James Kuo

When Brownian diffusion is not Gaussian

It is commonly presumed that the random displacements that particles undergo as a result of the thermal jiggling of the environment follow a normal, or Gaussian, distribution. However, non-Gaussian diffusion in soft materials is more prevalent than expected.

Genetic Mapping and Biochemical Basis of Yellow Feather Pigmentation in Budgerigars

Parrot feathers contain red, orange, and yellow polyene pigments called psittacofulvins. Budgerigars are parrots that have been extensively bred for plumage traits during the last century, but the underlying genes are unknown. Here we use genome-wide association mapping and gene-expression analysis to map the Mendelian blue locus, which abolishes yellow pigmentation in the budgerigar. We find that the blue trait maps to a single amino acid substitution (R644W) in an uncharacterized polyketide synthase (MuPKS). When we expressed MuPKS heterologously in yeast, yellow pigments accumulated. Mass spectrometry confirmed that these yellow pigments match those found in feathers. The R644W substitution abolished MuPKS activity. Furthermore, gene-expression data from feathers of different bird species suggest that parrots acquired their colors through regulatory changes that drive high expression of MuPKS in feather epithelia. Our data also help formulate biochemical models that may explain natural color variation in parrots. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Bursts of active transport in living cells

We show, using a large new data set, that the temporally resolved speed of active cargo transport in living cells follows a scaling law over several decades of time and length. The statistical regularities display a time-averaged shape that we interpret to reflect stress buildup, followed by rapid release. The scaling power law agrees quantitatively with those reported in inanimate systems (jammed colloids and granular media, and magnetic Barkhausen noise), suggesting a common origin in pushing through a crowded environment in a weak force regime. The implied regulation of the speed of active cellular transport due to environmental obstruction results in bursts of speed and acceleration. These findings extend the classical notion of molecular crowding.

Large-scale recoding of a bacterial genome by iterative recombineering of synthetic DNA

Abstract The ability to rewrite large stretches of genomic DNA enables the creation of new organisms with customized functions. However, few methods currently exist for accumulating such widespread genomic changes in a single organism. In this study, we demonstrate a rapid approach for rewriting bacterial genomes with modified synthetic DNA. We recode 200 kb of the Salmonella typhimurium LT2 genome through a process we term SIRCAS (stepwise integration of rolling circle amplified segments), towards constructing an attenuated and genetically isolated bacterial chassis. The SIRCAS process involves direct iterative recombineering of 10–25 kb synthetic DNA constructs which are assembled in yeast and amplified by rolling circle amplification. Using SIRCAS, we create a Salmonella with 1557 synonymous leucine codon replacements across 176 genes, the largest number of cumulative recoding changes in a single bacterial strain to date. We demonstrate reproducibility over sixteen two-day cycles of integration and parallelization for hierarchical construction of a synthetic genome by conjugation. The resulting recoded strain grows at a similar rate to the wild-type strain and does not exhibit any major growth defects. This work is the first instance of synthetic bacterial recoding beyond the Escherichia coli genome, and reveals that Salmonella is remarkably amenable to genome-scale modification.

Synthetic genome recoding: new genetic codes for new features

Full genome recoding, or rewriting codon meaning, through chemical synthesis of entire bacterial chromosomes has become feasible in the past several years. Recoding an organism can impart new properties including non-natural amino acid incorporation, virus resistance, and biocontainment. The estimated cost of construction that includes DNA synthesis, assembly by recombination, and troubleshooting, is now comparable to costs of early stage development of drugs or other high-tech products. Here, we discuss several recently published assembly methods and provide some thoughts on the future, including how synthetic efforts might benefit from the analysis of natural recoding processes and organisms that use alternative genetic codes.

Rapid genome recoding by iterative recombineering of synthetic DNA

Genome recoding will provide a deeper understanding of genetics and transform biotechnology. We bypass the reliance of previous genome recoding methods on site-specific enzymes and demonstrate a rapid recombineering based strategy for writing genomes by Stepwise Integration of Rolling Circle Amplified Segments (SIRCAS). We installed the largest number of codon substitutions in a single organism yet published, creating a strain of Salmonella typhimurium with 1557 leucine codon changes across 200 kb of the genome.