title: Repurposing the translation apparatus for synthetic biology.
abstract: The translation system (the ribosome and associated factors) is the cell's factory for protein synthesis. The extraordinary catalytic capacity of the protein synthesis machinery has driven extensive efforts to harness it for novel functions. For example, pioneering efforts have demonstrated that it is possible to genetically encode more than the 20 natural amino acids and that this encoding can be a powerful tool to expand the chemical diversity of proteins. Here, we discuss recent advances in efforts to expand the chemistry of living systems, highlighting improvements to the molecular machinery and genomically recoded organisms, applications of cell-free systems, and extensions of these efforts to include eukaryotic systems. The transformative potential of repurposing the translation apparatus has emerged as one of the defining opportunities at the interface of chemical and synthetic biology.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.|Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.|Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Street, Suite 11-131, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.|Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin J Des
authors.initials: BJD
authors.lastname: Soye
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.|Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Jaymin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.|Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Farren J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Isaacs
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.|Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.|Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Street, Suite 11-131, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.|Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.|Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jewett
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D005815:Genetic Code; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids