Expanding the genetic code of Drosophila melanogaster

Genetic code expansion by ribosomal incorporation of non-natural amino acids has provided a useful approach for site-specific protein modification. This approach has now been extended to the model organism Drosophila melanogaster , permitting the introduction of non-standard amino acids into proteins within specific cell and tissue types and across developmental stages. Genetic code expansion for unnatural amino acid mutagenesis has, until recently, been limited to cell culture. We demonstrate the site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in Drosophila melanogaster at different developmental stages, in specific tissues and in a subset of cells within a tissue. This approach provides a foundation for probing and controlling processes in this established metazoan model organism with a new level of molecular precision.