Selection and validation of orthogonal tRNA/synthetase pairs for the encoding of unnatural amino acids across kingdoms

As an increasing number of protein structures are resolved at atomic and near-atomic resolution, conventional amino acid mutagenesis may be insufficient to test many mechanistic hypotheses. As a result, the development of new tRNA/aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) pairs has become an important tool for determining intricate molecular interactions and understanding protein structures. This chapter describes in detail the directed evolution of new tRNA/aaRS pairs in Escherichia coli for the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAA). Section 1 describes the selection of new tRNA/aaRS pairs in E. coli. Section 2 details the use of a synthetase to incorporate an ncAA into a mammalian cell line, and Sections 1 and 2 both include methods on the determination of synthetase efficacy and fidelity.