Bacteriophages use an expanded genetic code on evolutionary paths to higher fitness.
Bioengineering advances have made it possible to fundamentally alter the genetic codes of organisms. However, the evolutionary consequences of expanding an organism's genetic code with a noncanonical amino acid are poorly understood. Here we show that bacteriophages evolved on a host that incorporates 3-iodotyrosine at the amber stop codon acquire neutral and beneficial mutations to this new amino acid in their proteins, demonstrating that an expanded genetic code increases evolvability.
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Michael J
MJ
Hammerling
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Jared W
JW
Ellefson
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Daniel R
DR
Boutz
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Edward M
EM
Marcotte
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Andrew D
AD
Ellington
Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Jeffrey E
JE
Barrick
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000235:genetics; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D018388:Codon, Terminator; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007470:Monoiodotyrosine / Q000235:genetics*
C523964:3-iodotyrosine; D000596:Amino Acids; D018388:Codon, Terminator; D007470:Monoiodotyrosine