Genetic code expansion in the mouse brain
August 29th, 2016 by Russell J Ernst
Nature Chemical Biology 12, 776 (2016). doi:10.1038/nchembio.2160
Authors: Russell J Ernst, Toke P Krogager, Elizabeth S Maywood, Roberto Zanchi, Václav Beránek, Thomas S Elliott, Nicholas P Barry, Michael H Hastings & Jason W Chin
Site-specific incorporation of non-natural amino acids into proteins, via genetic code expansion with pyrrolysyl tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and tRNAPylCUA pairs (and their evolved derivatives) from Methanosarcina sp., forms the basis of powerful approaches to probe and control protein function in cells and invertebrate organisms. Here we demonstrate that adeno-associated viral delivery of these pairs enables efficient genetic code expansion in primary neuronal culture, organotypic brain slices and the brains of live mice.