Scientists imbue cells with pathway to make own drugs
Only the bird species is known to naturally create an enzyme that can make an amino acid that isn't one of the 20 required to encode the majority of proteins, or a noncanonical amino acid. Even if researchers are unsure of what the enzyme accomplishes for the bird, the fact that it exists—a discovery uncovered through computerized comparison of genome databases—shows that it is conceivable for the enzyme to function within the context of live cells. However, they have a solid concept of what it might be able to achieve for us. An amino acid called sulfotyrosine (sTyr), a mutant of the standard amino acid tyrosine, is a crucial building block for programming living cells to express therapeutic proteins, according to a new study by Rice University chemist Han Xiao, theoretical physicist Peter Wolynes, and their collaborators. It might enable cells to function as sensors that keep an eye on their surroundings and react with the appropriate treatment. It is necessary to alter a cell...