH. Incorporation of non-standard amino acids into proteins: challenges, recent achievements, and emerging applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:2947-2958. [PMID: 30790000 PMCID: PMC6449208 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The natural genetic code only allows for 20 standard amino acids in protein translation, but genetic code reprogramming enables the incorporation of non-standard amino acids (NSAAs). Proteins containing NSAAs provide enhanced or novel properties and open diverse applications. With increased attention to the recent advancements in synthetic biology, various improved and novel methods have been developed to incorporate single and multiple distinct NSAAs into proteins. However, various challenges remain in regard to NSAA incorporation, such as low yield and misincorporation. In this review, we summarize the recent efforts to improve NSAA incorporation by utilizing orthogonal translational system optimization, cell-free protein synthesis, genomically recoded organisms, artificial codon boxes, quadruplet codons, and orthogonal ribosomes, before closing with a discussion of the emerging applications of NSAA incorporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Jin
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
| | - Oh-Jin Park
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
- Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Yanbian University of Science and Technology, Yanji, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Seok Hoon Hong
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA.
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34
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Gregorio NE, Levine MZ, Oza JP. A User's Guide to Cell-Free Protein Synthesis. Methods Protoc 2019; 2:E24. [PMID: 31164605 PMCID: PMC6481089 DOI: 10.3390/mps2010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is a platform technology that provides new opportunities for protein expression, metabolic engineering, therapeutic development, education, and more. The advantages of CFPS over in vivo protein expression include its open system, the elimination of reliance on living cells, and the ability to focus all system energy on production of the protein of interest. Over the last 60 years, the CFPS platform has grown and diversified greatly, and it continues to evolve today. Both new applications and new types of extracts based on a variety of organisms are current areas of development. However, new users interested in CFPS may find it challenging to implement a cell-free platform in their laboratory due to the technical and functional considerations involved in choosing and executing a platform that best suits their needs. Here we hope to reduce this barrier to implementing CFPS by clarifying the similarities and differences amongst cell-free platforms, highlighting the various applications that have been accomplished in each of them, and detailing the main methodological and instrumental requirement for their preparation. Additionally, this review will help to contextualize the landscape of work that has been done using CFPS and showcase the diversity of applications that it enables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Gregorio
- Center for Applications in Biotechnology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
| | - Max Z Levine
- Center for Applications in Biotechnology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
| | - Javin P Oza
- Center for Applications in Biotechnology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
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35
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Efficient Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids into Proteins with a Robust Cell-Free System. Methods Protoc 2019; 2:mps2010016. [PMID: 31164598 PMCID: PMC6481062 DOI: 10.3390/mps2010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Unnatural proteins are crucial biomacromolecules and have been widely applied in fundamental science, novel biopolymer materials, enzymes, and therapeutics. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system can serve as a robust platform to synthesize unnatural proteins by highly effective site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UNAAs), without the limitations of cell membrane permeability and the toxicity of unnatural components. Here, we describe a quick and simple method to synthesize unnatural proteins in CFPS system based on Escherichia coli crude extract, with unnatural orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and suppressor tRNA evolved from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. The superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) and p-propargyloxyphenylalanine (pPaF) were used as the model protein and UNAA. The synthesis of unnatural sfGFPs was characterized by microplate spectrophotometer, affinity chromatography, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This protocol provides a detailed procedure guiding how to use the powerful CFPS system to synthesize unnatural proteins on demand.
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36
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Caschera F, Karim AS, Gazzola G, d’Aquino AE, Packard NH, Jewett MC. High-Throughput Optimization Cycle of a Cell-Free Ribosome Assembly and Protein Synthesis System. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:2841-2853. [PMID: 30354075 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Building variant ribosomes offers opportunities to reveal fundamental principles underlying ribosome biogenesis and to make ribosomes with altered properties. However, cell viability limits mutations that can be made to the ribosome. To address this limitation, the in vitro integrated synthesis, assembly and translation (iSAT) method for ribosome construction from the bottom up was recently developed. Unfortunately, iSAT is complex, costly, and laborious to researchers, partially due to the high cost of reaction buffer containing over 20 components. In this study, we develop iSAT in Escherichia coli BL21Rosetta2 cell lysates, a commonly used bacterial strain, with a cost-effective poly sugar and nucleotide monophosphate-based metabolic scheme. We achieved a 10-fold increase in protein yield over our base case with an evolutionary design of experiments approach, screening 490 reaction conditions to optimize the reaction buffer. The computationally guided, cell-free, high-throughput technology presented here augments the way we approach multicomponent synthetic biology projects and efforts to repurpose ribosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gianluca Gazzola
- Rutgers Center for Operations Research, Rutgers Business School, 100 Rockafeller Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | | | - Norman H. Packard
- ProtoLife, Inc., 57 Post Street Suite 908, San Francisco, California 94104, United States
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Rutgers Center for Operations Research, Rutgers Business School, 100 Rockafeller Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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37
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Bundy BC, Hunt JP, Jewett MC, Swartz JR, Wood DW, Frey DD, Rao G. Cell-free biomanufacturing. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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38
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Expanding biological applications using cell-free metabolic engineering: An overview. Metab Eng 2018; 50:156-172. [PMID: 30367967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2018.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Expanding the concept of cell-free biology, implemented both with purified components and crude extracts, is continuing to deepen our appreciation of biological fundamentals while enlarging the range of applications. We are no longer intimidated by the complexity of crude extracts and complicated reaction systems with hundreds of active components, and, instead, coordinately activate and inactivate metabolic processes to focus and expand the capabilities of natural biological processes. This, in turn, dramatically increases the range of benefits offered by new products, both natural and supernatural, that were previously infeasible and/or unimaginable. This overview of cell-free metabolic engineering provides a broad range of examples and insights to guide and motivate continued research that will further expand fundamental understanding and beneficial applications. However, this survey also reveals how far we are from fully unlocking the potential offered by natural and engineered biological components and systems. This is an exciting conclusion, but metabolic engineering by itself is not sufficient. Going forward, innovative metabolic engineering must be intimately combined with creative process engineering to fully realize potential contributions toward a sustainable global civilization.
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39
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Hostetler ZM, Ferrie JJ, Bornstein MR, Sungwienwong I, Petersson EJ, Kohli RM. Systematic Evaluation of Soluble Protein Expression Using a Fluorescent Unnatural Amino Acid Reveals No Reliable Predictors of Tolerability. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:2855-2861. [PMID: 30216041 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Improvements in genetic code expansion have made preparing proteins with diverse functional groups almost routine. Nonetheless, unnatural amino acids (Uaas) pose theoretical burdens on protein solubility, and determinants of position-specific tolerability to Uaas remain underexplored. To broadly examine associations, we systematically assessed the effect of substituting the fluorescent Uaa, acridonylalanine, at more than 50 chemically, evolutionarily, and structurally diverse residues in two bacterial proteins: LexA and RecA. Surprisingly, properties that ostensibly contribute to Uaa tolerability-such as conservation, hydrophobicity, or accessibility-demonstrated no consistent correlations with resulting protein solubility. Instead, solubility is closely dependent on the location of the substitution within the overall tertiary structure, suggesting that intrinsic properties of protein domains, and not individual positions, are stronger determinants of Uaa tolerability. Consequently, those who seek to install Uaas in new target proteins should consider broadening, rather than narrowing, the types of residues screened for Uaa incorporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M. Hostetler
- Department of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - John J. Ferrie
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Marc R. Bornstein
- Department of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Itthipol Sungwienwong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - E. James Petersson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Rahul M. Kohli
- Department of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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40
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Chemla Y, Ozer E, Algov I, Alfonta L. Context effects of genetic code expansion by stop codon suppression. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 46:146-155. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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41
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Zhang Y, Huang Q, Deng Z, Xu Y, Liu T. Enhancing the efficiency of cell-free protein synthesis system by systematic titration of transcription and translation components. Biochem Eng J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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42
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Jaroentomeechai T, Stark JC, Natarajan A, Glasscock CJ, Yates LE, Hsu KJ, Mrksich M, Jewett MC, DeLisa MP. Single-pot glycoprotein biosynthesis using a cell-free transcription-translation system enriched with glycosylation machinery. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2686. [PMID: 30002445 PMCID: PMC6043479 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05110-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The emerging discipline of bacterial glycoengineering has made it possible to produce designer glycans and glycoconjugates for use as vaccines and therapeutics. Unfortunately, cell-based production of homogeneous glycoproteins remains a significant challenge due to cell viability constraints and the inability to control glycosylation components at precise ratios in vivo. To address these challenges, we describe a novel cell-free glycoprotein synthesis (CFGpS) technology that seamlessly integrates protein biosynthesis with asparagine-linked protein glycosylation. This technology leverages a glyco-optimized Escherichia coli strain to source cell extracts that are selectively enriched with glycosylation components, including oligosaccharyltransferases (OSTs) and lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLOs). The resulting extracts enable a one-pot reaction scheme for efficient and site-specific glycosylation of target proteins. The CFGpS platform is highly modular, allowing the use of multiple distinct OSTs and structurally diverse LLOs. As such, we anticipate CFGpS will facilitate fundamental understanding in glycoscience and make possible applications in on demand biomanufacturing of glycoproteins. The ability to produce homogeneous glycoproteins is expected to advance fundamental understanding in glycoscience, but current in vivo-based production systems have several limitations. Here, the authors develop an E. coli extract-based one-pot system for customized production of N-linked glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thapakorn Jaroentomeechai
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jessica C Stark
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.,Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA.,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA
| | - Aravind Natarajan
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Cameron J Glasscock
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Laura E Yates
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Karen J Hsu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd Technological Institute B224, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA
| | - Milan Mrksich
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA. .,Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA. .,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208-3120, USA.
| | - Matthew P DeLisa
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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43
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Schoborg JA, Jewett MC. Cell-Free Protein Synthesis: An Emerging Technology for Understanding, Harnessing, and Expanding the Capabilities of Biological Systems. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527688104.ch15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Schoborg
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL; 60208-3120 USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute; 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL; 60208-3120 USA
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL; 60208-3120 USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute; 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL; 60208-3120 USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center; Northwestern University, 676 N. St Clair St; Suite 1200 Chicago IL 60611-3068 USA
- Simpson Querrey Institute; Northwestern University; 303 E. Superior St; Suite 11-131, Chicago IL 60611-2875 USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology; Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road; Evanston IL 60208-3120 USA
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44
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Benítez-Mateos AI, Llarena I, Sánchez-Iglesias A, López-Gallego F. Expanding One-Pot Cell-Free Protein Synthesis and Immobilization for On-Demand Manufacturing of Biomaterials. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:875-884. [PMID: 29473413 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Fabrication of protein-based biomaterials is an arduous and time-consuming procedure with multiple steps. In this work, we describe a portable toolkit that integrates both cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and protein immobilization in one pot just by mixing DNA, solid materials, and a CFPS system. We have constructed a modular set of plasmids that fuse the N-terminus of superfolded green fluorescent protein (sGFP) with different peptide tags (poly(6X)Cys, poly(6X)His, and poly(6X)Lys), which drive the immobilization of the protein on the tailored material (agarose beads with different functionalities, gold nanorods, and silica nanoparticles). This system also enables the incorporation of azide-based amino acids into the nascent protein for its selective immobilization through copper-free click reactions. Finally, this technology has been expanded to the synthesis and immobilization of enzymes and antibody-binding proteins for the fabrication of functional biomaterials. This synthetic biological platform has emerged as a versatile tool for on-demand fabrication of therapeutic, diagnostic, and sensing biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I. Benítez-Mateos
- Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Group, CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo Miramón 182, Edificio empresarial “C”, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Irantzu Llarena
- Optical Spectroscopy Platform, CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo Miramón 182, Edificio empresarial “C”, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Ana Sánchez-Iglesias
- Colloidal Nanofabrication Platform, CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo Miramón 182, Edificio empresarial “C”, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Fernando López-Gallego
- Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Group, CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo Miramón 182, Edificio empresarial “C”, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
- ARAID, Aragon I+D Foundation, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
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45
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Venkat S, Sturges J, Stahman A, Gregory C, Gan Q, Fan C. Genetically Incorporating Two Distinct Post-translational Modifications into One Protein Simultaneously. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:689-695. [PMID: 29301074 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play important roles in regulating a variety of biological processes. To facilitate PTM studies, the genetic code expansion strategy has been utilized to cotranslationally incorporate individual PTMs such as acetylation and phosphorylation into proteins at specific sites. However, recent studies have demonstrated that PTMs actually work together to regulate protein functions and structures. Thus, simultaneous incorporation of multiple distinct PTMs into one protein is highly desirable. In this study, we utilized the genetic incorporation systems of phosphoserine and acetyllysine to install both phosphorylation and acetylation into target proteins simultaneously in Escherichia coli. And we used this system to study the effect of coexisting acetylation and phosphorylation on malate dehydrogenase, demonstrating a practical application of this system in biochemical studies. Furthermore, we tested the mutual orthogonality of three widely used genetic incorporation systems, indicating the possibility of incorporating three distinct PTMs into one protein simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumana Venkat
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Jourdan Sturges
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Alleigh Stahman
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Caroline Gregory
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Qinglei Gan
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ‡Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and §Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
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46
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Wilding KM, Smith AK, Wilkerson JW, Bush DB, Knotts TA, Bundy BC. The Locational Impact of Site-Specific PEGylation: Streamlined Screening with Cell-Free Protein Expression and Coarse-Grain Simulation. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:510-521. [PMID: 29295615 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is commonly used to improve protein stability and therapeutic efficacy, the optimal location for attaching PEG onto proteins is not well understood. Here, we present a cell-free protein synthesis-based screening platform that facilitates site-specific PEGylation and efficient evaluation of PEG attachment efficiency, thermal stability, and activity for different variants of PEGylated T4 lysozyme, including a di-PEGylated variant. We also report developing a computationally efficient coarse-grain simulation model as a potential tool to narrow experimental screening candidates. We use this simulation method as a novel tool to evaluate the locational impact of PEGylation. Using this screen, we also evaluated the predictive impact of PEGylation site solvent accessibility, conjugation site structure, PEG size, and double PEGylation. Our findings indicate that PEGylation efficiency, protein stability, and protein activity varied considerably with PEGylation site, variations that were not well predicted by common PEGylation guidelines. Overall our results suggest current guidelines are insufficiently predictive, highlighting the need for experimental and simulation screening systems such as the one presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Wilding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Addison K. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Joshua W. Wilkerson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Derek B. Bush
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Thomas A. Knotts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States
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47
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Venkat S, Nannapaneni DT, Gregory C, Gan Q, McIntosh M, Fan C. Genetically encoding thioacetyl-lysine as a non-deacetylatable analog of lysine acetylation in Escherichia coli. FEBS Open Bio 2017; 7:1805-1814. [PMID: 29123988 PMCID: PMC5666399 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Reversible lysine acetylation is one of the most widely distributed post-translational modifications; it is involved in a variety of biological processes and can be found in all three domains of life. Acetyltransferases and deacetylases work coordinately to control levels of protein acetylation. In this work, we applied the genetic code expansion strategy to site-specifically incorporate Nε-thioacetyl-l-lysine (TAcK) as an analog of Nε-acetyl-l-lysine (AcK) into green fluorescent protein and malate dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli. We showed that TAcK could serve as an ideal functional mimic for AcK. It could also resist the bacterial sirtuin-type deacetylase CobB. Thus, genetic incorporation of TAcK as a non-deacetylatable analog of AcK into proteins will facilitate in vivo studies of protein acetylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumana Venkat
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleARUSA
| | | | - Caroline Gregory
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleARUSA
| | - Qinglei Gan
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleARUSA
| | - Matt McIntosh
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleARUSA
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleARUSA
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48
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Schinn SM, Bradley W, Groesbeck A, Wu JC, Broadbent A, Bundy BC. Rapid in vitro screening for the location-dependent effects of unnatural amino acids on protein expression and activity. Biotechnol Bioeng 2017; 114:2412-2417. [PMID: 28398594 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The incorporation of unnatural amino acids (uAA) can introduce novel functional groups into proteins site-specifically, with important applications in basic sciences and protein engineering. However, uAA incorporation can impact protein expression and functional activity depending on its location within the protein-a process that is not yet completely understood and difficult to predict. Therefore, practical applications often necessitate a time-consuming optimization of uAA location by individual gene cloning, expressions, purification, and evaluations for each location tested. To address this limitation, we introduce a streamlined and versatile in vitro system to rapidly express and screen uAA-containing proteins without cumbersome cell culturing or purification procedures. We utilized this technology to simultaneously screen 24 different t4-lysozyme mutants with different uAA incorporation sites in a matter of hours, compared to weeks-long workflow of conventional methods. Screening data offered a mechanistic explanation to some effects of uAA incorporation on expression and activity. Despite these insights, rational prediction of such effects remained challenging, further confirming the value of a rapid screening approach. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2412-2417. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
| | - William Bradley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
| | - Ashtyn Groesbeck
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
| | - Jeffrey C Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
| | - Andrew Broadbent
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
| | - Bradley C Bundy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
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49
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Salehi ASM, Smith MT, Schinn S, Hunt JM, Muhlestein C, Diray‐Arce J, Nielsen BL, Bundy BC. Efficient t
RNA
degradation and quantification in
Escherichia coli
cell extract using R
N
ase‐coated magnetic beads: A key step toward codon emancipation. Biotechnol Prog 2017; 33:1401-1407. [DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amin S. M. Salehi
- Department of Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | - Mark T. Smith
- Department of Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | - Song‐Min Schinn
- Department of Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | - Jeremy M. Hunt
- Department of Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | | | - Joann Diray‐Arce
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | - Brent L. Nielsen
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular BiologyBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
| | - Bradley C. Bundy
- Department of Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityProvo UT84602
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50
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Moore SJ, MacDonald JT, Freemont PS. Cell-free synthetic biology for in vitro prototype engineering. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 45:785-791. [PMID: 28620040 PMCID: PMC5473021 DOI: 10.1042/bst20170011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cell-free transcription-translation is an expanding field in synthetic biology as a rapid prototyping platform for blueprinting the design of synthetic biological devices. Exemplar efforts include translation of prototype designs into medical test kits for on-site identification of viruses (Zika and Ebola), while gene circuit cascades can be tested, debugged and re-designed within rapid turnover times. Coupled with mathematical modelling, this discipline lends itself towards the precision engineering of new synthetic life. The next stages of cell-free look set to unlock new microbial hosts that remain slow to engineer and unsuited to rapid iterative design cycles. It is hoped that the development of such systems will provide new tools to aid the transition from cell-free prototype designs to functioning synthetic genetic circuits and engineered natural product pathways in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Moore
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, South Kensington Campus, London, U.K
| | - James T MacDonald
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, South Kensington Campus, London, U.K
| | - Paul S Freemont
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, South Kensington Campus, London, U.K.
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