1
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Xia C, Colognori D, Jiang X, Xu K, Doudna JA. Single-molecule live-cell RNA imaging with CRISPR-Csm. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.14.603457. [PMID: 39071319 PMCID: PMC11275710 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.14.603457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
High-resolution, real-time imaging of RNA is essential for understanding the diverse, dynamic behaviors of individual RNA molecules in single cells. However, single-molecule live-cell imaging of unmodified endogenous RNA has not yet been achieved. Here, we present single-molecule live-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (smLiveFISH), a robust approach that combines the programmable RNA-guided, RNA-targeting CRISPR-Csm complex with multiplexed guide RNAs for efficient, direct visualization of single RNA molecules in a range of cell types, including primary cells. Using smLiveFISH, we tracked individual endogenous NOTCH2 and MAP1B mRNA transcripts in living cells and identified two distinct localization mechanisms: co-translational translocation of NOTCH2 mRNA at the endoplasmic reticulum, and directional transport of MAP1B mRNA toward the cell periphery. This method has the potential to unlock principles governing the spatiotemporal organization of native transcripts in health and disease.
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2
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Goswami HN, Ahmadizadeh F, Wang B, Addo-Yobo D, Zhao Y, Whittington AC, He H, Terns MP, Li H. Molecular basis for cA6 synthesis by a type III-A CRISPR-Cas enzyme and its conversion to cA4 production. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae603. [PMID: 38989619 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The type III-A (Csm) CRISPR-Cas systems are multi-subunit and multipronged prokaryotic enzymes in guarding the hosts against viral invaders. Beyond cleaving activator RNA transcripts, Csm confers two additional activities: shredding single-stranded DNA and synthesizing cyclic oligoadenylates (cOAs) by the Cas10 subunit. Known Cas10 enzymes exhibit a fascinating diversity in cOA production. Three major forms-cA3, cA4 and cA6have been identified, each with the potential to trigger unique downstream effects. Whereas the mechanism for cOA-dependent activation is well characterized, the molecular basis for synthesizing different cOA isoforms remains unclear. Here, we present structural characterization of a cA6-producing Csm complex during its activation by an activator RNA. Analysis of the captured intermediates of cA6 synthesis suggests a 3'-to-5' nucleotidyl transferring process. Three primary adenine binding sites can be identified along the chain elongation path, including a unique tyrosine-threonine dyad found only in the cA6-producing Cas10. Consistently, disrupting the tyrosine-threonine dyad specifically impaired cA6 production while promoting cA4 production. These findings suggest that Cas10 utilizes a unique enzymatic mechanism for forming the phosphodiester bond and has evolved distinct strategies to regulate the cOA chain length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemant N Goswami
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Fozieh Ahmadizadeh
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Bing Wang
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Doreen Addo-Yobo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Yu Zhao
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - A Carl Whittington
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Huan He
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Michael P Terns
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Hong Li
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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3
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Ganguly C, Rostami S, Long K, Aribam SD, Rajan R. Unity among the diverse RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas interference mechanisms. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107295. [PMID: 38641067 PMCID: PMC11127173 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated) systems are adaptive immune systems that protect bacteria and archaea from invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs). The Cas protein-CRISPR RNA (crRNA) complex uses complementarity of the crRNA "guide" region to specifically recognize the invader genome. CRISPR effectors that perform targeted destruction of the foreign genome have emerged independently as multi-subunit protein complexes (Class 1 systems) and as single multi-domain proteins (Class 2). These different CRISPR-Cas systems can cleave RNA, DNA, and protein in an RNA-guided manner to eliminate the invader, and in some cases, they initiate programmed cell death/dormancy. The versatile mechanisms of the different CRISPR-Cas systems to target and destroy nucleic acids have been adapted to develop various programmable-RNA-guided tools and have revolutionized the development of fast, accurate, and accessible genomic applications. In this review, we present the structure and interference mechanisms of different CRISPR-Cas systems and an analysis of their unified features. The three types of Class 1 systems (I, III, and IV) have a conserved right-handed helical filamentous structure that provides a backbone for sequence-specific targeting while using unique proteins with distinct mechanisms to destroy the invader. Similarly, all three Class 2 types (II, V, and VI) have a bilobed architecture that binds the RNA-DNA/RNA hybrid and uses different nuclease domains to cleave invading MGEs. Additionally, we highlight the mechanistic similarities of CRISPR-Cas enzymes with other RNA-cleaving enzymes and briefly present the evolutionary routes of the different CRISPR-Cas systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chhandosee Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Saadi Rostami
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kole Long
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Swarmistha Devi Aribam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Rakhi Rajan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.
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4
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Irmisch P, Mogila I, Samatanga B, Tamulaitis G, Seidel R. Retention of the RNA ends provides the molecular memory for maintaining the activation of the Csm complex. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:3896-3910. [PMID: 38340341 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The type III CRISPR-Cas effector complex Csm functions as a molecular Swiss army knife that provides multilevel defense against foreign nucleic acids. The coordinated action of three catalytic activities of the Csm complex enables simultaneous degradation of the invader's RNA transcripts, destruction of the template DNA and synthesis of signaling molecules (cyclic oligoadenylates cAn) that activate auxiliary proteins to reinforce CRISPR-Cas defense. Here, we employed single-molecule techniques to connect the kinetics of RNA binding, dissociation, and DNA hydrolysis by the Csm complex from Streptococcus thermophilus. Although single-stranded RNA is cleaved rapidly (within seconds), dual-color FCS experiments and single-molecule TIRF microscopy revealed that Csm remains bound to terminal RNA cleavage products with a half-life of over 1 hour while releasing the internal RNA fragments quickly. Using a continuous fluorescent DNA degradation assay, we observed that RNA-regulated single-stranded DNase activity decreases on a similar timescale. These findings suggest that after fast target RNA cleavage the terminal RNA cleavage products stay bound within the Csm complex, keeping the Cas10 subunit activated for DNA destruction. Additionally, we demonstrate that during Cas10 activation, the complex remains capable of RNA turnover, i.e. of ongoing degradation of target RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Irmisch
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Irmantas Mogila
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius 10257, Lithuania
| | - Brighton Samatanga
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Gintautas Tamulaitis
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius 10257, Lithuania
| | - Ralf Seidel
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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5
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Schwartz EA, Bravo JPK, Ahsan M, Macias LA, McCafferty CL, Dangerfield TL, Walker JN, Brodbelt JS, Palermo G, Fineran PC, Fagerlund RD, Taylor DW. RNA targeting and cleavage by the type III-Dv CRISPR effector complex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3324. [PMID: 38637512 PMCID: PMC11026444 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47506-y] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas are adaptive immune systems in bacteria and archaea that utilize CRISPR RNA-guided surveillance complexes to target complementary RNA or DNA for destruction1-5. Target RNA cleavage at regular intervals is characteristic of type III effector complexes6-8. Here, we determine the structures of the Synechocystis type III-Dv complex, an apparent evolutionary intermediate from multi-protein to single-protein type III effectors9,10, in pre- and post-cleavage states. The structures show how multi-subunit fusion proteins in the effector are tethered together in an unusual arrangement to assemble into an active and programmable RNA endonuclease and how the effector utilizes a distinct mechanism for target RNA seeding from other type III effectors. Using structural, biochemical, and quantum/classical molecular dynamics simulation, we study the structure and dynamics of the three catalytic sites, where a 2'-OH of the ribose on the target RNA acts as a nucleophile for in line self-cleavage of the upstream scissile phosphate. Strikingly, the arrangement at the catalytic residues of most type III complexes resembles the active site of ribozymes, including the hammerhead, pistol, and Varkud satellite ribozymes. Our work provides detailed molecular insight into the mechanisms of RNA targeting and cleavage by an important intermediate in the evolution of type III effector complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Schwartz
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jack P K Bravo
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mohd Ahsan
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Luis A Macias
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Caitlyn L McCafferty
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Tyler L Dangerfield
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jada N Walker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Giulia Palermo
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Robert D Fagerlund
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - David W Taylor
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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6
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Karneyeva K, Kolesnik M, Livenskyi A, Zgoda V, Zubarev V, Trofimova A, Artamonova D, Ispolatov Y, Severinov K. Interference Requirements of Type III CRISPR-Cas Systems from Thermus thermophilus. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168448. [PMID: 38266982 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Among the diverse prokaryotic adaptive immunity mechanisms, the Type III CRISPR-Cas systems are the most complex. The multisubunit Type III effectors recognize RNA targets complementary to CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs). Target recognition causes synthesis of cyclic oligoadenylates that activate downstream auxiliary effectors, which affect cell physiology in complex and poorly understood ways. Here, we studied the ability of III-A and III-B CRISPR-Cas subtypes from Thermus thermophilus to interfere with plasmid transformation. We find that for both systems, requirements for crRNA-target complementarity sufficient for interference depend on the target transcript abundance, with more abundant targets requiring shorter complementarity segments. This result and thermodynamic calculations indicate that Type III effectors bind their targets in a simple bimolecular reaction with more extensive crRNA-target base pairing compensating for lower target abundance. Since the targeted RNA used in our work is non-essential for either the host or the plasmid, the results also establish that a certain number of target-bound effector complexes must be present in the cell to interfere with plasmid establishment. For the more active III-A system, we determine the minimal length of RNA-duplex sufficient for interference and show that the position of this minimal duplex can vary within the effector. Finally, we show that the III-A immunity is dependent on the HD nuclease domain of the Cas10 subunit. Since this domain is absent from the III-B system the result implies that the T. thermophilus III-B system must elicit a more efficient cyclic oligoadenylate-dependent response to provide the immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karyna Karneyeva
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 121205, Russia
| | - Matvey Kolesnik
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 121205, Russia
| | - Alexei Livenskyi
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia
| | - Viktor Zgoda
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Vasiliy Zubarev
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 121205, Russia
| | - Anna Trofimova
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Microorganisms, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Daria Artamonova
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 121205, Russia
| | - Yaroslav Ispolatov
- Departamento de Física, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Science, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Victor Jara 3493, Santiago, Chile
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7
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Zhang H, Shi M, Ma X, Liu M, Wang N, Lu Q, Li Z, Zhao Y, Zhao H, Chen H, Zhang H, Jiang T, Ouyang S, Huo Y, Bi L. Type-III-A structure of mycobacteria CRISPR-Csm complexes involving atypical crRNAs. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129331. [PMID: 38218299 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of mortality globally, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that primarily infiltrates the lung. The mature crRNAs in M. tuberculosis transcribed from the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) locus exhibit an atypical structure featured with 5' and 3' repeat tags at both ends of the intact crRNA, in contrast to typical Type-III-A crRNAs that possess 5' repeat tags and partial crRNA sequences. However, this structural peculiarity particularly concerning the specific binding characteristics of the 3' repeat end within the mature crRNA within the Csm complex, has not been comprehensively elucidated. Here, our Mycobacteria CRISPR-Csm complexes structure represents the largest Csm complex reported to date. It incorporates an atypical Type-III-A CRISPR RNA (crRNA) (46 nt) with 5' 8-nt and 3' 4-nt repeat sequences in the stoichiometry of Mycobacteria Csm1125364151. The PAM-independent single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs) are the most suitable substrate for the Csm complex. The 3'-repeat end trimming of mature crRNA was not necessary for its cleavage activity in Type-III-A Csm complex. Our work broadens our understanding of the Type-III-A Csm complex and identifies another mature crRNA processing mechanism in the Type-III-A CRISPR-Cas system based on structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtai Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Mingmin Shi
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mengxi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis and Interventions of Fujian Province University, the Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350117, China
| | - Nenhan Wang
- Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Qiuhua Lu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis and Interventions of Fujian Province University, the Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350117, China
| | - Zekai Li
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis and Interventions of Fujian Province University, the Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350117, China
| | - Yanfeng Zhao
- Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Hongshen Zhao
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hong Chen
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Huizhi Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Songying Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis and Interventions of Fujian Province University, the Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350117, China.
| | - Yangao Huo
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Lijun Bi
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510005, China.
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8
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Du L, Zhu Q, Lin Z. Molecular mechanism of allosteric activation of the CRISPR ribonuclease Csm6 by cyclic tetra-adenylate. EMBO J 2024; 43:304-315. [PMID: 38177499 PMCID: PMC10897365 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-023-00017-w] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Type III CRISPR systems are innate immune systems found in bacteria and archaea, which produce cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) second messengers in response to viral infections. In these systems, Csm6 proteins serve as ancillary nucleases that degrade single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) upon activation by cOA. In addition, Csm6 proteins also possess cOA-degrading activity as an intrinsic off-switch to avoid degradation of host RNA and DNA that would eventually lead to cell dormancy or cell death. Here, we present the crystal structures of Thermus thermophilus (Tt) Csm6 alone, and in complex with cyclic tetra-adenylate (cA4) in both pre- and post-cleavage states. These structures establish the molecular basis of the long-range allosteric activation of TtCsm6 ribonuclease by cA4. cA4 binding induces significant conformational changes, including closure of the CARF domain, dimerization of the HTH domain, and reorganization of the R-X4-6-H motif within the HEPN domain. The cleavage of cA4 by the CARF domain restores each domain to a conformation similar to its apo state. Furthermore, we have identified hyperactive TtCsm6 variants that exhibit sustained cA4-activated RNase activity, showing great promise for their applications in genome editing and diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyang Du
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, 350108, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qinwei Zhu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, 350108, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhonghui Lin
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, 350108, Fuzhou, China.
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9
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Altae-Tran H, Kannan S, Suberski AJ, Mears KS, Demircioglu FE, Moeller L, Kocalar S, Oshiro R, Makarova KS, Macrae RK, Koonin EV, Zhang F. Uncovering the functional diversity of rare CRISPR-Cas systems with deep terascale clustering. Science 2023; 382:eadi1910. [PMID: 37995242 PMCID: PMC10910872 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi1910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Microbial systems underpin many biotechnologies, including CRISPR, but the exponential growth of sequence databases makes it difficult to find previously unidentified systems. In this work, we develop the fast locality-sensitive hashing-based clustering (FLSHclust) algorithm, which performs deep clustering on massive datasets in linearithmic time. We incorporated FLSHclust into a CRISPR discovery pipeline and identified 188 previously unreported CRISPR-linked gene modules, revealing many additional biochemical functions coupled to adaptive immunity. We experimentally characterized three HNH nuclease-containing CRISPR systems, including the first type IV system with a specified interference mechanism, and engineered them for genome editing. We also identified and characterized a candidate type VII system, which we show acts on RNA. This work opens new avenues for harnessing CRISPR and for the broader exploration of the vast functional diversity of microbial proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Altae-Tran
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Soumya Kannan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Anthony J. Suberski
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kepler S. Mears
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - F. Esra Demircioglu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Lukas Moeller
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Selin Kocalar
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Rachel Oshiro
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Rhiannon K. Macrae
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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10
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He Q, Lei X, Liu Y, Wang X, Ji N, Yin H, Wang H, Zhang H, Yu G. Nucleic Acid Detection through RNA-Guided Protease Activity in Type III-E CRISPR-Cas Systems. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300401. [PMID: 37710076 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300401] [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: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
RNA-guided protease activity was recently discovered in the type III-E CRISPR-Cas systems (Craspase), providing a novel platform for engineering a protein probe instead of the commonly used nucleic acid probe in nucleic acid detection assays. Here, by adapting a fluorescence readout technique using the affinity- and fluorescent protein dual-tagged Csx30 protein substrate, we have established an assay monitoring Csx30 cleavage by target ssRNA-activated Craspase. Four Craspase-based nucleic acid detection systems for genes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), norovirus, and the influenza virus (IFV) were reconstituted with demonstrated specificity. The assay could reliably detect target ssRNAs at concentrations down to 25 pM, which could be further improved approximately 15 000-fold (ca. 2 fM) by incorporating a recombinase polymerase isothermal preamplification step. Importantly, the species-specific substrate cleavage specificity of Craspase enabled multiplexed diagnosis, as demonstrated by the reconstituted composite systems for simultaneous detection of two genes from the same virus (SARS-CoV-2, spike and nsp12) or two types of viruses (SARS-CoV-2 and IFV). The assay could be further expanded by diversifying the fluorescent tags in the substrate and including Craspase systems from various species, thus potentially providing an easily adaptable platform for clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuqiu He
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Xinlong Lei
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Yuanjun Liu
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Tianjin, 300052, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoshen Wang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Nan Ji
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Hang Yin
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Huiping Wang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Tianjin, 300052, P. R. China
| | - Heng Zhang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Guimei Yu
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative, Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and, Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
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11
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Wang B, Yang H. Progress of CRISPR-based programmable RNA manipulation and detection. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1804. [PMID: 37282821 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Prokaryotic clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems provide adaptive immunity by using RNA-guided endonucleases to recognize and eliminate invading foreign nucleic acids. Type II Cas9, type V Cas12, type VI Cas13, and type III Csm/Cmr complexes have been well characterized and developed as programmable platforms for selectively targeting and manipulating RNA molecules of interest in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. These Cas effectors exhibit remarkable diversity of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) composition, target recognition and cleavage mechanisms, and self discrimination mechanisms, which are leveraged for various RNA targeting applications. Here, we summarize the current understanding of mechanistic and functional characteristics of these Cas effectors, give an overview on RNA detection and manipulation toolbox established so far including knockdown, editing, imaging, modification, and mapping RNA-protein interactions, and discuss the future directions for CRISPR-based RNA targeting tools. This article is categorized under: RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells RNA Processing > RNA Editing and Modification RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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12
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Deng B, Xue J. HIV infection detection using CRISPR/Cas systems: Present and future prospects. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:4409-4423. [PMID: 37711183 PMCID: PMC10498128 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection poses substantial medical risks to global public health. An essential strategy to combat the HIV epidemic is timely and effective virus testing. CRISPR-based assays combine the highly compatible CRISPR system with different elements, yielding portability, digitization capabilities, low economic burden and low operational thresholds. The application of CRISPR-based assays has demonstrated rapid, accurate, and accessible means of pathogen testing, suggesting great potential as point-of-care (POC) assays. This review outlines the different types of CRISPR/Cas systems based on Cas proteins and their applications for the detection of HIV. Additionally, we also offer an overview of future perspectives on CRISPR-based methods for HIV detection, including advances in nucleic acid amplification-free testing, improved personal testing, and refined testing for HIV genotypes and drug-resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingpeng Deng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Models of Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100021, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Jing Xue
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Models of Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100021, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
- Center for AIDS Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
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13
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Colognori D, Trinidad M, Doudna JA. Precise transcript targeting by CRISPR-Csm complexes. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:1256-1264. [PMID: 36690762 PMCID: PMC10497410 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01649-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Robust and precise transcript targeting in mammalian cells remains a difficult challenge using existing approaches due to inefficiency, imprecision and subcellular compartmentalization. Here we show that the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Csm complex, a multiprotein effector from type III CRISPR immune systems in prokaryotes, provides surgical RNA ablation of both nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts. As part of the most widely occurring CRISPR adaptive immune pathway, CRISPR-Csm uses a programmable RNA-guided mechanism to find and degrade target RNA molecules without inducing indiscriminate trans-cleavage of cellular RNAs, giving it an important advantage over the CRISPR-Cas13 family of enzymes. Using single-vector delivery of the Streptococcus thermophilus Csm complex, we observe high-efficiency RNA knockdown (90-99%) and minimal off-target effects in human cells, outperforming existing technologies including short hairpin RNA- and Cas13-mediated knockdown. We also find that catalytically inactivated Csm achieves specific and durable RNA binding, a property we harness for live-cell RNA imaging. These results establish the feasibility and efficacy of multiprotein CRISPR-Cas effector complexes as RNA-targeting tools in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Colognori
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Marena Trinidad
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Doudna
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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14
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Paraan M, Nasef M, Chou-Zheng L, Khweis SA, Schoeffler AJ, Hatoum-Aslan A, Stagg SM, Dunkle JA. The structure of a Type III-A CRISPR-Cas effector complex reveals conserved and idiosyncratic contacts to target RNA and crRNA among Type III-A systems. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287461. [PMID: 37352230 PMCID: PMC10289348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Type III CRISPR-Cas systems employ multiprotein effector complexes bound to small CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) to detect foreign RNA transcripts and elicit a complex immune response that leads to the destruction of invading RNA and DNA. Type III systems are among the most widespread in nature, and emerging interest in harnessing these systems for biotechnology applications highlights the need for detailed structural analyses of representatives from diverse organisms. We performed cryo-EM reconstructions of the Type III-A Cas10-Csm effector complex from S. epidermidis bound to an intact, cognate target RNA and identified two oligomeric states, a 276 kDa complex and a 318 kDa complex. 3.1 Å density for the well-ordered 276 kDa complex allowed construction of atomic models for the Csm2, Csm3, Csm4 and Csm5 subunits within the complex along with the crRNA and target RNA. We also collected small-angle X-ray scattering data which was consistent with the 276 kDa Cas10-Csm architecture we identified. Detailed comparisons between the S. epidermidis Cas10-Csm structure and the well-resolved bacterial (S. thermophilus) and archaeal (T. onnurineus) Cas10-Csm structures reveal differences in how the complexes interact with target RNA and crRNA which are likely to have functional ramifications. These structural comparisons shed light on the unique features of Type III-A systems from diverse organisms and will assist in improving biotechnologies derived from Type III-A effector complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadreza Paraan
- National Center for In-situ Tomographic Ultramicroscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Mohamed Nasef
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America
| | - Lucy Chou-Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States of America
| | - Sarah A. Khweis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America
| | - Allyn J. Schoeffler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Asma Hatoum-Aslan
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States of America
| | - Scott M. Stagg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
| | - Jack A. Dunkle
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America
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15
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Cui N, Zhang JT, Liu Y, Liu Y, Liu XY, Wang C, Huang H, Jia N. Type IV-A CRISPR-Csf complex: Assembly, dsDNA targeting, and CasDinG recruitment. Mol Cell 2023:S1097-2765(23)00420-3. [PMID: 37343553 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Type IV CRISPR-Cas systems, which are primarily found on plasmids and exhibit a strong plasmid-targeting preference, are the only one of the six known CRISPR-Cas types for which the mechanistic details of their function remain unknown. Here, we provide high-resolution functional snapshots of type IV-A Csf complexes before and after target dsDNA binding, either in the absence or presence of CasDinG, revealing the mechanisms underlying CsfcrRNA complex assembly, "DWN" PAM-dependent dsDNA targeting, R-loop formation, and CasDinG recruitment. Furthermore, we establish that CasDinG, a signature DinG family helicase, harbors ssDNA-stimulated ATPase activity and ATP-dependent 5'-3' DNA helicase activity. In addition, we show that CasDinG unwinds the non-target strand (NTS) and target strand (TS) of target dsDNA from the CsfcrRNA complex. These molecular details advance our mechanistic understanding of type IV-A CRISPR-Csf function and should enable Csf complexes to be harnessed as genome-engineering tools for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Cui
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jun-Tao Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yongrui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yanhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chongyuan Wang
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen 518055, China; Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hongda Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Ning Jia
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Key University Laboratory of Metabolism and Health of Guangdong, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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16
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Gunitseva N, Evteeva M, Borisova A, Patrushev M, Subach F. RNA-Dependent RNA Targeting by CRISPR-Cas Systems: Characterizations and Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24086894. [PMID: 37108063 PMCID: PMC10138764 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24086894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome editing technologies that are currently available and described have a fundamental impact on the development of molecular biology and medicine, industrial and agricultural biotechnology and other fields. However, genome editing based on detection and manipulation of the targeted RNA is a promising alternative to control the gene expression at the spatiotemporal transcriptomic level without complete elimination. The innovative CRISPR-Cas RNA-targeting systems changed the conception of biosensing systems and also allowed the RNA effectors to be used in various applications; for example, genomic editing, effective virus diagnostic tools, biomarkers, transcription regulations. In this review, we discussed the current state-of-the-art of specific CRISPR-Cas systems known to bind and cleave RNA substrates and summarized potential applications of the versatile RNA-targeting systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Gunitseva
- Complex of NBICS Technologies, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Marta Evteeva
- Complex of NBICS Technologies, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Borisova
- Complex of NBICS Technologies, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim Patrushev
- Complex of NBICS Technologies, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Fedor Subach
- Complex of NBICS Technologies, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", 123182 Moscow, Russia
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17
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Wiegand T, Wilkinson R, Santiago-Frangos A, Lynes M, Hatzenpichler R, Wiedenheft B. Functional and Phylogenetic Diversity of Cas10 Proteins. CRISPR J 2023; 6:152-162. [PMID: 36912817 PMCID: PMC10123807 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2022.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cas10 proteins are large subunits of type III CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-guided surveillance complexes, many of which have nuclease and cyclase activities. Here, we use computational and phylogenetic methods to identify and analyze 2014 Cas10 sequences from genomic and metagenomic databases. Cas10 proteins cluster into five distinct clades that mirror previously established CRISPR-Cas subtypes. Most Cas10 proteins (85.0%) have conserved polymerase active-site motifs, while HD-nuclease domains are less well conserved (36.0%). We identify Cas10 variants that are split over multiple genes or genetically fused to nucleases activated by cyclic nucleotides (i.e., NucC) or components of toxin-antitoxin systems (i.e., AbiEii). To clarify the functional diversification of Cas10 proteins, we cloned, expressed, and purified five representatives from three phylogenetically distinct clades. None of the Cas10s are functional cyclases in isolation, and activity assays performed with polymerase domain active site mutants indicate that previously reported Cas10 DNA-polymerase activity may be a result of contamination. Collectively, this work helps clarify the phylogenetic and functional diversity of Cas10 proteins in type III CRISPR systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanner Wiegand
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Royce Wilkinson
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Andrew Santiago-Frangos
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Mackenzie Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Blake Wiedenheft
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
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18
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Chen Y, Zeng Z, She Q, Han W. The abortive infection functions of CRISPR-Cas and Argonaute. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:405-418. [PMID: 36463018 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas and prokaryotic Argonaute (pAgo) are nucleic acid (NA)-guided defense systems that protect prokaryotes against the invasion of mobile genetic elements. Previous studies established that they are directed by NA fragments (guides) to recognize invading complementary NA (targets), and that they cleave the targets to silence the invaders. Nevertheless, growing evidence indicates that many CRISPR-Cas and pAgo systems exploit the abortive infection (Abi) strategy to confer immunity. The CRISPR-Cas and pAgo Abi systems typically sense invaders using the NA recognition ability and activate various toxic effectors to kill the infected cells to prevent the invaders from spreading. This review summarizes the diverse mechanisms of these CRISPR-Cas and pAgo systems, and highlights their critical roles in the arms race between microbes and invaders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Zhifeng Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Jimo, 266237, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenyuan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.
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19
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Arif T, Farooq A, Ahmad FJ, Akhtar M, Choudhery MS. Prime editing: A potential treatment option for β-thalassemia. Cell Biol Int 2023; 47:699-713. [PMID: 36480796 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.11972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The potential to therapeutically alter the genome is one of the remarkable scientific developments in recent years. Genome editing technologies have provided an opportunity to precisely alter genomic sequence(s) in eukaryotic cells as a treatment option for various genetic disorders. These technologies allow the correction of harmful mutations in patients by precise nucleotide editing. Genome editing technologies such as CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) and base editors have greatly contributed to the practical applications of gene editing. However, these technologies have certain limitations, including imperfect editing, undesirable mutations, off-target effects, and lack of potential to simultaneously edit multiple loci. Recently, prime editing (PE) has emerged as a new gene editing technology with the potential to overcome the above-mentioned limitations. Interestingly, PE not only has higher specificity but also does not require double-strand breaks. In addition, a minimum possibility of potential off-target mutant sites makes PE a preferred choice for therapeutic gene editing. Furthermore, PE has the potential to introduce insertion and deletions of all 12 single-base mutations at target sequences. Considering its potential, PE has been applied as a treatment option for genetic diseases including hemoglobinopathies. β-Thalassemia, for example, one of the most significant blood disorders characterized by reduced levels of functional hemoglobin, could potentially be treated using PE. Therapeutic reactivation of the γ-globin gene in adult β-thalassemia patients through PE technology is considered a promising therapeutic strategy. The current review aims to briefly discuss the genome editing strategies and potential applications of PE for the treatment of β-thalassemia. In addition, the review will also focus on challenges associated with the use of PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taqdees Arif
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Aroosa Farooq
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Fridoon Jawad Ahmad
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Akhtar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Punjab Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Mahmood S Choudhery
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
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20
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Cryo-EM structure and protease activity of the type III-E CRISPR-Cas effector. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:522-532. [PMID: 36702942 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01316-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The recently discovered type III-E CRISPR-Cas effector Cas7-11 shows promise when used as an RNA manipulation tool, but its structure and the mechanisms underlying its function remain unclear. Here we present four cryo-EM structures of Desulfonema ishimotonii Cas7-11-crRNA complex in pre-target and target RNA-bound states, and the cryo-EM structure of DiCas7-11-crRNA bound to its accessory protein DiCsx29. These data reveal structural elements for pre-crRNA processing, target RNA cleavage and regulation. Moreover, a 3' seed region of crRNA is involved in regulating RNA cleavage activity of DiCas7-11-crRNA-Csx29. Our analysis also shows that both the minimal mismatch of 4 nt to the 5' handle of crRNA and the minimal matching of the first 12 nt of the spacer by the target RNA are essential for triggering the protease activity of DiCas7-11-crRNA-Csx29 towards DiCsx30. Taken together, we propose that target RNA recognition and cleavage regulate and fine-tune the protease activity of DiCas7-11-crRNA-Csx29, thus preventing auto-immune responses.
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21
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Cannone G, Kompaniiets D, Graham S, White MF, Spagnolo L. Structure of the Saccharolobus solfataricus type III-D CRISPR effector. Curr Res Struct Biol 2023; 5:100098. [PMID: 36843655 PMCID: PMC9945777 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2023.100098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas is a prokaryotic adaptive immune system, classified into six different types, each characterised by a signature protein. Type III systems, classified based on the presence of a Cas10 subunit, are rather diverse multi-subunit assemblies with a range of enzymatic activities and downstream ancillary effectors. The broad array of current biotechnological CRISPR applications is mainly based on proteins classified as Type II, however recent developments established the feasibility and efficacy of multi-protein Type III CRISPR-Cas effector complexes as RNA-targeting tools in eukaryotes. The crenarchaeon Saccharolobus solfataricus has two type III system subtypes (III-B and III-D). Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of the Csm Type III-D complex from S. solfataricus (SsoCsm), which uses CRISPR RNA to bind target RNA molecules, activating the Cas10 subunit for antiviral defence. The structure reveals the complex organisation, subunit/subunit connectivity and protein/guide RNA interactions of the SsoCsm complex, one of the largest CRISPR effectors known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Cannone
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Dmytro Kompaniiets
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Shirley Graham
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Malcolm F. White
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Laura Spagnolo
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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22
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Maloshenok LG, Abushinova GA, Ryazanova AY, Bruskin SA, Zherdeva VV. Visualizing the Nucleome Using the CRISPR–Cas9 System: From in vitro to in vivo. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2023; 88:S123-S149. [PMID: 37069118 PMCID: PMC9940691 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923140080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
One of the latest methods in modern molecular biology is labeling genomic loci in living cells using fluorescently labeled Cas protein. The NIH Foundation has made the mapping of the 4D nucleome (the three-dimensional nucleome on a timescale) a priority in the studies aimed to improve our understanding of chromatin organization. Fluorescent methods based on CRISPR-Cas are a significant step forward in visualization of genomic loci in living cells. This approach can be used for studying epigenetics, cell cycle, cellular response to external stimuli, rearrangements during malignant cell transformation, such as chromosomal translocations or damage, as well as for genome editing. In this review, we focused on the application of CRISPR-Cas fluorescence technologies as components of multimodal imaging methods for in vivo mapping of chromosomal loci, in particular, attribution of fluorescence signal to morphological and anatomical structures in a living organism. The review discusses the approaches to the highly sensitive, high-precision labeling of CRISPR-Cas components, delivery of genetically engineered constructs into cells and tissues, and promising methods for molecular imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliya G Maloshenok
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Gerel A Abushinova
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alexandra Yu Ryazanova
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | - Sergey A Bruskin
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Victoria V Zherdeva
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia.
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23
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Patel DJ, Yu Y, Jia N. Bacterial origins of cyclic nucleotide-activated antiviral immune signaling. Mol Cell 2022; 82:4591-4610. [PMID: 36460008 PMCID: PMC9772257 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Second-messenger-mediated signaling by cyclic oligonucleotides (cOs) composed of distinct base, ring size, and 3'-5'/2'-5' linkage combinations constitutes the initial trigger resulting in activation of signaling pathways that have an impact on immune-mediated antiviral defense against invading viruses and phages. Bacteria and archaea have evolved CRISPR, CBASS, Pycsar, and Thoeris surveillance complexes that involve cO-mediated activation of effectors resulting in antiviral defense through either targeted nuclease activity, effector oligomerization-mediated depletion of essential cellular metabolites or disruption of host cell membrane functions. Notably, antiviral defense capitalizes on an abortive infection mechanism, whereby infected cells die prior to completion of the phage replication cycle. In turn, phages have evolved small proteins that target and degrade/sequester cOs, thereby suppressing host immunity. This review presents a structure-based mechanistic perspective of recent advances in the field of cO-mediated antiviral defense, in particular highlighting the ancient evolutionary adaptation by metazoans of bacterial cell-autonomous innate immune mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinshaw J Patel
- Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - You Yu
- Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ning Jia
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
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24
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Wang X, Yu G, Wen Y, An Q, Li X, Liao F, Lian C, Zhang K, Yin H, Wei Y, Deng Z, Zhang H. Target RNA-guided protease activity in type III-E CRISPR-Cas system. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:12913-12923. [PMID: 36484100 PMCID: PMC9825189 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The type III-E CRISPR-Cas systems are newly identified adaptive immune systems in prokaryotes that use a single Cas7-11 protein to specifically cleave target RNA. Cas7-11 could associate with Csx29, a putative caspase-like protein encoded by the gene frequently found in the type III-E loci, suggesting a functional linkage between the RNase and protease activities in type III-E systems. Here, we demonstrated that target RNA recognition would stimulate the proteolytic activity of Csx29, and protein Csx30 is the endogenous substrate. More interestingly, while the cognate target RNA recognition would activate Csx29, non-cognate target RNA with the complementary 3' anti-tag sequence inhibits the enzymatic activity. Csx30 could bind to the sigma factor RpoE, which may initiate the stress response after proteolytic cleavage. Combined with biochemical and structural studies, we have elucidated the mechanisms underlying the target RNA-guided proteolytic activity of Csx29. Our work will guide further developments leveraging this simple RNA targeting system for RNA and protein-related applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Xuzichao Li
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Fumeng Liao
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Chengwei Lian
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Hang Yin
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yong Wei
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zengqin Deng
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Zengqin Deng.
| | - Heng Zhang
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +86 22 83336833;
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25
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Structural basis for the non-self RNA-activated protease activity of the type III-E CRISPR nuclease-protease Craspase. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7549. [PMID: 36477448 PMCID: PMC9729208 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35275-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA-targeting type III-E CRISPR-gRAMP effector interacts with a caspase-like protease TPR-CHAT to form the CRISPR-guided caspase complex (Craspase), but their functional mechanism is unknown. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of the type III-E gRAMPcrRNA and gRAMPcrRNA-TPR-CHAT complexes, before and after either self or non-self RNA target binding, and elucidate the mechanisms underlying RNA-targeting and non-self RNA-induced protease activation. The associated TPR-CHAT adopted a distinct conformation upon self versus non-self RNA target binding, with nucleotides at positions -1 and -2 of the CRISPR-derived RNA (crRNA) serving as a sensor. Only binding of the non-self RNA target activated the TPR-CHAT protease, leading to cleavage of Csx30 protein. Furthermore, TPR-CHAT structurally resembled eukaryotic separase, but with a distinct mechanism for protease regulation. Our findings should facilitate the development of gRAMP-based RNA manipulation tools, and advance our understanding of the virus-host discrimination process governed by a nuclease-protease Craspase during type III-E CRISPR-Cas immunity.
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26
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Yu G, Wang X, Zhang Y, An Q, Wen Y, Li X, Yin H, Deng Z, Zhang H. Structure and function of a bacterial type III-E CRISPR-Cas7-11 complex. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:2078-2088. [PMID: 36302881 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01256-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The type III-E CRISPR-Cas system uses a single multidomain effector called Cas7-11 (also named gRAMP) to cleave RNA and associate with a caspase-like protease Csx29, showing promising potential for RNA-targeting applications. The structural and molecular mechanisms of the type III-E CRISPR-Cas system remain poorly understood. Here we report four cryo-electron microscopy structures of Cas7-11 at different functional states. Cas7-11 has four Cas7-like domains, which assemble into a helical filament to accommodate CRISPR RNA (crRNA), and a Cas11-like domain facilitating crRNA-target RNA duplex formation. The Cas7.1 domain is critical for crRNA maturation, whereas Cas7.2 and Cas7.3 are responsible for target RNA cleavage. Target RNA binding induces the structural arrangements of Csx29, potentially exposing the catalytic site of Csx29. These results delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying pre-crRNA processing, target RNA recognition and cleavage for Cas7-11, and provide a structural framework to understand the role of Csx29 in type III-E CRISPR system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guimei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaoshen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Qiyin An
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanan Wen
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuzichao Li
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hang Yin
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zengqin Deng
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
| | - Heng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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27
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Liu X, Zhang L, Wang H, Xiu Y, Huang L, Gao Z, Li N, Li F, Xiong W, Gao T, Zhang Y, Yang M, Feng Y. Target RNA activates the protease activity of Craspase to confer antiviral defense. Mol Cell 2022; 82:4503-4518.e8. [PMID: 36306795 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In the type III-E CRISPR-Cas system, a Cas effector (gRAMP) is associated with a TPR-CHAT to form Craspase (CRISPR-guided caspase). However, both the structural features of gRAMP and the immunity mechanism remain unknown for this system. Here, we report structures of gRAMP-crRNA and gRAMP:cRNA:target RNA as well as structures of Craspase and Craspase complexed with cognate target RNA (CTR) or non-cognate target RNA (NTR). Importantly, the 3' anti-tag region of NTR and CTR binds at two distinct channels in Craspase, and CTR with a non-complementary 3' anti-tag induces a marked conformational change of the TPR-CHAT, which allosterically activates its protease activity to cleave an ancillary protein Csx30. This cleavage then triggers an abortive infection as the antiviral strategy of the type III-E system. Together, our study provides crucial insights into both the catalytic mechanism of the gRAMP and the immunity mechanism of the type III-E system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Laixing Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Hao Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yu Xiu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ling Huang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zhengyu Gao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ningning Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Feixue Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Weijia Xiong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Teng Gao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Maojun Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Yue Feng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
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28
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Armianinova DK, Karpov DS, Kotliarova MS, Goncharenko AV. Genetic Engineering in Mycobacteria. Mol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893322060036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Genetic tools for targeted modification of the mycobacterial genome contribute to the understanding of the physiology and virulence mechanisms of mycobacteria. Human and animal pathogens, such as the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which causes tuberculosis, and M. leprae, which causes leprosy, are of particular importance. Genetic research opens up novel opportunities to identify and validate new targets for antibacterial drugs and to develop improved vaccines. Although mycobacteria are difficult to work with due to their slow growth rate and a limited possibility to transfer genetic information, significant progress has been made in developing genetic engineering methods for mycobacteria. The review considers the main approaches to changing the mycobacterial genome in a targeted manner, including homologous and site-specific recombination and use of the CRISPR/Cas system.
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29
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Kato K, Okazaki S, Schmitt-Ulms C, Jiang K, Zhou W, Ishikawa J, Isayama Y, Adachi S, Nishizawa T, Makarova KS, Koonin EV, Abudayyeh OO, Gootenberg JS, Nishimasu H. RNA-triggered protein cleavage and cell growth arrest by the type III-E CRISPR nuclease-protease. Science 2022; 378:882-889. [PMID: 36423304 PMCID: PMC11126364 DOI: 10.1126/science.add7347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The type III-E CRISPR-Cas7-11 effector binds a CRISPR RNA (crRNA) and the putative protease Csx29 and catalyzes crRNA-guided RNA cleavage. We report cryo-electron microscopy structures of the Cas7-11-crRNA-Csx29 complex with and without target RNA (tgRNA), and demonstrate that tgRNA binding induces conformational changes in Csx29. Biochemical experiments revealed tgRNA-dependent cleavage of the accessory protein Csx30 by Csx29. Reconstitution of the system in bacteria showed that Csx30 cleavage yields toxic protein fragments that cause growth arrest, which is regulated by Csx31. Csx30 binds Csx31 and the associated sigma factor RpoE (RNA polymerase, extracytoplasmic E), suggesting that Csx30-mediated RpoE inhibition modulates the cellular response to infection. We engineered the Cas7-11-Csx29-Csx30 system for programmable RNA sensing in mammalian cells. Overall, the Cas7-11-Csx29 effector is an RNA-dependent nuclease-protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Kato
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Sae Okazaki
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Cian Schmitt-Ulms
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kaiyi Jiang
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Wenyuan Zhou
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Junichiro Ishikawa
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Yukari Isayama
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Shungo Adachi
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Nishizawa
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan
| | - Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Omar O. Abudayyeh
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jonathan S. Gootenberg
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Hiroshi Nishimasu
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Inamori Research Institute for Science, 620 Suiginya-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8411, Japan
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30
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Strecker J, Demircioglu FE, Li D, Faure G, Wilkinson ME, Gootenberg JS, Abudayyeh OO, Nishimasu H, Macrae RK, Zhang F. RNA-activated protein cleavage with a CRISPR-associated endopeptidase. Science 2022; 378:874-881. [PMID: 36423276 PMCID: PMC10028731 DOI: 10.1126/science.add7450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In prokaryotes, CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immune responses against foreign genetic elements through RNA-guided nuclease activity. Recently, additional genes with non-nuclease functions have been found in genetic association with CRISPR systems, suggesting that there may be other RNA-guided non-nucleolytic enzymes. One such gene from Desulfonema ishimotonii encodes the TPR-CHAT protease Csx29, which is associated with the CRISPR effector Cas7-11. Here, we demonstrate that this CRISPR-associated protease (CASP) exhibits programmable RNA-activated endopeptidase activity against a sigma factor inhibitor to regulate a transcriptional response. Cryo-electron microscopy of an active and substrate-bound CASP complex reveals an allosteric activation mechanism that reorganizes Csx29 catalytic residues upon target RNA binding. This work reveals an RNA-guided function in nature that can be leveraged for RNA-sensing applications in vitro and in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Strecker
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - F. Esra Demircioglu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - David Li
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Guilhem Faure
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Max E. Wilkinson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | | | - Hiroshi Nishimasu
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Inamori Research Institute for Science, 620 Suiginya-cho, Kyoto 600-8411, Japan
| | - Rhiannon K. Macrae
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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31
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Ding J, Schuergers N, Baehre H, Wilde A. Enzymatic properties of CARF-domain proteins in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1046388. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1046388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated genes) systems provide immunity against invading genetic elements such as bacteriophages and plasmids. In type III CRISPR systems, the recognition of target RNA leads to the synthesis of cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) second messengers that activate ancillary effector proteins via their CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domains. Commonly, these are ribonucleases (RNases) that unspecifically degrade both invader and host RNA. To mitigate adverse effects on cell growth, ring nucleases can degrade extant cOAs to switch off ancillary nucleases. Here we show that the model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 harbors functional CARF-domain effector and ring nuclease proteins. We purified and characterized the two ancillary CARF-domain proteins from the III-D type CRISPR system of this cyanobacterium. The Csx1 homolog, SyCsx1, is a cyclic tetraadenylate(cA4)-dependent RNase with a strict specificity for cytosine nucleotides. The second CARF-domain protein with similarity to Csm6 effectors, SyCsm6, did not show RNase activity in vitro but was able to break down cOAs and attenuate SyCsx1 RNase activity. Our data suggest that the CRISPR systems in Synechocystis confer a multilayered cA4-mediated defense mechanism.
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Goswami HN, Rai J, Das A, Li H. Molecular mechanism of active Cas7-11 in processing CRISPR RNA and interfering target RNA. eLife 2022; 11:e81678. [PMID: 36190192 PMCID: PMC9629832 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cas7-11 is a Type III-E CRISPR Cas effector that confers programmable RNA cleavage and has potential applications in RNA interference. Cas7-11 encodes a single polypeptide containing four Cas7- and one Cas11-like segments that obscures the distinction between the multi-subunit Class 1 and the single-subunit Class-2 CRISPR Cas systems. We report a cryo-EM (cryo-electron microscopy) structure of the active Cas7-11 from Desulfonema ishimotonii (DiCas7-11) that reveals the molecular basis for RNA processing and interference activities. DiCas7-11 arranges its Cas7- and Cas11-like domains in an extended form that resembles the backbone made up by four Cas7 and one Cas11 subunits in the multi-subunit enzymes. Unlike the multi-subunit enzymes, however, the backbone of DiCas7-11 contains evolutionarily different Cas7 and Cas11 domains, giving rise to their unique functionality. The first Cas7-like domain nearly engulfs the last 15 direct repeat nucleotides in processing and recognition of the CRISPR RNA, and its free-standing fragment retains most of the activity. Both the second and the third Cas7-like domains mediate target RNA cleavage in a metal-dependent manner. The structure and mutational data indicate that the long variable insertion to the fourth Cas7 domain has little impact on RNA processing or targeting, suggesting the possibility for engineering a compact and programmable RNA interference tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemant N Goswami
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
| | - Jay Rai
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
| | - Anuska Das
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
| | - Hong Li
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
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Hu C, van Beljouw SPB, Nam KH, Schuler G, Ding F, Cui Y, Rodríguez-Molina A, Haagsma AC, Valk M, Pabst M, Brouns SJ, Ke A. Craspase is a CRISPR RNA-guided, RNA-activated protease. Science 2022; 377:1278-1285. [PMID: 36007061 PMCID: PMC10041820 DOI: 10.1126/science.add5064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas type III-E RNA-targeting effector complex gRAMP/Cas7-11 is associated with a caspase-like protein (TPR-CHAT/Csx29) to form Craspase (CRISPR-guided caspase). Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy snapshots of Craspase to explain its target RNA cleavage and protease activation mechanisms. Target-guide pairing extending into the 5' region of the guide RNA displaces a gating loop in gRAMP, which triggers an extensive conformational relay that allosterically aligns the protease catalytic dyad and opens an amino acid side-chain-binding pocket. We further define Csx30 as the endogenous protein substrate that is site-specifically proteolyzed by RNA-activated Craspase. This protease activity is switched off by target RNA cleavage by gRAMP and is not activated by RNA targets containing a matching protospacer flanking sequence. We thus conclude that Craspase is a target RNA-activated protease with self-regulatory capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyi Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sam P. B. van Beljouw
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Ki Hyun Nam
- Department of Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Gabriel Schuler
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Fran Ding
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Yanru Cui
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Alicia Rodríguez-Molina
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Anna C Haagsma
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Menno Valk
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Martin Pabst
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
| | - Stan J.J. Brouns
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Ailong Ke
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Woodside WT, Vantsev N, Catchpole RJ, Garrett SC, Olson S, Graveley BR, Terns MP. Type III-A CRISPR systems as a versatile gene knockdown technology. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 28:1074-1088. [PMID: 35618430 PMCID: PMC9297841 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079206.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are functionally diverse prokaryotic antiviral defense systems, which encompass six distinct types (I-VI) that each encode different effector Cas nucleases with distinct nucleic acid cleavage specificities. By harnessing the unique attributes of the various CRISPR-Cas systems, a range of innovative CRISPR-based DNA and RNA targeting tools and technologies have been developed. Here, we exploit the ability of type III-A CRISPR-Cas systems to carry out RNA-guided and sequence-specific target RNA cleavage for establishment of research tools for post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Type III-A systems from three bacterial species (L. lactis, S. epidermidis, and S. thermophilus) were each expressed on a single plasmid in E. coli, and the efficiency and specificity of gene knockdown was assessed by northern blot and transcriptomic analysis. We show that engineered type III-A modules can be programmed using tailored CRISPR RNAs to efficiently knock down gene expression of both coding and noncoding RNAs in vivo. Moreover, simultaneous degradation of multiple cellular mRNA transcripts can be directed by utilizing a CRISPR array expressing corresponding gene-targeting crRNAs. Our results demonstrate the utility of distinct type III-A modules to serve as specific and effective gene knockdown platforms in heterologous cells. This transcriptome engineering technology has the potential to be further refined and exploited for key applications including gene discovery and gene pathway analyses in additional prokaryotic and perhaps eukaryotic cells and organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter T Woodside
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Nikita Vantsev
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Ryan J Catchpole
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Sandra C Garrett
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA
| | - Sara Olson
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA
| | - Brenton R Graveley
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA
| | - Michael P Terns
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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35
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Zhang Y, Lin J, Tian X, Wang Y, Zhao R, Wu C, Wang X, Zhao P, Bi X, Yu Z, Han W, Peng N, Liang YX, She Q. Inactivation of Target RNA Cleavage of a III-B CRISPR-Cas System Induces Robust Autoimmunity in Saccharolobus islandicus. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158515. [PMID: 35955649 PMCID: PMC9368842 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Type III CRISPR-Cas systems show the target (tg)RNA-activated indiscriminate DNA cleavage and synthesis of oligoadenylates (cOA) and a secondary signal that activates downstream nuclease effectors to exert indiscriminate RNA/DNA cleavage, and both activities are regulated in a spatiotemporal fashion. In III-B Cmr systems, cognate tgRNAs activate the two Cmr2-based activities, which are then inactivated via tgRNA cleavage by Cmr4, but how Cmr4 nuclease regulates the Cmr immunization remains to be experimentally characterized. Here, we conducted mutagenesis of Cmr4 conserved amino acids in Saccharolobus islandicus, and this revealed that Cmr4α RNase-dead (dCmr4α) mutation yields cell dormancy/death. We also found that plasmid-borne expression of dCmr4α in the wild-type strain strongly reduced plasmid transformation efficiency, and deletion of CRISPR arrays in the host genome reversed the dCmr4α inhibition. Expression of dCmr4α also strongly inhibited plasmid transformation with Cmr2αHD and Cmr2αPalm mutants, but the inhibition was diminished in Cmr2αHD,Palm. Since dCmr4α-containing effectors lack spatiotemporal regulation, this allows an everlasting interaction between crRNA and cellular RNAs to occur. As a result, some cellular RNAs, which are not effective in mediating immunity due to the presence of spatiotemporal regulation, trigger autoimmunity of the Cmr-α system in the S. islandicus cells expressing dCmr4α. Together, these results pinpoint the crucial importance of tgRNA cleavage in autoimmunity avoidance and in the regulation of immunization of type III systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Henan Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Jinzhong Lin
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Xuhui Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Yuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Ruiliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Chenwei Wu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Xiaoning Wang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Pengpeng Zhao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Xiaonan Bi
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Zhenxiao Yu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Wenyuan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Nan Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Yun Xiang Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
| | - Qunxin She
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.T.); (Y.W.); (R.Z.); (W.H.); (N.P.); (Y.X.L.)
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark;
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; (C.W.); (X.W.); (P.Z.); (X.B.); (Z.Y.)
- Correspondence:
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36
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Hu C, Ni D, Nam KH, Majumdar S, McLean J, Stahlberg H, Terns MP, Ke A. Allosteric control of type I-A CRISPR-Cas3 complexes and establishment as effective nucleic acid detection and human genome editing tools. Mol Cell 2022; 82:2754-2768.e5. [PMID: 35835111 PMCID: PMC9357151 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Type I CRISPR-Cas systems typically rely on a two-step process to degrade DNA. First, an RNA-guided complex named Cascade identifies the complementary DNA target. The helicase-nuclease fusion enzyme Cas3 is then recruited in trans for processive DNA degradation. Contrary to this model, here, we show that type I-A Cascade and Cas3 function as an integral effector complex. We provide four cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) snapshots of the Pyrococcus furiosus (Pfu) type I-A effector complex in different stages of DNA recognition and degradation. The HD nuclease of Cas3 is autoinhibited inside the effector complex. It is only allosterically activated upon full R-loop formation, when the entire targeted region has been validated by the RNA guide. The mechanistic insights inspired us to convert Pfu Cascade-Cas3 into a high-sensitivity, low-background, and temperature-activated nucleic acid detection tool. Moreover, Pfu CRISPR-Cas3 shows robust bi-directional deletion-editing activity in human cells, which could find usage in allele-specific inactivation of disease-causing mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyi Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dongchun Ni
- Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Cubotron, Route de la Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Fundamental Biology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ki Hyun Nam
- Department of Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Sonali Majumdar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Genetics, and Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Justin McLean
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Genetics, and Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Henning Stahlberg
- Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Cubotron, Route de la Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Fundamental Biology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael P Terns
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Genetics, and Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ailong Ke
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 253 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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37
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Kato K, Zhou W, Okazaki S, Isayama Y, Nishizawa T, Gootenberg JS, Abudayyeh OO, Nishimasu H. Structure and engineering of the type III-E CRISPR-Cas7-11 effector complex. Cell 2022; 185:2324-2337.e16. [PMID: 35643083 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The type III-E CRISPR-Cas effector Cas7-11, with dual RNase activities for precursor CRISPR RNA (pre-crRNA) processing and crRNA-guided target RNA cleavage, is a new platform for bacterial and mammalian RNA targeting. We report the 2.5-Å resolution cryoelectron microscopy structure of Cas7-11 in complex with a crRNA and its target RNA. Cas7-11 adopts a modular architecture comprising seven domains (Cas7.1-Cas7.4, Cas11, INS, and CTE) and four interdomain linkers. The crRNA 5' tag is recognized and processed by Cas7.1, whereas the crRNA spacer hybridizes with the target RNA. Consistent with our biochemical data, the catalytic residues for programmable cleavage in Cas7.2 and Cas7.3 neighbor the scissile phosphates before the flipped-out fourth and tenth nucleotides in the target RNA, respectively. Using structural insights, we rationally engineered a compact Cas7-11 variant (Cas7-11S) for single-vector AAV packaging for transcript knockdown in human cells, enabling in vivo Cas7-11 applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Kato
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Wenyuan Zhou
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sae Okazaki
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Yukari Isayama
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Nishizawa
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Jonathan S Gootenberg
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Omar O Abudayyeh
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Hiroshi Nishimasu
- Structural Biology Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Inamori Research Institute for Science, 620 Suiginya-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8411, Japan.
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38
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Smith EM, Ferrell S, Tokars VL, Mondragón A. Structures of an active type III-A CRISPR effector complex. Structure 2022; 30:1109-1128.e6. [PMID: 35714601 PMCID: PMC9357104 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and their CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) provide many prokaryotes with an adaptive immune system against invading genetic material. Type III CRISPR systems are unique in that they can degrade both RNA and DNA. In response to invading nucleic acids, they produce cyclic oligoadenylates that act as secondary messengers, activating cellular nucleases that aid in the immune response. Here, we present seven single-particle cryo-EM structures of the type III-A Staphylococcus epidermidis CRISPR effector complex. The structures reveal the intact S. epidermidis effector complex in an apo, ATP-bound, cognate target RNA-bound, and non-cognate target RNA-bound states and illustrate how the effector complex binds and presents crRNA. The complexes bound to target RNA capture the type III-A effector complex in a post-RNA cleavage state. The ATP-bound structures give details about how ATP binds to Cas10 to facilitate cyclic oligoadenylate production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Smith
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Sé Ferrell
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Valerie L Tokars
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Alfonso Mondragón
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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Structural rearrangements allow nucleic acid discrimination by type I-D Cascade. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2829. [PMID: 35595728 PMCID: PMC9123187 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30402-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are adaptive immune systems that protect prokaryotes from foreign nucleic acids, such as bacteriophages. Two of the most prevalent CRISPR-Cas systems include type I and type III. Interestingly, the type I-D interference proteins contain characteristic features of both type I and type III systems. Here, we present the structures of type I-D Cascade bound to both a double-stranded (ds)DNA and a single-stranded (ss)RNA target at 2.9 and 3.1 Å, respectively. We show that type I-D Cascade is capable of specifically binding ssRNA and reveal how PAM recognition of dsDNA targets initiates long-range structural rearrangements that likely primes Cas10d for Cas3′ binding and subsequent non-target strand DNA cleavage. These structures allow us to model how binding of the anti-CRISPR protein AcrID1 likely blocks target dsDNA binding via competitive inhibition of the DNA substrate engagement with the Cas10d active site. This work elucidates the unique mechanisms used by type I-D Cascade for discrimination of single-stranded and double stranded targets. Thus, our data supports a model for the hybrid nature of this complex with features of type III and type I systems. I-D CRISPR-Cascade can target both single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids. Here, Schwartz et. al determine these structures and reveal large-scale rearrangements that allow for target discrimination and destruction.
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40
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Structural and biochemical characterization of in vivo assembled Lactococcus lactis CRISPR-Csm complex. Commun Biol 2022; 5:279. [PMID: 35351985 PMCID: PMC8964682 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03187-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The small RNA-mediated immunity in bacteria depends on foreign RNA-activated and self RNA-inhibited enzymatic activities. The multi-subunit Type III-A CRISPR-Cas effector complex (Csm) exemplifies this principle and is in addition regulated by cellular metabolites such as divalent metals and ATP. Recognition of the foreign or cognate target RNA (CTR) triggers its single-stranded deoxyribonuclease (DNase) and cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) synthesis activities. The same activities remain dormant in the presence of the self or non-cognate target RNA (NTR) that differs from CTR only in its 3′-protospacer flanking sequence (3′-PFS). Here we employ electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM), functional assays, and comparative cross-linking to study in vivo assembled mesophilic Lactococcus lactis Csm (LlCsm) at the three functional states: apo, the CTR- and the NTR-bound. Unlike previously studied Csm complexes, we observed binding of 3′-PFS to Csm in absence of bound ATP and analyzed the structures of the four RNA cleavage sites. Interestingly, comparative crosslinking results indicate a tightening of the Csm3-Csm4 interface as a result of CTR but not NTR binding, reflecting a possible role of protein dynamics change during activation. This study presents Cryo-EM structures of the Lactococcus lactis Type III-A CRISPR-Cas effector complex in three functional states, including bound forms with cognate and non-cognate target RNA. The results suggest changing protein dynamics during effector complex activation.
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41
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Das A, Goswami HN, Whyms CT, Sridhara S, Li H. Structural Principles of CRISPR-Cas Enzymes Used in Nucleic Acid Detection. J Struct Biol 2022; 214:107838. [PMID: 35123001 PMCID: PMC8924977 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2022.107838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-based technology has revolutionized the field of biomedicine with broad applications in genome editing, therapeutics and diagnostics. While a majority of applications involve the RNA-guided site-specific DNA or RNA cleavage by CRISPR enzymes, recent successes in nucleic acid detection rely on their collateral and non-specific cleavage activated by viral DNA or RNA. Ranging in enzyme composition, the mechanism for distinguishing self- from foreign-nucleic acids, the usage of second messengers, and enzymology, the CRISPR enzymes provide a diverse set of diagnosis tools in further innovations. Structural biology plays an important role in elucidating the mechanisms of these CRISPR enzymes. Here we summarize and compare structures of three types of CRISPR enzymes used in nucleic acid detection captured in their respective functional forms and illustrate the current understanding of their activation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuska Das
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Hemant N Goswami
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Charlisa T Whyms
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Sagar Sridhara
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Hong Li
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
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42
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Wimmer E, Zink IA, Schleper C. Reprogramming CRISPR-Mediated RNA Interference for Silencing of Essential Genes in Sulfolobales. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:177-201. [PMID: 36125750 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The manipulation of gene expression levels in vivo is often key to elucidating gene function and regulatory network interactions, especially when it comes to the investigation of essential genes that cannot be deleted from the model organism's genome. Several techniques have been developed for prokaryotes that allow to interfere with transcription initiation of specific genes by blocking or modifying promoter regions. However, a tool functionally similar to RNAi used in eukaryotes to efficiently degrade mRNA posttranscriptionally did not exist until recently. Type III CRISPR-Cas systems use small RNAs (crRNAs) that guide effector complexes (encoded by cas genes) which act as site-specific RNA endonuclease and can thus be harnessed for targeted posttranscriptional gene silencing. Guide RNAs complementary to the desired target mRNA that, in addition, exhibit complementarity to repeat sequences found in the CRISPR arrays, effectively suppress unspecific DNA and RNA activities of the CRISPR-Cas complexes. Here we describe the use of endogenous type III CRISPR-Cas systems in two model organisms of Crenarchaeota, Saccharolobus solfataricus and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Wimmer
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Isabelle Anna Zink
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christa Schleper
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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43
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Chou-Zheng L, Hatoum-Aslan A. Critical roles for 'housekeeping' nucleases in type III CRISPR-Cas immunity. eLife 2022; 11:81897. [PMID: 36479971 PMCID: PMC9762709 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are a family of adaptive immune systems that use small CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) nucleases to protect prokaryotes from invading plasmids and viruses (i.e., phages). Type III systems launch a multilayered immune response that relies upon both Cas and non-Cas cellular nucleases, and although the functions of Cas components have been well described, the identities and roles of non-Cas participants remain poorly understood. Previously, we showed that the type III-A CRISPR-Cas system in Staphylococcus epidermidis employs two degradosome-associated nucleases, PNPase and RNase J2, to promote crRNA maturation and eliminate invading nucleic acids (Chou-Zheng and Hatoum-Aslan, 2019). Here, we identify RNase R as a third 'housekeeping' nuclease critical for immunity. We show that RNase R works in concert with PNPase to complete crRNA maturation and identify specific interactions with Csm5, a member of the type III effector complex, which facilitate nuclease recruitment/stimulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that RNase R and PNPase are required to maintain robust anti-plasmid immunity, particularly when targeted transcripts are sparse. Altogether, our findings expand the known repertoire of accessory nucleases required for type III immunity and highlight the remarkable capacity of these systems to interface with diverse cellular pathways to ensure successful defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Chou-Zheng
- Microbiology Department, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Asma Hatoum-Aslan
- Microbiology Department, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
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44
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Grüschow S, Adamson CS, White MF. Specificity and sensitivity of an RNA targeting type III CRISPR complex coupled with a NucC endonuclease effector. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:13122-13134. [PMID: 34871408 PMCID: PMC8682760 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Type III CRISPR systems detect invading RNA, resulting in the activation of the enzymatic Cas10 subunit. The Cas10 cyclase domain generates cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) second messenger molecules, activating a variety of effector nucleases that degrade nucleic acids to provide immunity. The prophage-encoded Vibrio metoecus type III-B (VmeCmr) locus is uncharacterised, lacks the HD nuclease domain in Cas10 and encodes a NucC DNA nuclease effector that is also found associated with Cyclic-oligonucleotide-based anti-phage signalling systems (CBASS). Here we demonstrate that VmeCmr is activated by target RNA binding, generating cyclic-triadenylate (cA3) to stimulate a robust NucC-mediated DNase activity. The specificity of VmeCmr is probed, revealing the importance of specific nucleotide positions in segment 1 of the RNA duplex and the protospacer flanking sequence (PFS). We harness this programmable system to demonstrate the potential for a highly specific and sensitive assay for detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA with a limit of detection (LoD) of 2 fM using a commercial plate reader without any extrinsic amplification step. The sensitivity is highly dependent on the guide RNA used, suggesting that target RNA secondary structure plays an important role that may also be relevant in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Grüschow
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Catherine S Adamson
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Malcolm F White
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
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45
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Reprogramming Mycobacterium tuberculosis CRISPR System for Gene Editing and Genome-wide RNA Interference Screening. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2021; 20:1180-1196. [PMID: 34923124 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), which is still the leading cause of mortality from a single infectious disease worldwide. The development of novel anti-TB drugs and vaccines is severely hampered by the complicated and time-consuming genetic manipulation techniques for M. tuberculosis. Here, we harnessed an endogenous type III-A CRISPR/Cas10 system of M. tuberculosis for efficient gene editing and RNA interference (RNAi). This simple and easy method only needs to transform a single mini-CRISPR array plasmid, thus avoiding the introduction of exogenous protein and minimizing proteotoxicity. We demonstrated that M. tuberculosis genes can be efficiently and specifically knocked in/out by this system as confirmed by DNA high-throughput sequencing. This system was further applied to single- and multiple-gene RNAi. Moreover, we successfully performed genome-wide RNAi screening to identify M. tuberculosis genes regulating in vitro and intracellular growth. This system can be extensively used for exploring the functional genomics of M. tuberculosis and facilitate the development of novel anti-TB drugs and vaccines.
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46
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Kolesnik MV, Fedorova I, Karneyeva KA, Artamonova DN, Severinov KV. Type III CRISPR-Cas Systems: Deciphering the Most Complex Prokaryotic Immune System. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2021; 86:1301-1314. [PMID: 34903162 PMCID: PMC8527444 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921100114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The emergence and persistence of selfish genetic elements is an intrinsic feature of all living systems. Cellular organisms have evolved a plethora of elaborate defense systems that limit the spread of such genetic parasites. CRISPR-Cas are RNA-guided defense systems used by prokaryotes to recognize and destroy foreign nucleic acids. These systems acquire and store fragments of foreign nucleic acids and utilize the stored sequences as guides to recognize and destroy genetic invaders. CRISPR-Cas systems have been extensively studied, as some of them are used in various genome editing technologies. Although Type III CRISPR-Cas systems are among the most common CRISPR-Cas systems, they are also some of the least investigated ones, mostly due to the complexity of their action compared to other CRISPR-Cas system types. Type III effector complexes specifically recognize and cleave RNA molecules. The recognition of the target RNA activates the effector large subunit - the so-called CRISPR polymerase - which cleaves DNA and produces small cyclic oligonucleotides that act as signaling molecules to activate auxiliary effectors, notably non-specific RNases. In this review, we provide a historical overview of the sometimes meandering pathway of the Type III CRISPR research. We also review the current data on the structures and activities of Type III CRISPR-Cas systems components, their biological roles, and evolutionary history. Finally, using structural modeling with AlphaFold2, we show that the archaeal HRAMP signature protein, which heretofore has had no assigned function, is a degenerate relative of Type III CRISPR-Cas signature protein Cas10, suggesting that HRAMP systems have descended from Type III CRISPR-Cas systems or their ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matvey V Kolesnik
- Center of Life Science, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
| | - Iana Fedorova
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 195251, Russia.
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - Karyna A Karneyeva
- Center of Life Science, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
| | - Daria N Artamonova
- Center of Life Science, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
| | - Konstantin V Severinov
- Center of Life Science, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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47
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Virus detection via programmable Type III-A CRISPR-Cas systems. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5653. [PMID: 34580296 PMCID: PMC8476571 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25977-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the currently available virus detection assays, those based on the programmable CRISPR-Cas enzymes have the advantage of rapid reporting and high sensitivity without the requirement of thermocyclers. Type III-A CRISPR-Cas system is a multi-component and multipronged immune effector, activated by viral RNA that previously has not been repurposed for disease detection owing in part to the complex enzyme reconstitution process and functionality. Here, we describe the construction and application of a virus detection method, based on an in vivo-reconstituted Type III-A CRISPR-Cas system. This system harnesses both RNA- and transcription-activated dual nucleic acid cleavage activities as well as internal signal amplification that allow virus detection with high sensitivity and at multiple settings. We demonstrate the use of the Type III-A system-based method in detection of SARS-CoV-2 that reached 2000 copies/μl sensitivity in amplification-free and 60 copies/μl sensitivity via isothermal amplification within 30 min and diagnosed SARS-CoV-2-infected patients in both settings. The high sensitivity, flexible reaction conditions, and the small molecular-driven amplification make the Type III-A system a potentially unique nucleic acid detection method with broad applications.
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48
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van Beljouw SPB, Haagsma AC, Rodríguez-Molina A, van den Berg DF, Vink JNA, Brouns SJJ. The gRAMP CRISPR-Cas effector is an RNA endonuclease complexed with a caspase-like peptidase. Science 2021; 373:1349-1353. [PMID: 34446442 DOI: 10.1126/science.abk2718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam P B van Beljouw
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Anna C Haagsma
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Alicia Rodríguez-Molina
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Daan F van den Berg
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Jochem N A Vink
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Stan J J Brouns
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft, Netherlands
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49
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Steens JA, Zhu Y, Taylor DW, Bravo JPK, Prinsen SHP, Schoen CD, Keijser BJF, Ossendrijver M, Hofstra LM, Brouns SJJ, Shinkai A, van der Oost J, Staals RHJ. SCOPE enables type III CRISPR-Cas diagnostics using flexible targeting and stringent CARF ribonuclease activation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5033. [PMID: 34413302 PMCID: PMC8376896 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25337-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Characteristic properties of type III CRISPR-Cas systems include recognition of target RNA and the subsequent induction of a multifaceted immune response. This involves sequence-specific cleavage of the target RNA and production of cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) molecules. Here we report that an exposed seed region at the 3' end of the crRNA is essential for target RNA binding and cleavage, whereas cOA production requires base pairing at the 5' end of the crRNA. Moreover, we uncover that the variation in the size and composition of type III complexes within a single host results in variable seed regions. This may prevent escape by invading genetic elements, while controlling cOA production tightly to prevent unnecessary damage to the host. Lastly, we use these findings to develop a new diagnostic tool, SCOPE, for the specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 from human nasal swab samples, revealing sensitivities in the atto-molar range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurre A. Steens
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands ,Scope Biosciences, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yifan Zhu
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - David W. Taylor
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA ,grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA ,grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA ,grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, Austin, TX USA
| | - Jack P. K. Bravo
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | | | - Cor D. Schoen
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666BioInteractions and Plant Health, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - L. Marije Hofstra
- grid.7692.a0000000090126352Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Stan J. J. Brouns
- grid.5292.c0000 0001 2097 4740Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Akeo Shinkai
- grid.472717.0RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Sayo, Hyogo, Japan ,grid.7597.c0000000094465255Present Address: RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - John van der Oost
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Raymond H. J. Staals
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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50
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Lin J, Shen Y, Ni J, She Q. A type III-A CRISPR-Cas system mediates co-transcriptional DNA cleavage at the transcriptional bubbles in close proximity to active effectors. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:7628-7643. [PMID: 34197611 PMCID: PMC8287949 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Many type III CRISPR–Cas systems rely on the cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) signaling pathway to exert immunization. However, LdCsm, a type III-A lactobacilli immune system mediates efficient plasmid clearance in spite of lacking cOA signaling. Thus, the system provides a good model for detailed characterization of the RNA-activated DNase in vitro and in vivo. We found ATP functions as a ligand to enhance the LdCsm ssDNase, and the ATP enhancement is essential for in vivo plasmid clearance. In vitro assays demonstrated LdCsm cleaved transcriptional bubbles at any positions in non-template strand, suggesting that DNA cleavage may occur for transcribing DNA. Destiny of target plasmid versus nontarget plasmid in Escherichia coli cells was investigated, and this revealed that the LdCsm effectors mediated co-transcriptional DNA cleavage to both target and nontarget plasmids, suggesting LdCsm effectors can mediate DNA cleavage to any transcriptional bubbles in close proximity upon activation. Subcellular locations of active LdCsm effectors were then manipulated by differential expression of LdCsm and CTR, and the data supported the hypothesis. Strikingly, stepwise induction experiments indicated allowing diffusion of LdCsm effector led to massive chromosomal DNA degradation, suggesting this unique IIIA system can facilitate infection abortion to eliminate virus-infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhong Lin
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, P.R. China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, P.R. China
| | - Jinfeng Ni
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, P.R. China
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, P.R. China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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