An engineered cell with a simplified genetic code

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23650155
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Bioinformatics/Life informatics
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: KIGA Daisuke 東京工業大学, 総合理工学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (30376587)
• Research Collaborator: 小林 晃大 東京工業大学, 大学院生 ; 網蔵 和晃 東京工業大学, 大学院生
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2012
• Keywords: 合成生物学 / 遺伝暗号 / リボソーム / ｔRNA / 直交性

Research Abstract

Why does life use 20 canonical amino acids? Considering general evolutionary principle where a simple form develops into a complex form, the universal 20 amino acids are not likely to be defined from the establishment of the first genetic code. In this study, we developed multiple amino acid-excluded genetic codes by extension of our previous work. We also tried construction of a simplified code in a living cell.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Multiple Amino Acid-Excluded Genetic Codes for Protein Engineering Using Multiple Sets of tRNA Variants (2014)
  • Author(s): Kazuaki Amikura, Yoko Sakai, Shun Asami, and Daisuke Kiga
  • Journal Title: ACS Synth. Biol Volume: 3(3) Pages: 140-144
  • DOI: 10.1021/sb400144h
• [Journal Article] Reassignment of codons from Arg to Ala by multiple tRNA^<Ala> variants (2013)
  • Author(s): Kazuaki Amikura, and Daisuke Kiga
  • Journal Title: Viva Origino Volume: 41(1-4) Pages: 20-23
  • URL: http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/4103/4103020/4103020.pdf
• [Journal Article] The number of amino acids in a genetic code (2013)
  • Author(s): Kazuaki Amikura, Daisuke Kiga
  • Journal Title: RSC Advances Volume: 3 Pages: 12512-12517
  • DOI: 10.1039/C3RA40609A
• [Journal Article] Simplification of the genetic code : restricted diversity of genetically encoded amino acids (2012)
  • Author(s): Akio Kawahara-Kobayashi, Akiko Masuda, Yuhei Araiso, Yoko Sakai, Atsushi Kohda, Masahiko Uchiyama, Shun Asami, Takayoshi Matsuda, Ryuichiro Ishitani, Naoshi Dohmae, Shigeyuki Yokoyama, Takanori Kigawa, Osamu Nureki, Daisuke Kiga
  • Journal Title: Nucleic Acids Research Volume: 40(20) Pages: 10576-84
• [Presentation] 19 and 21 amino acid genetic codes (2014)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: Gordon Research Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Galveston (TX)
  • Year and Date: 2014-01-13
• [Presentation] Simplification of the genetic code (2013)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: Synthetic Biology 6.0
  • Place of Presentation: London
  • Year and Date: 20130609-11
• [Presentation] アミノ酸を19種類未満しかコードしない「単純化遺伝暗号表」の構築 (2013)
  • Author(s): 木賀大介
  • Organizer: 分子生物学会
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸
  • Year and Date: 2013-12-04
• [Presentation] Simplification of genetic codes and its application in protein engineering (2013)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: 9th International Symposium on Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases
  • Place of Presentation: 箱根
  • Year and Date: 2013-10-08
• [Presentation] Genetic codes with less than 20 amino acids (2013)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: The 65th Fujihara Seminar : International Symposium on Synthetic Biology of Unnatural Base Pairs and Amino Acids
  • Place of Presentation: 苫小牧
  • Year and Date: 2013-10-02
• [Presentation] Keynote : Synthetic experiment of life and evolution of genome (2013)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: Earth-Life Science Institute 1st International Symposium
  • Place of Presentation: Tokyo tech
  • Year and Date: 2013-03-28
• [Presentation] 原始タンパク質を創造するための単純化遺伝暗号表 (2013)
  • Author(s): 網蔵和晃 木賀大介
  • Organizer: 生命の起原および進化学会第38回学術講演
  • Place of Presentation: 九州大学
  • Year and Date: 2013-03-14
• [Presentation] Simplification of the genetic code : construction of a 19-amino acid genetic code (2012)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Kiga
  • Organizer: COLD SPRING HARBOR ASIA CONFERENCES on Synthetic Biology
  • Place of Presentation: Suzhou, China
  • Year and Date: 2012-11-27
• [Book] RNA ワールド, 「アストロバイオロジー」内 山岸明彦編 (2013)
  • Author(s): 鮎川翔太郎, 木賀大介
  • Total Pages: 332(107-117)
  • Publisher: 化学同人(東京)
• [Book] アミノ酸の種類がなぜ 20 種類なのか?, 高分子
  • Author(s): 網蔵和晃, 木賀大介
• [Remarks] TV Bros 2013年8月3日号 わらしべ MAD Scientist
• [Remarks] 日経産業新聞 2012年10月12日 進化分子工学の研究進む
• [Remarks] ニュートン 2012年9月26日発売号 "太古の遺伝暗号表"を実験で再現
• [Remarks] 読売新聞 2012年9月7日 少ないアミノ酸でタンパク質合成
• [Remarks] 日経新聞 2012年7月29日 地球外生命はいるか