Patrick Durkin

Chemical Evolution of a Bacterial Proteome

We have changed the amino acid set of the genetic code of Escherichia coli by evolving cultures capable of growing on the synthetic noncanonical amino acid L-β-(thieno[3,2-b]pyrrolyl)alanine ([3,2]Tpa) as a sole surrogate for the canonical amino acid L-tryptophan (Trp). A long-term cultivation experiment in defined synthetic media resulted in the evolution of cells capable of surviving Trp→[3,2]Tpa substitutions in their proteomes in response to the 20,899 TGG codons of the E. coli W3110 genome. These evolved bacteria with new-to-nature amino acid composition showed robust growth in the complete absence of Trp. Our experimental results illustrate an approach for the evolution of synthetic cells with alternative biochemical building blocks.

Energetic contribution to both acidity and conformational stability in peptide models

The acidity of N-acyl amino acids is dependent upon the rotameric state of the amide bond. In this work we systematically investigated the acidity difference of the rotamers (ΔpKa) in the frames of various acetylated amino acids. Our results indicated a mutual interaction of two carbonyl groups of an attractive type. We observed conservative ΔpKas for acyclic amino acids (2.2–3.0 kJ mol−1), whereas in the case of alicyclic amino acids, the experimental values revealed a strong dependency on the structural context (1.5–4.4 kJ mol−1). In homologous amino acids (α-, β-, γ-, etc.), the strength of the attraction decays in an exponential fashion. Furthermore, the interaction can accumulate through a chain of amide bonds in a cascade fashion, as demonstrated by an Ac-Pro-Pro dipeptide. As a result, we demonstrate that ΔpKa is an experimental parameter to estimate increments in the carbonyl–carbonyl alignment, as determined by the amino acid or peptidyl context. This parameter is also important in understanding the roles of amino acids in both protein folding and translation in biological systems as well as their evolutionary appearance in the genetic code.

Towards Biocontained Cell Factories: An Evolutionarily Adapted Escherichia coli Strain Produces a New-to-nature Bioactive Lantibiotic Containing Thienopyrrole-Alanine.

Genetic code engineering that enables reassignment of genetic codons to non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) is a powerful strategy for enhancing ribosomally synthesized peptides and proteins with functions not commonly found in Nature. Here we report the expression of a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP), the 32-mer lantibiotic lichenicidin with a canonical tryptophan (Trp) residue replaced by the ncAA L-β-(thieno[3,2-b]pyrrolyl)alanine ([3,2]Tpa) which does not sustain cell growth in the culture. We have demonstrated that cellular toxicity of [3,2]Tpa for the production of the new-to-nature bioactive congener of lichenicidin in the host Escherichia coli can be alleviated by using an evolutionarily adapted host strain MT21 which not only tolerates [3,2]Tpa but also uses it as a proteome-wide synthetic building block. This work underscores the feasibility of the biocontainment concept and establishes a general framework for design and large scale production of RiPPs with evolutionarily adapted host strains.

Photoactivatable mussel-based underwater adhesive proteins by an expanded genetic code

Marine mussels exhibit potent underwater adhesion abilities under hostile conditions by employing 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)‐rich mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs). However, their recombinant production is a major biotechnological challenge. Herein, a novel strategy based on genetic code expansion has been developed by engineering efficient aminoacyl‐transfer RNA synthetases (aaRSs) for the photocaged noncanonical amino acid ortho‐nitrobenzyl DOPA (ONB‐DOPA). The engineered ONB‐DOPARS enables in vivo production of MAP type 5 site‐specifically equipped with multiple instances of ONB‐DOPA to yield photocaged, spatiotemporally controlled underwater adhesives. Upon exposure to UV light, these proteins feature elevated wet adhesion properties. This concept offers new perspectives for the production of recombinant bioadhesives.

Toward intrinsically colored peptides: Synthesis and investigation of the spectral properties of methylated azatryptophans in tryptophan‐cage mutants

Tryptophan has been taken as the basic scaffold for a chromophore whose indole residue can be further functionalized by the introduction of endocyclic nitrogen atoms or by N‐methylation. When compared with exocyclic modifications, modifying tryptophan in an endocyclic fashion (through atomic substitution) should not perturb the steric profile of the amino acid side chain to such a large extent as that of an exocyclic modification, while simultaneously modulating the polarity, hydrogen‐bonding ability, and spectral properties of the amino acid. Of particular interest is that the spectral properties can be tailored such that the chromophore can be monitored at wavelengths that exceed natural protein fluorescence. Ideally, the optimum excitation wavelength should be between 300 and 350 nm, and the emission wavelength should be ≥500 nm such that no cross‐excitation/fluorescence occurs. Here, we report the synthesis of amino acid labels that exhibit large red shifts in their fluorescence profiles and their use in peptides.

Towards Direct Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Energy Flow in Proteins

Vibrational energy transfer (VET) within a molecule can be investigated in great detail with ultrafast IR spectroscopy. We report on progress towards mapping of VET pathways in proteins using unnatural amino acids as site-specific probes.