Advances in Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation for Enzyme Engineering Applications

Abstract

Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) via genetic code expansion (GCE) opens up new possibilities for chemical biology. The technology has led to the development of novel xenobiotic enzymes with tailored properties which can serve as entry points into a multitude of applications, including protein conjugation, immobilization, or labeling. In this review, we discuss recent progress in the use of GCE to create biocatalysts possessing reaction repertoires that lie beyond what is achievable with canonical amino acids (cAAs). Furthermore, we highlight how GCE enables to gain mechanistic insights into protein function by the incorporation of judiciously selected ncAAs. As the amino acid alphabet continues to grow and improved tools for ncAA incorporation are being developed, we anticipate the creation of additional powerful biological catalysts for synthetic applications merging the chemical versatility of anthropogenic building blocks with the exquisite selectivities of enzymes.