Archeal tRNA meets biotechnology: From vaccines to genetic code expansion

Lluís Ribas de Pouplana

doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102755

Archeal tRNA meets biotechnology: From vaccines to genetic code expansion

J Biol Chem. 2023 Jan;299(1):102755. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102755. Epub 2022 Nov 29.

Author

Lluís Ribas de Pouplana¹

Affiliation

¹ Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Electronic address: lluis.ribas@irbbarcelona.org.

Abstract

Engineering new protein functionalities through the addition of noncoded amino acids is a major biotechnological endeavor that needs to overcome the natural firewalls that prevent misincorporation during protein synthesis. This field is in constant evolution driven by the discovery or design of new tools, many of which are based on archeal biology. In a recent article published in JBC, one such tool is characterized and its evolution studied, revealing unexpected details regarding the emergence of the universal genetic code machinery.

Keywords: Archaea; Biotechnology; Genetic Code expansion; pyrrolysine; pyrrolysine-tRNA synthetase; tRNA.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases* / metabolism
Archaea / genetics
Genetic Code
Lysine / metabolism
RNA, Transfer / genetics
RNA, Transfer / metabolism
Vaccines*

Substances

Lysine
RNA, Transfer
Vaccines
Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases