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Pierrat X, Pham A, Wong JPH, Al-Mayyah Z, Persat A. Engineering Agrobacterium tumefaciens Adhesion to Target Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:2662-2671. [PMID: 35881049 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen commonly repurposed for genetic modification of crops. Despite its versatility, it remains inefficient at transferring DNA to many hosts, including to animal cells. Like many pathogens, physical contact between A. tumefaciens and host cells promotes infection efficacy. Thus, improving the strength and specificity of A. tumefaciens to target cells has the potential for enhancing DNA transfer for biotechnological and therapeutic purposes. Here, we demonstrate a methodology for engineering genetically encoded exogeneous adhesins at the surface of A. tumefaciens. We identified an autotransporter gene we named Aat that is predicted to show canonical β-barrel and passenger domains. We engineered the β-barrel scaffold and linker (Aatβ) to display synthetic adhesins susceptible to rewire A. tumefaciens to alternative host targets. As a proof of concept, we leveraged the versatility of a VHH domain to rewire A. tumefaciens adhesion to yeast and mammalian hosts displaying a GFP target receptor. Finally, to demonstrate how synthetic A. tumefaciens adhesion can improve transfer to host cells, we showed improved protein translocation into HeLa cells using a sensitive split luciferase reporter system. Engineering A. tumefaciens adhesion has therefore a strong potential in generating complex heterogeneous cellular assemblies and in improving DNA transfer efficiency against non-natural hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Pierrat
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alix Pham
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jeremy P H Wong
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zainebe Al-Mayyah
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Persat
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Thompson MG, Moore WM, Hummel NFC, Pearson AN, Barnum CR, Scheller HV, Shih PM. Agrobacterium tumefaciens: A Bacterium Primed for Synthetic Biology. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2020; 2020:8189219. [PMID: 37849895 PMCID: PMC10530663 DOI: 10.34133/2020/8189219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is an important tool in plant biotechnology due to its natural ability to transfer DNA into the genomes of host plants. Genetic manipulations of A. tumefaciens have yielded considerable advances in increasing transformational efficiency in a number of plant species and cultivars. Moreover, there is overwhelming evidence that modulating the expression of various mediators of A. tumefaciens virulence can lead to more successful plant transformation; thus, the application of synthetic biology to enable targeted engineering of the bacterium may enable new opportunities for advancing plant biotechnology. In this review, we highlight engineering targets in both A. tumefaciens and plant hosts that could be exploited more effectively through precision genetic control to generate high-quality transformation events in a wider range of host plants. We then further discuss the current state of A. tumefaciens and plant engineering with regard to plant transformation and describe how future work may incorporate a rigorous synthetic biology approach to tailor strains of A. tumefaciens used in plant transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell G. Thompson
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - William M. Moore
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Niklas F. C. Hummel
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Allison N. Pearson
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Collin R. Barnum
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Henrik V. Scheller
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Patrick M. Shih
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Genome Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Inhibition of Human Cytomegalovirus pUL89 Terminase Subunit Blocks Virus Replication and Genome Cleavage. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.02152-16. [PMID: 27881652 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02152-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The human cytomegalovirus terminase complex cleaves concatemeric genomic DNA into unit lengths during genome packaging and particle assembly. This process is an attractive drug target because cleavage of concatemeric DNA is not required in mammalian cell DNA replication, indicating that drugs targeting the terminase complex could be safe and selective. One component of the human cytomegalovirus terminase complex, pUL89, provides the endonucleolytic activity for genome cleavage, and the domain responsible is reported to have an RNase H-like fold. We hypothesize that the pUL89 endonuclease activity is inhibited by known RNase H inhibitors. Using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format as a screening assay, we found that a hydroxypyridonecarboxylic acid compound, previously reported to be an inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus RNase H, inhibited pUL89 endonuclease activity at low-micromolar concentrations. Further characterization revealed that this pUL89 endonuclease inhibitor blocked human cytomegalovirus replication at a relatively late time point, similarly to other reported terminase complex inhibitors. Importantly, this inhibitor also prevented the cleavage of viral genomic DNA in infected cells. Taken together, these results substantiate our pharmacophore hypothesis and validate our ligand-based approach toward identifying novel inhibitors of pUL89 endonuclease. IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus infection in individuals lacking a fully functioning immune system, such as newborns and transplant patients, can have severe and debilitating consequences. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-human cytomegalovirus drugs mainly target the viral polymerase, and resistance to these drugs has appeared. Therefore, anti-human cytomegalovirus drugs from novel targets are needed for use instead of, or in combination with, current polymerase inhibitors. pUL89 is a viral ATPase and endonuclease and is an attractive target for anti-human cytomegalovirus drug development. We identified and characterized an inhibitor of pUL89 endonuclease activity that also inhibits human cytomegalovirus replication in cell culture. pUL89 endonuclease, therefore, should be explored as a potential target for antiviral development against human cytomegalovirus.
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