Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
09:40
Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
Published on: June 11, 2015
13.1K
Bacteriophages use an expanded genetic code on evolutionary paths to higher fitness
Michael J Hammerling1, Jared W Ellefson1, Daniel R Boutz1
1Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Nature Chemical Biology
|February 4, 2014
Summary
Scientists expanded the genetic code of organisms by adding a new amino acid. This enhanced genetic code increased the evolutionary potential of bacteriophages, allowing for beneficial mutations.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic biology
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Bioengineering enables modification of organismal genetic codes.
- The evolutionary impact of incorporating noncanonical amino acids is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary consequences of an expanded genetic code.
- To determine if incorporating a noncanonical amino acid affects evolvability.
Main Methods:
- Evolving bacteriophages on a host organism engineered to incorporate 3-iodotyrosine at the amber stop codon.
- Analyzing mutations in bacteriophage proteins that utilize the noncanonical amino acid.
Main Results:
- Bacteriophages acquired neutral and beneficial mutations in their proteins.
- These mutations involved the incorporation of 3-iodotyrosine.
Conclusions:
- An expanded genetic code enhances the evolvability of bacteriophages.
- Incorporating noncanonical amino acids can provide new avenues for evolutionary adaptation.
Related Concept Videos
01:26DNA Bacteriophages
1.6K
Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
1.6K
01:30Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
60.2K
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
60.2K
00:43Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
49.8K
In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
49.8K
01:16Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle
2.7K
The lysogenic cycle is a crucial viral replication strategy that allows bacteriophages to persist within host cells without immediately destroying them. This process is primarily observed in temperate phages, such as bacteriophage lambda (λ), which infects Escherichia coli. The cycle allows the viral genome to persist across bacterial generations while keeping host cells viable.Integration of the Viral GenomeUpon infection, bacteriophage lambda attaches to the bacterial surface and injects...
2.7K
01:16Transduction
3.0K
Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
3.0K
01:08Evolution of Microbial Genome
110
Microbial genome evolution is a highly dynamic process shaped by continual gene gain and loss across species and strains. This genomic flexibility allows microorganisms to adapt rapidly to environmental pressures and interactions with other organisms. Central to understanding this diversity is the distinction between the core and pan genomes.The core genome comprises the genes shared by all sampled strains of a species, representing essential functions needed for fundamental cellular processes.
110