Expansion of the Genetic Code Via Expansion of the Genetic Alphabet

Overview

Journal Curr Opin Chem Biol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Biochemistry

Date 2018 Sep 12

PMID 30205312

Citations 21

Authors

Vivian T Dien

Sydney E Morris

Rebekah J Karadeema

Floyd E Romesberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Current methods to expand the genetic code enable site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. However, current methods are limited by the number of codons possible, their orthogonality, and possibly their effects on protein synthesis and folding. An alternative approach relies on unnatural base pairs to create a virtually unlimited number of genuinely new codons that are efficiently translated and highly orthogonal because they direct ncAA incorporation using forces other than the complementary hydrogen bonds employed by their natural counterparts. This review outlines progress and achievements made towards developing a functional unnatural base pair and its use to generate semi-synthetic organisms with an expanded genetic alphabet that serves as the basis of an expanded genetic code.

Citing Articles

Genetic Code Expansion: Recent Developments and Emerging Applications.

Huang Y, Zhang P, Wang H, Chen Y, Liu T, Luo X Chem Rev. 2024; 125(2):523-598.

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Xenobiology for the Biocontainment of Synthetic Organisms: Opportunities and Challenges.

Gomez-Tatay L, Hernandez-Andreu J Life (Basel). 2024; 14(8).

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Engineered Proteins and Materials Utilizing Residue-Specific Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation.

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A microbiological system for screening the interference of XNA monomers with DNA and RNA metabolism.

Blanchard A, Abramov M, Hassan C, Marliere P, Herdewijn P, Pezo V RSC Adv. 2023; 13(43):29862-29865.

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Extensive breaking of genetic code degeneracy with non-canonical amino acids.

McFeely C, Shakya B, Makovsky C, Haney A, Cropp T, Hartman M Nat Commun. 2023; 14(1):5008.

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