Recent Technologies for Genetic Code Expansion and their Implications on Synthetic Biology Applications

Hongting Tang; Pan Zhang; Xiaozhou Luo

doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167382

Recent Technologies for Genetic Code Expansion and their Implications on Synthetic Biology Applications

J Mol Biol. 2022 Apr 30;434(8):167382. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167382. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

Authors

Hongting Tang¹, Pan Zhang¹, Xiaozhou Luo²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
² Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: xz.luo@siat.ac.cn.

PMID: 34863778
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167382

Abstract

Genetic code expansion (GCE) enables the site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids as novel building blocks for the investigation and manipulation of proteins. The advancement of genetic code expansion has been benefited from the development of synthetic biology, while genetic code expansion also helps to create more synthetic biology tools. In this review, we summarize recent advances in genetic code expansion brought by synthetic biology progresses, including engineering of the translation machinery, genome-wide codon reassignment, and the biosynthesis of non-canonical amino acids. We highlight the emerging application of this technology in construction of new synthetic biology parts, circuits, chassis, and products.

Keywords: GCE optimization; non-canonical amino acid biosynthesis; synthetic chassis; synthetic circuits; synthetic parts.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Amino Acids* / genetics
Genetic Code*
Mutagenesis, Site-Directed* / methods
Protein Biosynthesis* / genetics
Synthetic Biology

Substances

Amino Acids