Optineurin provides a mitophagy contact site for TBK1 activation.

Tank-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is a Ser/Thr kinase that is involved in many intracellular processes, such as innate immunity, cell cycle, and apoptosis. TBK1 is also important for phosphorylating the autophagy adaptors that mediate the selective autophagic removal of damaged mitochondria. However, the mechanism by which PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy activates TBK1 remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the autophagy adaptor optineurin (OPTN) provides a unique platform for TBK1 activation. Both the OPTN-ubiquitin and the OPTN-pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS) interaction axes facilitate assembly of the OPTN-TBK1 complex at a contact sites between damaged mitochondria and the autophagosome formation sites. At this assembly point, a positive feedback loop for TBK1 activation is initiated that accelerates hetero-autophosphorylation of the protein. Expression of monobodies engineered here to bind OPTN impaired OPTN accumulation at contact sites, as well as the subsequent activation of TBK1, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial degradation. Taken together, these data show that a positive and reciprocal relationship between OPTN and TBK1 initiates autophagosome biogenesis on damaged mitochondria.

Large-scale analysis of mRNA sequences localized near the start and amber codons and their impact on the diversity of mRNA display libraries.

Extremely diverse libraries are essential for effectively selecting functional peptides or proteins, and mRNA display technology is a powerful tool for generating such libraries with over 1012-1013 diversity. Particularly, the protein-puromycin linker (PuL)/mRNA complex formation yield is determining for preparing the libraries. However, how mRNA sequences affect the complex formation yield remains unclear. To study the effects of N-terminal and C-terminal coding sequences on the complex formation yield, puromycin-attached mRNAs containing three random codons after the start codon (32768 sequences) or seven random bases next to the amber codon (6480 sequences) were translated. Enrichment scores were calculated by dividing the appearance rate of every sequence in protein-PuL/mRNA complexes by that in total mRNAs. The wide range of enrichment scores (0.09-2.10 for N-terminal and 0.30-4.23 for C-terminal coding sequences) indicated that the N-terminal and C-terminal coding sequences strongly affected the complex formation yield. Using C-terminal GGC-CGA-UAG-U sequences, which resulted in the highest enrichment scores, we constructed highly diverse libraries of monobodies and macrocyclic peptides. The present study provides insights into how mRNA sequences affect the protein/mRNA complex formation yield and will accelerate the identification of functional peptides and proteins involved in various biological processes and having therapeutic applications.

Exploring the Minimal RNA Substrate of Flexizymes.

Flexizymes are tRNA acylation ribozymes that have been successfully used to facilitate genetic code reprogramming. They are capable of charging acid substrates onto various tRNAs and tRNA analogues. However, their minimal RNA substrate has not been investigated. Here we have designed fluorescently labeled short RNAs corresponding to the four, three, and two bases (4bRNA, 3bRNA, 2bRNA) at the tRNA 3'-end and explored the minimal RNA substrate of flexizymes, dFx and eFx. 3bRNA was the observed minimal RNA substrate of the flexizymes, but the efficiency of acylation of this short RNA was two to three times lower than that of 4bRNA. The efficiency of acylation of 4bRNA was comparable with that of the microhelix, a 22-base RNA conventionally used as a tRNA analogue for analyzing acylation efficiency. We also compared the efficiencies of acylation of the microhelix and 4bRNA with various acid substrates. Thanks to the short length of 4bRNA, its acyl-4bRNA products exhibited larger mobility shifts in gel electrophoresis than those exhibited by acyl-microhelix products with every substrate tested. This indicated that 4bRNA was an ideal RNA substrate for analyzing the efficiency of acylation by flexizymes.

Ribosomal Synthesis of Peptides with Multiple ß-Amino Acids.

The compatibility of ß-amino acids with ribosomal translation was studied for decades, but it has been still unclear whether the ribosome can accept various ß-amino acids, and whether the ribosome can introduce multiple ß-amino acids in a peptide. In the present study, by using the Escherichia coli reconstituted cell-free translation system with a reprogramed genetic code, we screened ß-amino acids that give high single incorporation efficiency and used them to synthesize peptides containing multiple ß-amino acids. The experiments of single ß-amino acid incorporation into a peptide revealed that 13 ß-amino acids are compatible with ribosomal translation. Six of the tested ß-amino acids (ßhGly, l-ßhAla, l-ßhGln, l-ßhPhg, l-ßhMet, and d-ßhPhg) showed high incorporation efficiencies, and seven (l-ßhLeu, l-ßhIle, l-ßhAsn, l-ßhPhe, l-ßhLys, d-ßhAla, and d-ßhLeu) showed moderate incorporation efficiencies; whereas no full-length peptide was produced using other ß-amino acids (l-ßhPro, l-ßhTrp, and l-ßhGlu). Subsequent double-incorporation experiments using ß-amino acids with high single incorporation efficiency revealed that elongation of peptides with successive ß-amino acids is prohibited. Efficiency of the double-incorporation of the ß-amino acids was restored by the insertion of Tyr or Ile between the two ß-amino acids. On the basis of these experiments, we also designed mRNA sequences of peptides, and demonstrated the ribosomal synthesis of peptides containing different types of ß-amino acids at multiple positions.

In Vitro Selection Combined with Ribosomal Translation Containing Non-proteinogenic Amino Acids.

The potential applications of non-proteinogenic amino acids have increased continuously since the introduction of these molecules into a ribosomal translation system. An increasing number of studies concerning topics, such as the addition of an artificial function to a protein, cellular expression of a protein with an artificial residue, and development of an artificial peptide with a novel function, have been done using these molecules. Here, we describe recent studies that elucidate the compatibility of non-proteinogenic amino acids with ribosomal translation. We also describe the development of a simple and high-speed selection method and its potential application for the creation of a novel functional peptide with non-proteinogenic amino acids. As these studies have expanded the diversity of the artificial peptide library and increased the speed of novel functional peptide selection, they will significantly facilitate the development of new molecules, such as pharmaceutical drug candidates and bioassay probes.

Ser/Leu-swapped cell-free translation system constructed with natural/in vitro transcribed-hybrid tRNA set.

The Ser/Leu-swapped genetic code can act as a genetic firewall, mitigating biohazard risks arising from horizontal gene transfer in genetically modified organisms. Our prior work demonstrated the orthogonality of this swapped code to the standard genetic code using a cell-free translation system comprised of 21 in vitro transcribed tRNAs. In this study, to advance this system for protein engineering, we introduce a natural/in vitro transcribed-hybrid tRNA set. This set combines natural tRNAs from Escherichia coli (excluding Ser, Leu, and Tyr) and in vitro transcribed tRNAs, encompassing anticodon-swapped tRNASerGAG and tRNALeuGGA. This approach reduces the number of in vitro transcribed tRNAs required from 21 to only 4. In this optimized system, the production of a model protein, superfolder green fluorescent protein, increases to 3.5-fold. With this hybrid tRNA set, the Ser/Leu-swapped cell-free translation system will stand as a potent tool for protein production with reduced biohazard concerns in future biological endeavors.

Reevaluation of the D-amino acid compatibility with the elongation event in translation.

The compatibility of D-amino acids with peptide elongation during translation has been examined in several studies. However, some of the studies have reported that D-amino acids are incompatible with translation, whereas others have reported that D-amino acids are incorporated into polypeptides. Here, we have reevaluated the incorporation of a series of D-amino acids into the nascent chain of short peptides with a reprogrammed genetic code by using the flexible in vitro translation (FIT) system. The FIT system enables the compatibility of each D-amino acid with elongation to be assessed quantitatively in the absence of potential competitors. The incorporation efficiencies were determined by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and the full-length peptide was detected by MALDI-TOF-MS. The D-amino acids were categorized into three groups based on their incorporation efficiencies relative to the corresponding L-amino acid. The D-isomers in group I showed efficiencies of 40% or higher (Ala, Ser, Cys, Met, Thr, His, Phe, and Tyr), and those in group II showed efficiencies of 10-40% (Asn, Gln, Val, and Leu). The D-amino acids in group III produced truncated peptides or no detectable full-length peptides (Arg, Lys, Asp, Glu, Ile, Trp, and Pro). When group I D-amino acids were used consecutively or were alternated with L-amino acids, this completely inhibited their elongation. However, when two or three L-amino acids were inserted between the D-amino acids, the double-incorporation efficiency was restored. Our results quantitatively reveal the compatibility of D-amino acids with peptide elongation and raise new questions about the mechanism of D-amino acid selection and incorporation by the ribosome.

Monobodies with potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and other variants of concern.

Neutralizing antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are useful for patients' treatment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report here affinity maturation of monobodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and their neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1 (Pango v.3.1.14) as well as four variants of concern. We selected matured monobodies from libraries with multi-site saturation mutagenesis on the recognition loops through in vitro selection. One clone, the C4-AM2 monobody, showed extremely high affinity (K D < 0.01 nM) against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1, even in monomer form. Furthermore, the C4-AM2 monobody efficiently neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1 (IC 50 = 46 pM, 0.62 ng/ml), and the Alpha (IC 50 = 77 pM, 1.0 ng/ml), Beta (IC 50 = 0.54 nM, 7.2 ng/ml), Gamma (IC 50 = 0.55 nM, 7.4 ng/ml), and Delta (IC 50 = 0.59 nM, 8.0 ng/ml) variants. The obtained monobodies would be useful as neutralizing proteins against current and potentially hazardous future SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Construction of a Highly Diverse mRNA Library for in vitro Selection of Monobodies.

Recently, we developed transcription/translation coupled with the association of puromycin linker (TRAP) display as a quick in vitro selection method to obtain antibody-like proteins. For the in vitro selection, it is important to prepare mRNA libraries among which the diversity is high. Here, we describe a method for the preparation of monobody mRNA libraries with greater than 1013 theoretical diversity. First, we synthesized two long single-stranded DNAs that corresponded to fragments of monobody DNA, with random codons in the BC and FG loops. These oligonucleotides were ligated by T4 DNA ligase with the support of guide oligonucleotides containing 3' ends that were protected by a modification. After amplifying the product DNAs by PCR, one end of each DNA fragment was digested with the type II restriction enzyme BsaI, and the resulting DNA fragments were ligated using T4 DNA ligase. After amplification of the DNA product, mRNAs were synthesized by T7 RNA polymerase. This method is simple and could be used for the preparation of mRNA libraries for various antibody-like proteins. Graphic abstract: Construction of a highly diverse mRNA library.

cDNA TRAP display for rapid and stable in vitro selection of antibody-like proteins.

We developed a cDNA TRAP display for the rapid selection of antibody-like proteins in various conditions. By modifying the original puromycin linker in the TRAP display, a monobody was covalently attached to the cDNA. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated a rapid model selection of an anti-EGFR1 monobody in a solution containing ribonuclease.

An Amino Acid-Swapped Genetic Code.

Preventing the escape of hazardous genes from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment is one of the most important issues in biotechnology research. Various strategies were developed to create "genetic firewalls" that prevent the leakage of GMOs; however, they were not specially designed to prevent the escape of genes. To address this issue, we developed amino acid (AA)-swapped genetic codes orthogonal to the standard genetic code, namely SL (Ser and Leu were swapped) and SLA genetic codes (Ser, Leu, and Ala were swapped). From mRNAs encoded by the AA-swapped genetic codes, functional proteins were only synthesized in translation systems featuring the corresponding genetic codes. These results clearly demonstrated the orthogonality of the AA-swapped genetic codes against the standard genetic code and their potential to function as "genetic firewalls for genes". Furthermore, we propose "a codon-bypass strategy" to develop a GMO with an AA-swapped genetic code.

In vitro selection of multiple libraries created by genetic code reprogramming to discover macrocyclic peptides that antagonize VEGFR2 activity in living cells.

We report the in vitro selection of thioether-macrocyclized peptides against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) from multiple, highly diverse peptide libraries constructed utilizing genetic code reprogramming. The macrocyclic peptide libraries consisted of combinations of four types of amino acid linkers for cyclization and two types of elongator amino acid compositions, including four backbone-modified non-proteinogenic amino acids. Affinity selection from these libraries, using our recently developed TRAP (Transcription-translation coupled with Association of Puromycin-linker) display, yielded multiple anti-VEGFR2 macrocyclic peptide leads. Further antagonizing activity-based screening of the chemically synthesized lead peptides identified a potent macrocyclic peptide that inhibited VEGF-induced VEGFR2 autophosphorylation, proliferation, and angiogenesis of living vascular endothelial cells. The TRAP display-based selection from multiple, highly diverse peptide libraries followed by activity-based screening of selected peptides is a powerful strategy for discovering biologically active peptides targeted to various biomolecules.