Scientists rewire bacteria to build ‘designer’ proteins on demand, PgII

Key Highlights:

• Scientists have rewired bacteria to produce specific proteins by using a modified nutrient gate as a Trojan horse for artificial amino acids.
• The research, conducted by teams at ETH Zurich and the Technical University of Munich, allows for the creation of designer proteins with enhanced functionalities.
• The new method improves the efficiency of incorporating artificial amino acids into proteins, overcoming previous limitations in cell membrane permeability.
• The engineered ABC transporter can import peptides carrying artificial amino acids, which are then processed by the cell's enzymes for protein synthesis.

Detailed Insights:

• The study addresses the challenge of transporting artificial amino acids into cells, where ribosomes synthesize proteins, by modifying a bacterial nutrient gate.
• Researchers engineered an ABC transporter in Escherichia coli to import peptides containing artificial amino acids, enhancing the uptake efficiency compared to previous methods.
• The improved system allows for the production of designer proteins with unnatural amino acids as efficiently as natural proteins, enabling multifunctional proteins like antibody-drug conjugates.
• The approach can deliver multiple artificial amino acids, allowing for the creation of proteins with several engineered features, and may be adapted for use in human cells for therapeutic applications.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Amino Acids: The building blocks of proteins, with 20 natural types and thousands of artificial variants.
• Ribosomes: Cellular structures responsible for protein synthesis, using amino acids as building blocks.
• ABC Transporter: A membrane protein that transports molecules, like peptides, into the cell.
• Escherichia coli: A common bacterium used in laboratory research for its well-understood genetics and rapid growth.