A generalizable framework for genetic code expansion in bacterial systems beyond E. coli.

A universal, scalable framework enables efficient genetic code expansion across five diverse bacterial species, surpassing previous organism-specific limitations.

• Why it matters: Expanding the genetic code is crucial for studying and engineering proteins with new functionalities, but existing methods are limited mainly to E. coli, restricting broader microbial applications.
• What they did: The authors developed a modular, host-agnostic platform based on serine recombinase-assisted genome engineering, applying it to five bacteria to incorporate various noncanonical amino acids.
• The result: This approach achieved robust incorporation of modified amino acids, including bacterial post-translational modifications, facilitating advanced protein engineering and microbial research across diverse species.