Natalie Kolber

All Publications

• Orthogonal translation enables heterologous ribosome engineering in E. coli. Nature communications Kolber, N. S., Fattal, R., Bratulic, S., Carver, G. D., Badran, A. H. 2021; 12 (1): 599

  Abstract

  The ribosome represents a promising avenue for synthetic biology, but its complexity and essentiality have hindered significant engineering efforts. Heterologous ribosomes, comprising rRNAs and r-proteins derived from different microorganisms, may offer opportunities for novel translational functions. Such heterologous ribosomes have previously been evaluated in E. coli via complementation of a genomic ribosome deficiency, but this method fails to guide the engineering of refractory ribosomes. Here, we implement orthogonal ribosome binding site (RBS):antiRBS pairs, in which engineered ribosomes are directed to researcher-defined transcripts, to inform requirements for heterologous ribosome functionality. We discover that optimized rRNA processing and supplementation with cognate r-proteins enhances heterologous ribosome function for rRNAs derived from organisms with ≥76.1% 16S rRNA identity to E. coli. Additionally, some heterologous ribosomes undergo reduced subunit exchange with E. coli-derived subunits. Cumulatively, this work provides a general framework for heterologous ribosome engineering in living cells.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-20759-z

  View details for PubMedID 33500394