Genetic Code Expansion (GCE) refers to engineering cells for use in research that have an expanded genetic code and can produce selected proteins with designer chemical groups in exactly defined places. This is accomplished by site-specifically incorporating a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA; i.e., an amino acid that is not among the 20 canonical/standard amino acids), with unique side-chain chemistry, into a protein of interest. The GCE4All Center mission is to improve this powerful set of technologies so they can be more widely used for revealing mechanisms of health and disease and developing improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
GCE is a powerful tool with vast implications for basic research and the development of new therapeutics. By optimizing, developing and broadly disseminating GCE technologies, the GCE4All Center makes the use of powerful tools and approaches standard, enabling scientific breakthroughs worldwide.
To aid in this goal, we (the GCE4All Research Center) created the GCE4All Knowledge Base, which houses relevant and practical information to equip you to utilize GCE in your context. This Knowledge Base provides you with need-to-know information for not only choosing which ncAA(s) you could use, but also which cognate RS/tRNA pair(s) have been shown to faithfully incorporate them into proteins, thereby empowering you to advance your research.
Learn more about GCE and the GCE4All Research Center
The first place to learn more is the GCE4All Research center website: https://gce4all.oregonstate.edu/
For those seeking more extensive information about GCE and its applications, a good place to start is a 2021 review article entitled: Genetic Code Expansion: Inception, Development, Commercialization