Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Manhattan College, 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA
Abstract
The utilization of an expanded genetic code and in vivo unnatural amino acid crosslinking has grown significantly in the past decade, proving to be a reliable system for the examination of protein–protein interactions. Perhaps the most utilized amino acid crosslinker, p-benzoyl-(l)-phenylalanine (pBPA), has delivered a vast compendium of structural and mechanistic data, placing it firmly in the upper echelons of protein analytical techniques. pBPA contains a benzophenone group that is activated with low energy radiation (~365 nm), initiating a diradical state that can lead to hydrogen abstraction and radical recombination in the form of a covalent bond to a neighboring protein. Importantly, the expanded genetic code system provides for site-specific encoding of the crosslinker, yielding spatial control for protein surface mapping capabilities. Paired with UV-activation, this process offers a practical means for spatiotemporal understanding of protein–protein dynamics in the living cell. The chromatin field has benefitted particularly well from this technique, providing detailed mapping and mechanistic insight for numerous chromatin-related pathways. We provide here a brief history of unnatural amino acid crosslinking in chromatin studies and outlooks into future applications of the system for increased spatiotemporal resolution in chromatin related research.
Funder
National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health
Catherine and Robert Fenton Faculty Fellowship
Subject
Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Computer Science Applications,Spectroscopy,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Catalysis