In the last two decades, unnatural amino acid (UAA) mutagenesis has emerged as a powerful new method to probe and engineer protein structure and function. This technology enables precise incorporation of a rapidly expanding repertoire of UAAs into predefined sites of a target protein expressed in living cells. Owing to the small footprint of these genetically encoded UAAs and the large variety of enabling functionalities they offer, this technology has tremendous potential for deciphering the delicate and complex biology of the mammalian cells. Over the last few years, exciting progress has been made toward expanding the toolbox of genetically encoded UAAs in mammalian cells, improving the efficiency of their incorporation and developing innovative applications. Here, we provide our perspective on these recent developments and highlight the current challenges that must be overcome to realize the full potential of this technology.
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Cover Image
Cover Image
This artistic rendition shows an Atomic Force Microscopy tip probing the mechanics of an individual virus particle. The colour scale of the particle indicates the deformation and stress of the viral shell obtained with Finite Element Analysis. The applied force is monitored by focusing a laser beam at the end of the microcantilever. For more information please see study by Moreno-Madrid et al. in this issue, pages 499–511. Image provided by Pedro De Pablo.
Expanding the genetic code of mammalian cells
James S. Italia, Yunan Zheng, Rachel E. Kelemen, Sarah B. Erickson, Partha S. Addy, Abhishek Chatterjee; Expanding the genetic code of mammalian cells. Biochem Soc Trans 15 April 2017; 45 (2): 555–562. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20160336
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