Toward life with a 19–amino acid alphabet through generative artificial intelligence design
Abstract
Because all known living organisms are made from at least 20 canonical amino acids, the feasibility of life using a more simplified alphabet remains unclear. In this work, we leveraged computational design and synthetic biology to explore building a cell from a 19–amino acid alphabet. Initial analyses suggested that isoleucine (Ile) may be dispensable, which we confirmed by directly replacing Ile residues in essential proteins in Escherichia coli . Critically, protein language models and structure-based models were necessary to redesign functional Ile-less proteins in most cases. We systematically replaced all 382 Ile residues from the ribosome and combined 21 redesigned subunits at a native genomic locus to produce a viable, evolutionarily stable cell. This work provides a roadmap to create the first 19–amino acid organism since early evolution.
Fields of Study & Subjects
RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
Machine Learning in Bioinformatics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Science
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Volume
- 392
- Issue
- 6797
- Pages
- eaeb5171–eaeb5171
- Publication date
- 30 April 2026
- Language
- EN