Immobilization and Intracellular Delivery of Circular Proteins by Modifying a Genetically Incorporated Unnatural Amino Acid

Bioconjug Chem. 2018 Jul 18;29(7):2170-2175. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00244. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Abstract

Backbone-cyclic proteins are of great scientific and therapeutic interest owing to their higher stability over their linear counterparts. Modification of such cyclic proteins at a selected site would further enhance their versatility. Here we report a chemoenzymatic strategy to engineer site-selectively modified cyclic proteins by combining butelase-mediated macrocyclization with the genetic code expansion methodology. Using this strategy, we prepared a cyclic protein which was modified with biotin or a cell-penetrating peptide at a genetically incorporated noncanonical amino acid, making the cyclization-stabilized protein further amenable for site-specific immobilization and intracellular delivery. Our results point to a new avenue to engineering novel cyclic proteins with improved physicochemical and pharmacological properties for potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / metabolism
  • Biotin
  • Cell Membrane Permeability*
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides / genetics*
  • Cyclization
  • Genetic Code
  • Peptides, Cyclic / genetics
  • Peptides, Cyclic / metabolism*
  • Protein Engineering / methods*

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • Biotin