Genetic Code Expansion of the Silkworm Bombyx mori to Functionalize Silk Fiber

ACS Synthetic Biology
Hidetoshi TeramotoKensaku Sakamoto

Abstract

The genetic code in bacteria and animal cells has been expanded to incorporate novel amino acids into proteins. Recent efforts have enabled genetic code expansion in nematodes, flies, and mice, whereas such engineering is rare with industrially useful animals. In the present study, we engineered the silkworm Bombyx mori to synthesize silk fiber functionalized with azidophenylalanine. For this purpose, we developed a bacterial system to screen for B. mori phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetases with altered amino-acid specificity. We created four transgenic B. mori lines expressing the selected synthetase variants in silk glands, and found that two of them supported the efficient in vivo incorporation of azidophenylalanine into silk fiber. The obtained silk was bio-orthogonally reactive with fluorescent molecules. The results showed that genetic code expansion in an industrial animal can be facilitated by prior bacterial selection, to accelerate the development of silk fiber with novel properties.

References

Oct 27, 2001·Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Biological Crystallography·R FishmanM Safro
May 16, 2002·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Deepshikha DattaDavid A Tirrell
Jul 24, 2004·Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Biological Crystallography·Alexander W Schüttelkopf, Daan M F van Aalten
Sep 7, 2006·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Inchan KwonDavid A Tirrell
Mar 13, 2010·Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry·Aldo Leal-Egaña, Thomas Scheibel
Mar 24, 2010·Annual Review of Biochemistry·Chang C Liu, Peter G Schultz
Apr 13, 2010·Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Biological Crystallography·P EmsleyK Cowtan
Jul 28, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Xiao-Xia XiaSang Yup Lee
Jul 31, 2010·Science·Fiorenzo G Omenetto, David L Kaplan
Nov 13, 2010·Current Opinion in Chemical Biology·Jeremiah A JohnsonDavid A Tirrell
Jan 5, 2012·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Florence TeuléDonald L Jarvis
Apr 17, 2012·Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Biological Crystallography·Pavel V AfoninePaul D Adams
Jan 18, 2014·ACS Chemical Biology·Kathrin Lang, Jason W Chin
Jan 21, 2014·ACS Chemical Biology·David M PattersonJennifer A Prescher
Jun 3, 2014·Biomacromolecules·Hidetoshi Teramoto, Katsura Kojima
Mar 17, 2015·Advanced Healthcare Materials·Gang LiDavid L Kaplan
Jul 21, 2015·Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part a·Yusuke KambeTsunenori Kameda
Jul 12, 2016·ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering·Davoud EbrahimiMarkus J Buehler
Jan 10, 2017·Nature Chemical Biology·Marlene AnderssonAnna Rising
Jun 24, 2017·Methods in Molecular Biology·Takuya Tsubota, Hideki Sezutsu
Jul 13, 2017·Annual Review of Microbiology·Takahito MukaiDieter Söll
Feb 8, 2016·ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering·Hidetoshi TeramotoKatsura Kojima

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jun 26, 2018·Chemical Society Reviews·Wenwen HuangDavid L Kaplan
Jun 27, 2018·Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology·Megan K DeBari, Rosalyn D Abbott
Mar 12, 2020·Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering·Jung Woo LeemYoung L Kim
Sep 12, 2020·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Hidetoshi TeramotoYasushi Tamada
Aug 24, 2020·International Journal of Biological Macromolecules·Huijie ZhangDong Wang
May 13, 2019·ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering·Yuan HeQi Qing Zhang

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.