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Malaguti M, Lebek T, Blin G, Lowell S. Enabling neighbour labelling: using synthetic biology to explore how cells influence their neighbours. Development 2024; 151:dev201955. [PMID: 38165174 PMCID: PMC10820747 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cell-cell interactions are central to development, but exploring how a change in any given cell relates to changes in the neighbour of that cell can be technically challenging. Here, we review recent developments in synthetic biology and image analysis that are helping overcome this problem. We highlight the opportunities presented by these advances and discuss opportunities and limitations in applying them to developmental model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Malaguti
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Tamina Lebek
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Guillaume Blin
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Sally Lowell
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
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2
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Mesev EV, Guare EG, Ploss A, Toettcher JE. Synthetic Heterodimers of Type III Interferon Receptors Require TYK2 for STAT Activation. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2023; 43:414-426. [PMID: 37725008 PMCID: PMC10517332 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2023.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Type III interferons (IFN-λ) are central to host defense against viral infection of epithelial barrier surfaces. IFN-λ binding to its receptor induces a JAK-STAT cascade through kinases Janus-associated kinase 1 (JAK1) and tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), which are associated on either subunit of the heterodimeric type III IFN receptor. Recent studies have shown that TYK2 is not necessary for IFN-λ to signal, in contrast to IFN-α, which uses the same JAK-STAT pathway activated by the type I IFN receptor. The mechanism for this differential TYK2 requirement is unknown. Our study uses synthetic IFN receptors in TYK2-deficient U2OS epithelial cells to define the processes in type I and III IFN signaling that require TYK2. We find that TYK2 deficiency reduces signaling equally from heterodimers of either type I or III IFN receptor intracellular domains. In contrast, JAK1-associated homodimers of IFNAR2 or IFNLR1 are both fully signaling competent even in the absence of TYK2. These results suggest that heterodimerization of the type III IFN receptor is insufficient to confer TYK2-independent signaling. Thus, we propose that noncanonical receptor complexes may participate in endogenous type III IFN signaling to confer TYK2-independent signaling downstream of IFN-λ stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily V. Mesev
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Emma G. Guare
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Alexander Ploss
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jared E. Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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3
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Liu H, Baeumler TA, Nakamura K, Okada Y, Cho S, Eguchi A, Kuroda D, Tsumoto K, Ueki R, Sando S. An Engineered Synthetic Receptor-Aptamer Pair for an Artificial Signal Transduction System. ACS NANO 2023; 17:9039-9048. [PMID: 37154259 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c11744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Cell membrane receptors regulate cellular responses through sensing extracellular environmental signals and subsequently transducing them. Receptor engineering provides a means of directing cells to react to a designated external cue and exert programmed functions. However, rational design and precise modulation of receptor signaling activity remain challenging. Here, we report an aptamer-based signal transduction system and its applications in controlling and customizing the functions of engineered receptors. A previously reported membrane receptor-aptamer pair was used to design a synthetic receptor system that transduces cell signaling depending on exogenous aptamer input. To eliminate the cross-reactivity of the receptor with its native ligand, the extracellular domain of the receptor was engineered to ensure that the receptor was solely activated by the DNA aptamer. The present system features tunability in the signaling output level using aptamer ligands with different receptor dimerization propensities. In addition, the functional programmability of DNA aptamers enables the modular sensing of extracellular molecules without the need for genetic engineering of the receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Daisuke Kuroda
- Research Center for Drug and Vaccine Development National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Kouhei Tsumoto
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
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Mishra S, Raval M, Singh V, Tiwari AK. Synthetic receptors in medicine. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 196:303-335. [PMID: 36813363 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Cellular signaling is controlled by ligand receptor interaction and subsequent biochemical changes inside the cell. Manipulating receptors as per need that can be a strategy to alter the disease pathologies in various conditions. With recent advances in synthetic biology, now it is possible to engineer the artificial receptor "synthetic receptors." Synthetic receptors are the engineering receptors that have potential to alter the disease pathology by altering/manipulating the cellular signaling. Several synthetic receptors are being engineered that have shown positive regulation in several disease conditions. Thus, synthetic receptor-based strategy opens a new avenue in the medical field to cope up with various health issues. The current chapter summarizes updated information about the synthetic receptors and their applications in the medical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Mishra
- School of Forensic Science, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Mahima Raval
- Genetics & Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology & Bioengineering, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Vijai Singh
- Department of Biosciences, School of Science, Indrashil University, Rajpur, Mehsana, Gujarat, India
| | - Anand Krishna Tiwari
- Genetics & Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology & Bioengineering, Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
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Engineering receptors in the secretory pathway for orthogonal signalling control. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7350. [PMID: 36446786 PMCID: PMC9708828 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35161-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic receptors targeted to the secretory pathway often fail to exhibit the expected activity due to post-translational modifications (PTMs) and/or improper folding. Here, we engineered synthetic receptors that reside in the cytoplasm, inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), or on the plasma membrane through orientation adjustment of the receptor parts and by elimination of dysfunctional PTMs sites. The cytoplasmic receptors consist of split-TEVp domains that reconstitute an active protease through chemically-induced dimerization (CID) that is triggered by rapamycin, abscisic acid, or gibberellin. Inside the ER, however, some of these receptors were non-functional, but their activity was restored by mutagenesis of cysteine and asparagine, residues that are typically associated with PTMs. Finally, we engineered orthogonal chemically activated cell-surface receptors (OCARs) consisting of the Notch1 transmembrane domain fused to cytoplasmic tTA and extracellular CID domains. Mutagenesis of cysteine residues in CID domains afforded functional OCARs which enabled fine-tuning of orthogonal signalling in mammalian cells.
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Schamber MR, Vafabakhsh R. Mechanism of sensitivity modulation in the calcium-sensing receptor via electrostatic tuning. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2194. [PMID: 35459864 PMCID: PMC9033857 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29897-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Transfer of information across membranes is fundamental to the function of all organisms and is primarily initiated by transmembrane receptors. For many receptors, how ligand sensitivity is fine-tuned and how disease associated mutations modulate receptor conformation to allosterically affect receptor sensitivity are unknown. Here we map the activation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) - a dimeric class C G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and responsible for maintaining extracellular calcium in vertebrates. We show that CaSR undergoes unique conformational rearrangements compared to other class C GPCRs owing to specific structural features. Moreover, by analyzing disease associated mutations, we uncover a large permissiveness in the architecture of the extracellular domain of CaSR, with dynamics- and not specific receptor topology- determining the effect of a mutation. We show a structural hub at the dimer interface allosterically controls CaSR activation via focused electrostatic repulsion. Changes in the surface charge distribution of this hub, which is highly variable between organisms, finely tune CaSR sensitivity. This is potentially a general tuning mechanism for other dimeric receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Schamber
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Reza Vafabakhsh
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
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Chang HJ, Zúñiga A, Conejero I, Voyvodic PL, Gracy J, Fajardo-Ruiz E, Cohen-Gonsaud M, Cambray G, Pageaux GP, Meszaros M, Meunier L, Bonnet J. Programmable receptors enable bacterial biosensors to detect pathological biomarkers in clinical samples. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5216. [PMID: 34471137 PMCID: PMC8410942 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25538-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial biosensors, or bactosensors, are promising agents for medical and environmental diagnostics. However, the lack of scalable frameworks to systematically program ligand detection limits their applications. Here we show how novel, clinically relevant sensing modalities can be introduced into bactosensors in a modular fashion. To do so, we have leveraged a synthetic receptor platform, termed EMeRALD (Engineered Modularized Receptors Activated via Ligand-induced Dimerization) which supports the modular assembly of sensing modules onto a high-performance, generic signaling scaffold controlling gene expression in E. coli. We apply EMeRALD to detect bile salts, a biomarker of liver dysfunction, by repurposing sensing modules from enteropathogenic Vibrio species. We improve the sensitivity and lower the limit-of-detection of the sensing module by directed evolution. We then engineer a colorimetric bactosensor detecting pathological bile salt levels in serum from patients having undergone liver transplant, providing an output detectable by the naked-eye. The EMeRALD technology enables functional exploration of natural sensing modules and rapid engineering of synthetic receptors for diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and control of therapeutic microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Ju Chang
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Ana Zúñiga
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Ismael Conejero
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological and Clinical Research, Inserm Unit 1061, Montpellier, France
- Department of Psychiatry, CHU Nimes, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Peter L Voyvodic
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jerome Gracy
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Elena Fajardo-Ruiz
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Martin Cohen-Gonsaud
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Guillaume Cambray
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Georges-Philippe Pageaux
- Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Unit, Saint Eloi Hospital, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Magdalena Meszaros
- Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Unit, Saint Eloi Hospital, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Lucy Meunier
- Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Unit, Saint Eloi Hospital, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jerome Bonnet
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR5048, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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Bacterial flagellar motor as a multimodal biosensor. Methods 2020; 193:5-15. [PMID: 32640316 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial Flagellar Motor is one of nature's rare rotary molecular machines. It enables bacterial swimming and it is the key part of the bacterial chemotactic network, one of the best studied chemical signalling networks in biology, which enables bacteria to direct its movement in accordance with the chemical environment. The network can sense down to nanomolar concentrations of specific chemicals on the time scale of seconds. Motor's rotational speed is linearly proportional to the electrochemical gradients of either proton or sodium driving ions, while its direction is regulated by the chemotactic network. Recently, it has been discovered that motor is also a mechanosensor. Given these properties, we discuss the motor's potential to serve as a multifunctional biosensor and a tool for characterising and studying the external environment, the bacterial physiology itself and single molecular motor biophysics.
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