Rare codons in the N-terminal region enhance protein expression

Although the Central Dogma was first stated by Francis Crick over a half-century ago, we're still learning exactly how transcription and translation are orchestrated in cells. A recent Science paper reports that the presence of AT-rich rare codons in the N-terminal region enhances protein expression by reducing RNA secondary structure in bacteria.



You can harness this finding to increase your protein expression to a new level. By taking advantage of the degeneracy of the genetic code, you can alter your nucleotide sequence to favor efficient protein expression while preserving the amino acid sequence you need – a technique called codon optimization.