A cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase variant confers resistance against selenite toxicity and decreases selenocysteine misincorporation.

ABSTRACT: Selenocysteine (Sec) is the 21st genetically encoded amino acid in organisms across all domains of life. Although structurally similar to cysteine (Cys), the Sec selenol group has unique properties that are attractive for protein engineering and biotechnology applications. Production of designer proteins with Sec (selenoproteins) at desired positions is now possible with engineered translation systems in Escherichia coli However, obtaining pure selenoproteins at high yields is limited by the accumulation of free Sec in cells, causing undesired incorporation of Sec at Cys codons due to the inability of cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase (CysRS) to discriminate against Sec. Sec misincorporation is toxic to cells and causes protein aggregation in yeast. To overcome this limitation, here we inve

SUBMITTER: Hoffman KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6709638 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature