Protein Mutagenesis using Unnatural amino acids by Frances Valiyaveetil (Oregon Health and Science)
Submitted by Patricia B. O'Hara
on Monday, 3/7/2011, at 10:54 PM
1. Peptide synthesis (has a size limitation of 60 aa)
2. Semi-synthesis (make three 60-mers and add them together either chemically or biochemically
3. Biologically:
in vitro protein synthesis: use a nonsense suppressor, add in a rare stop codon with designed tRNA complement with you acylated unnatural amino acid, off you go
in vivo protein synthesis: Peter Schultz has a bunch of modified tRNA synthetases that can make unnatural tRNAs and assemble them in vivo. Limitations are that all unnatural amino acids (about 100 of them) are Tyr derivatives w tRNA’s to match.