Biosynthesis of new polymers of controlled molecular structure

This paper describes the use of artificial genes to direct bacterial synthesis of new polypeptides of precisely defined molecular structure. This approach has been applied to three problems in polymer chemistry and physics: i) control of chain folding in crystalline polymers, ii) biosynthesis of polypeptides containing unnatural amino acids, and iii) preparation of monodisperse helical polymers.     

Templated biological synthesis of polymers of abiological monomers

A general method for the in vivo incorporation of amino acid analogues into artificial proteins is described. The method involves the construction of an artificial gene encoding the sequence of interest (with the corresponding natural amino acid encoded in place of the analogue), transformation of a bacterial host strain that cannot synthesize the natural amino acid, and induction of protein synthesis in a host culture enriched in the analogue. Results are described for the amino acid analogues selenomethionine, p-fluorophenylalanine, trifluoroleucine and 3-thienylalanine.