Sense Codon Reassignment

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24710232
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	System genome science
Research Institution	Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
Principal Investigator	MUKAI Takahito 独立行政法人理化学研究所, ライフサイエンス技術基盤研究センター, 基礎科学特別研究員 (40612114)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000) Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000) Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
Keywords	バイオテクノロジー
Research Abstract	The flexibility of the standard genetic code in a modern organism Escherichia coli was experimentally evaluated. In this study, methods for the extensive engineering of the genome and codon-decoding factors were newly established. E. coli cells with only few dozens of genetic modifications accepted the reassignment of AGG to homoarginine. Since six essential genes containing eleven AGG codons were functionally expressed, it was indicated that homoarginine and arginine were largely compatible. I have previously demonstrated that E. coli cells with ten mutations accepted the reassignment of a stop codon TAG. Thus, the genetic code is still flexible, probably because the proteome is intrinsically more tolerant to the altered assignment than believed.