Bacteriophages use an expanded genetic code on evolutionary paths to higher fitness.

ABSTRACT: 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.

SUBMITTER: Hammerling MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3932624 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature