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Wang B, Liu X, Li Z, Zeng K, Guo J, Xin T, Zhang Z, Li JF, Yang X. A nuclease-dead Cas9-derived tool represses target gene expression. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:1880-1892. [PMID: 38478589 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Manipulation of gene expression is central to understanding gene function, engineering cell behavior, and altering biological traits according to production demands. Nuclease-dead Cas9 (dCas9), a variant of active Cas9, offers a versatile platform for the precise control of genome function without DNA cleavage. Notably, however, an effective and universal dCas9-based transcriptional repression system remains unavailable in plants. The noncanonical histone acetyltransferase TENDRIL-LESS (CsTEN) is responsible for chromatin loosening and histone modification in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). In this study, we engineered a gene regulation tool by fusing TEN and its truncated proteins with dCas9. The full-length dCas9-TEN protein substantially repressed gene expression, with the N-terminal domain identified as the core repression domain. We subsequently validated the specificity and efficacy of this system through both transient infection and genetic transformation in cucumber and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed the ability of the N-terminal domain of TEN to bind to chromatin, which may promote target binding of the dCas9 complex and enhance the transcriptional repression effect. Our tool enriches the arsenal of genetic regulation tools available for precision breeding in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Xiaolin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhenxiang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Kang Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
- College of Horticulture, FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jiangyi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
- Engineering Laboratory of Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of Shandong Province, College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
| | - Tongxu Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Xueyong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
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Yasmeen E, Wang J, Riaz M, Zhang L, Zuo K. Designing artificial synthetic promoters for accurate, smart, and versatile gene expression in plants. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2023:100558. [PMID: 36760129 PMCID: PMC10363483 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
With the development of high-throughput biology techniques and artificial intelligence, it has become increasingly feasible to design and construct artificial biological parts, modules, circuits, and even whole systems. To overcome the limitations of native promoters in controlling gene expression, artificial promoter design aims to synthesize short, inducible, and conditionally controlled promoters to coordinate the expression of multiple genes in diverse plant metabolic and signaling pathways. Synthetic promoters are versatile and can drive gene expression accurately with smart responses; they show potential for enhancing desirable traits in crops, thereby improving crop yield, nutritional quality, and food security. This review first illustrates the importance of synthetic promoters, then introduces promoter architecture and thoroughly summarizes advances in synthetic promoter construction. Restrictions to the development of synthetic promoters and future applications of such promoters in synthetic plant biology and crop improvement are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erum Yasmeen
- Single Cell Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Muhammad Riaz
- Single Cell Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Lida Zhang
- Single Cell Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Kaijing Zuo
- Single Cell Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
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3
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Ding X, Yu L, Chen L, Li Y, Zhang J, Sheng H, Ren Z, Li Y, Yu X, Jin S, Cao J. Recent Progress and Future Prospect of CRISPR/Cas-Derived Transcription Activation (CRISPRa) System in Plants. Cells 2022; 11:3045. [PMID: 36231007 PMCID: PMC9564188 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome editing technology has become one of the hottest research areas in recent years. Among diverse genome editing tools, the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated proteins system (CRISPR/Cas system) has exhibited the obvious advantages of specificity, simplicity, and flexibility over any previous genome editing system. In addition, the emergence of Cas9 mutants, such as dCas9 (dead Cas9), which lost its endonuclease activity but maintains DNA recognition activity with the guide RNA, provides powerful genetic manipulation tools. In particular, combining the dCas9 protein and transcriptional activator to achieve specific regulation of gene expression has made important contributions to biotechnology in medical research as well as agriculture. CRISPR/dCas9 activation (CRISPRa) can increase the transcription of endogenous genes. Overexpression of foreign genes by traditional transgenic technology in plant cells is the routine method to verify gene function by elevating genes transcription. One of the main limitations of the overexpression is the vector capacity constraint that makes it difficult to express multiple genes using the typical Ti plasmid vectors from Agrobacterium. The CRISPRa system can overcome these limitations of the traditional gene overexpression method and achieve multiple gene activation by simply designating several guide RNAs in one vector. This review summarizes the latest progress based on the development of CRISPRa systems, including SunTag, dCas9-VPR, dCas9-TV, scRNA, SAM, and CRISPR-Act and their applications in plants. Furthermore, limitations, challenges of current CRISPRa systems and future prospective applications are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Ding
- Institute of Cotton, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuncheng 044000, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Lu Yu
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Luo Chen
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yujie Li
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jinlun Zhang
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hanyan Sheng
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhengwei Ren
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yunlong Li
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiaohan Yu
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shuangxia Jin
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jinglin Cao
- Tobacco Research Institute of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430030, China
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Park J, Demirer GS, Cheung LS. Toolboxes for plant systems biology research. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 75:102692. [PMID: 35144172 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The terms 'systems' and 'synthetic biology' are often used together, with most scientists striding between the two fields rather than adhering to a single side. Often too, scientists want to understand a system to inform the design of gene circuits that could endow it with new functions. However, this does not need to be the progression of research, as synthetic constructs can help improve our understanding of a system. Here, we review synthetic biology tool kits with the potential to overcome pleiotropic effects, compensatory mechanisms, and redundancy in plants. Combined with -omics techniques, these tools could reveal novel insights on plant growth and development, an aim that has gained renewed urgency given the impact of climate change on crop productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihyun Park
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Gozde S Demirer
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Lily S Cheung
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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5
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Zhou H, Xu L, Li F, Li Y. Transcriptional regulation by CRISPR/dCas9 in common wheat. Gene 2022; 807:145919. [PMID: 34454034 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.145919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The application of CRISPR/Cas9 system for gene editing, as a technical coup for biotechnology, is worldwide and encompasses multiple of species. The inactivation of catalytical site in Cas9 (dCas9) has been reprogrammed as an effective approach to regulate the transcriptional level of target genes, especially for the functionally essential genes and redundant genes. Here, we exploited the CRISPR/dCas9 system to manipulate the transcriptional level of target genes in common wheat. To improve target gene's expression, we generated transcriptional activator by fusing 6×TAL-VP128 activation domain to the C-terminus of dCas9 in frame. For target gene's repressing expression transcriptionally, 3×SRDX repression domain was conjugated to the C-terminus of dCas9 in frame. Our results showed that dCas9 fused activation or repression domain could increase or decrease the transcriptional level of target gene effectively in stable transgenic lines of wheat. The study on the tRNA-processing system in CRISPR/dCas9 based transcriptional regulation system demonstrated that this robust multiplex targeted tool can be incorporated to the CRISPR/dCas9 system to facilitate the target regulation of several genes' transcriptional level. Our data broaden the application of CRISPR/dCas9 based transcriptional regulation and provide great opportunities to investigate the function of essential genes in common wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huajie Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, No. 88 East Wenhua Road, Lixia District, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
| | - Lei Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, No. 88 East Wenhua Road, Lixia District, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
| | - Feng Li
- Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co. Ltd., 11 Floor, Main Building, QiLu Innovalley Incubator, High-tech Industry Development Zone, Jinan 250000, Shandong, China
| | - Yansha Li
- Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co. Ltd., 11 Floor, Main Building, QiLu Innovalley Incubator, High-tech Industry Development Zone, Jinan 250000, Shandong, China.
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6
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Xiong X, Li Z, Liang J, Liu K, Li C, Li JF. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:3565-3580. [PMID: 35286371 PMCID: PMC8989527 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas-derived base editing tools empower efficient alteration of genomic cytosines or adenines associated with essential genetic traits in plants and animals. Diversified target sequences and customized editing products call for base editors with distinct features regarding the editing window and target scope. Here we developed a toolkit of plant base editors containing AID10, an engineered human AID cytosine deaminase. When fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of the conventional Cas9 nickase (nSpCas9), AID10 exhibited a broad or narrow activity window at the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM)-distal and -proximal protospacer, respectively, while AID10 fused to both termini conferred an additive activity window. We further replaced nSpCas9 with orthogonal or PAM-relaxed Cas9 variants to widen target scopes. Moreover, we devised dual base editors with AID10 located adjacently or distally to the adenine deaminase ABE8e, leading to juxtaposed or spaced cytosine and adenine co-editing at the same target sequence in plant cells. Furthermore, we expanded the application of this toolkit in plants for tunable knockdown of protein-coding genes via creating upstream open reading frame and for loss-of-function analysis of non-coding genes, such as microRNA sponges. Collectively, this toolkit increases the functional diversity and versatility of base editors in basic and applied plant research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhenxiang Li
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Zhenxiang Li.
| | - Jieping Liang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Kehui Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Chenlong Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +86 20 39943513; Fax: +86 20 39943513;
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7
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Pan C, Wu X, Markel K, Malzahn AA, Kundagrami N, Sretenovic S, Zhang Y, Cheng Y, Shih PM, Qi Y. CRISPR-Act3.0 for highly efficient multiplexed gene activation in plants. NATURE PLANTS 2021; 7:942-953. [PMID: 34168320 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-021-00953-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
RNA-guided CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) systems have been developed in plants. However, the simultaneous activation of multiple genes remains challenging. Here, we develop a highly robust CRISPRa system working in rice, Arabidopsis and tomato, CRISPR-Act3.0, through systematically exploring different effector recruitment strategies and various transcription activators based on deactivated Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (dSpCas9). The CRISPR-Act3.0 system results in fourfold to sixfold higher activation than the state-of-the-art CRISPRa systems. We further develop a tRNA-gR2.0 (single guide RNA 2.0) expression system enabling CRISPR-Act3.0-based robust activation of up to seven genes for metabolic engineering in rice. In addition, CRISPR-Act3.0 allows the simultaneous modification of multiple traits in Arabidopsis, which are stably transmitted to the T3 generations. On the basis of CRISPR-Act3.0, we elucidate guide RNA targeting rules for effective transcriptional activation. To target T-rich protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs), we transfer this activation strategy to CRISPR-dCas12b and further improve the dAaCas12b-based CRISPRa system. Moreover, we develop a potent near-PAM-less CRISPR-Act3.0 system on the basis of the SpRY dCas9 variant, which outperforms the dCas9-NG system in both activation potency and targeting scope. Altogether, our study has substantially improved the CRISPRa technology in plants and provided plant researchers a powerful toolbox for efficient gene activation in foundational and translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changtian Pan
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Xincheng Wu
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Kasey Markel
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Aimee A Malzahn
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Neil Kundagrami
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Simon Sretenovic
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Yingxiao Zhang
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Yanhao Cheng
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Patrick M Shih
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yiping Qi
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD, USA.
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Xiong X, Liang J, Li Z, Gong BQ, Li JF. Multiplex and optimization of dCas9-TV-mediated gene activation in plants. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:634-645. [PMID: 33058471 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic gene activators consisting of nuclease-dead Cas9 (dCas9) for single-guide RNA (sgRNA)-directed promoter binding and a transcriptional activation domain (TAD) represent new tools for gene activation from endogenous genomic locus in basic and applied plant research. However, multiplex gene coactivation by dCas9-TADs has not been demonstrated in whole plants. There is also room to optimize the performance of these tools. Here, we report that our previously developed gene activator, dCas9-TV, could simultaneously upregulate OsGW7 and OsER1 in rice by up to 3,738 fold, with one sgRNA targeting to each promoter. The gene coactivation could persist to at least the fourth generation. Astonishingly, the polycistronic tRNA-sgRNA expression under the maize ubiquitin promoter, a Pol II promoter, could cause enormous activation of these genes by up to >40,000-fold in rice. Moreover, the yeast GCN4 coiled coil-mediated dCas9-TV dimerization appeared to be promising for enhancing gene activation. Finally, we successfully introduced a self-amplification loop for dCas9-TV expression in Arabidopsis to promote the transcriptional upregulation of AtFLS2, a previously characterized dCas9-TV-refractory gene with considerable basal expression. Collectively, this work illustrates the robustness of dCas9-TV in multigene coactivation and provides broadly useful strategies for boosting transcriptional activation efficacy of dCas9-TADs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Xiong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Jieping Liang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Zhenxiang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Ben-Qiang Gong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
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9
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Gong X, Zhang T, Xing J, Wang R, Zhao Y. Positional effects on efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-based transcriptional activation in rice plants. ABIOTECH 2020; 1:1-5. [PMID: 36305003 PMCID: PMC9590548 DOI: 10.1007/s42994-019-00007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The nuclease-dead Cas9 (dCas9) has been reprogrammed for transcriptional activation by fusing dCas9 to a transcriptional activation domain. In the presence of a guide RNA (gRNA), the dCas9 fusions specifically bind to regions of a promoter to activate transcription. Significant amount of effort has been directed toward the identification and optimization of the fusions of dCas9-activation domain, but very little is known about the impact of gRNA target positions within a promoter in plants on transcriptional activation efficiency. The dCas9-6TAL-VP128 system (dCas9-TV) has been optimized to activate transcription in plants. Here we use the dCas9-TV to activate transcription of OsWOX11 and OsYUC1, two genes that cause dramatic developmental phenotypes when overexpressed. We designed a series of gRNAs targeting the promoters of the two genes. We show that gRNAs that target regions within 350 bp upstream of the transcription start site were most effective in transcriptional activation. Moreover, we show that using two gRNAs that simultaneously target two discrete sites in a promoter can further enhance transcription. This work provides guidelines for designed transcriptional activation through CRISPR/dCas9 systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Gong
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Tao Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Jialing Xing
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Rongchen Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Yunde Zhao
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116 USA
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