Escherichia coli has been considered as the most used model bacteria in
the majority of studies for several decades. However, a new faster
chassis is emerging in the form of the fast-growing gram-negative
bacterium Vibrio natriegens. Different methodologies, well established
in E. coli, are currently being adapted for the Vibrio natriegens in the
hope of enabling a much faster platform for general lab-work. Amongst
the vast technologies available for E. coli, genetic code expansion, the
incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins, serves as a robust
tool for protein engineering and biorthogonal modifications. Here we
designed and adapted the genetic code expansion methodology for Vibrio
natriegens and demonstrate an unnatural amino acid incorporation into a
protein for the first time in this organism.