Studying membrane proteins using genetic code extensions

Over the years, chemical biology techniques have made important contributions to the study of integral membrane proteins. An important modern approach is genetic code expansion (GCE), which allows proteins to be directly modified in living cells to confer customized properties.

Professor Irene Coyne of the University of Leipzig is a pioneer in this field. Together with her US colleague Professor Thomas Sakumar (Rockefeller University, New York), she published a comprehensive overview of the development of GCE technology and its applications in Chemical Review. The nonprofit organization Addgene also recognized her lab with a Blue Flame Award.

“All proteins in our bodies are made up of 20 building blocks called standard amino acids. Our genetic code determines which amino acids are incorporated. By expanding our genetic code, we , we can artificially insert new building blocks into proteins,” says Professor Eileen Coyne.

“This makes it possible to produce proteins that do not exist in nature. This technology is primarily used to develop new protein therapeutics and to better understand the structure and function of natural proteins. .”

Coin and colleague Thomas Sakmar presented a comprehensive overview of the historical development of GCE technology and its application to membrane proteins, based on approximately 450 citations. “Importantly, GCE allows us to obtain information about these proteins directly from living cells, which is not accessible using traditional biophysical methods.”

The overview is organized according to the potential applications of the technology. “This makes the technology easier to understand and use even for non-specialist researchers, supporting its practical application,” says the professor. “We are also working in the lab to develop more efficient systems for common applications of GCE.”

The Leipzig biochemist’s laboratory recently won the Blue Flame Award from the non-profit organization Adgene. Since 2016, Addgene has awarded this award to researchers who have deposited at least one plasmid that has been requested more than 100 times. The plasmid in question was developed as part of Dr. Robert Surfling’s doctoral thesis.

A plasmid is a small ring-shaped piece of DNA that allows a gene of interest to be introduced into a cell. Addgene is a plasmid repository that facilitates the exchange of genetic material between laboratories around the world.

Irene Coyne makes important contributions to the main research networks at the University of Leipzig, in particular to the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1423 “Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling”, with her research on the expansion of the genetic code.