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Carlson CK, Loveless TB, Milisavljevic M, Kelly PI, Mills JH, Tyo KEJ, Liu CC. A Massively Parallel In Vivo Assay of TdT Mutants Yields Variants with Altered Nucleotide Insertion Biases. ACS Synth Biol 2024. [PMID: 39302688 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a unique DNA polymerase capable of template-independent extension of DNA. TdT's de novo DNA synthesis ability has found utility in DNA recording, DNA data storage, oligonucleotide synthesis, and nucleic acid labeling, but TdT's intrinsic nucleotide biases limit its versatility in such applications. Here, we describe a multiplexed assay for profiling and engineering the bias and overall activity of TdT variants with high throughput. In our assay, a library of TdTs is encoded next to a CRISPR-Cas9 target site in HEK293T cells. Upon transfection of Cas9 and sgRNA, the target site is cut, allowing TdT to intercept the double-strand break and add nucleotides. Each resulting insertion is sequenced alongside the identity of the TdT variant that generated it. Using this assay, 25,623 unique TdT variants, constructed by site-saturation mutagenesis at strategic positions, were profiled. This resulted in the isolation of several altered-bias TdTs that expanded the capabilities of our TdT-based DNA recording system, Cell HistorY Recording by Ordered InsertioN (CHYRON), by increasing the information density of recording through an unbiased TdT and achieving dual-channel recording of two distinct inducers (hypoxia and Wnt) through two differently biased TdTs. Select TdT variants were also tested in vitro, revealing concordance between each variant's in vitro bias and the in vivo bias determined from the multiplexed high throughput assay. Overall, our work and the multiplex assay it features should support the continued development of TdT-based DNA recorders, in vitro applications of TdT, and further study of the biology of TdT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney K Carlson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Theresa B Loveless
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Marija Milisavljevic
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Patrick I Kelly
- Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 82587, United States
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 82587, United States
| | - Jeremy H Mills
- Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 82587, United States
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 82587, United States
| | - Keith E J Tyo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Chang C Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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2
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Carlson CK, Loveless TB, Milisavljevic M, Kelly PI, Mills JH, Tyo KEJ, Liu CC. A massively parallel in vivo assay of TdT mutants yields variants with altered nucleotide insertion biases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598561. [PMID: 38915690 PMCID: PMC11195295 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a unique DNA polymerase capable of template-independent extension of DNA with random nucleotides. TdT's de novo DNA synthesis ability has found utility in DNA recording, DNA data storage, oligonucleotide synthesis, and nucleic acid labeling, but TdT's intrinsic nucleotide biases limit its versatility in such applications. Here, we describe a multiplexed assay for profiling and engineering the bias and overall activity of TdT variants in high throughput. In our assay, a library of TdTs is encoded next to a CRISPR-Cas9 target site in HEK293T cells. Upon transfection of Cas9 and sgRNA, the target site is cut, allowing TdT to intercept the double strand break and add nucleotides. Each resulting insertion is sequenced alongside the identity of the TdT variant that generated it. Using this assay, 25,623 unique TdT variants, constructed by site-saturation mutagenesis at strategic positions, were profiled. This resulted in the isolation of several altered-bias TdTs that expanded the capabilities of our TdT-based DNA recording system, Cell History Recording by Ordered Insertion (CHYRON), by increasing the information density of recording through an unbiased TdT and achieving dual-channel recording of two distinct inducers (hypoxia and Wnt) through two differently biased TdTs. Select TdT variants were also tested in vitro , revealing concordance between each variant's in vitro bias and the in vivo bias determined from the multiplexed high throughput assay. Overall, our work, and the multiplex assay it features, should support the continued development of TdT-based DNA recorders, in vitro applications of TdT, and further study of the biology of TdT.
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3
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Liu M, Zhang C, Gong X, Zhang T, Lian MM, Chew EGY, Cardilla A, Suzuki K, Wang H, Yuan Y, Li Y, Naik MY, Wang Y, Zhou B, Soon WZ, Aizawa E, Li P, Low JH, Tandiono M, Montagud E, Moya-Rull D, Rodriguez Esteban C, Luque Y, Fang M, Khor CC, Montserrat N, Campistol JM, Izpisua Belmonte JC, Foo JN, Xia Y. Kidney organoid models reveal cilium-autophagy metabolic axis as a therapeutic target for PKD both in vitro and in vivo. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:52-70.e8. [PMID: 38181751 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids offer unprecedented opportunities for studying polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which still has no effective cure. Here, we developed both in vitro and in vivo organoid models of PKD that manifested tubular injury and aberrant upregulation of renin-angiotensin aldosterone system. Single-cell analysis revealed that a myriad of metabolic changes occurred during cystogenesis, including defective autophagy. Experimental activation of autophagy via ATG5 overexpression or primary cilia ablation significantly inhibited cystogenesis in PKD kidney organoids. Employing the organoid xenograft model of PKD, which spontaneously developed tubular cysts, we demonstrate that minoxidil, a potent autophagy activator and an FDA-approved drug, effectively attenuated cyst formation in vivo. This in vivo organoid model of PKD will enhance our capability to discover novel disease mechanisms and validate candidate drugs for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Liu
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Chao Zhang
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Ximing Gong
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Tian Zhang
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Michelle Mulan Lian
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore; Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A∗STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Elaine Guo Yan Chew
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore; Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A∗STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Angelysia Cardilla
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Keiichiro Suzuki
- Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan; Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Bioscience, Osaka University, Suita 560-8531, Osaka, Japan
| | - Huamin Wang
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore; Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Li
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Mihir Yogesh Naik
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Bingrui Zhou
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Wei Ze Soon
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Emi Aizawa
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan
| | - Pin Li
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Jian Hui Low
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Moses Tandiono
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore; Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A∗STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Enrique Montagud
- Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Career Villarroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Moya-Rull
- Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration (PR Lab), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Yosu Luque
- Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Career Villarroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mingliang Fang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Chiea Chuen Khor
- Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A∗STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore; Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, 20 College Road Discovery Tower, Level 6 The Academia, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Nuria Montserrat
- Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration (PR Lab), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain; Networking Biomedical Research Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Josep M Campistol
- Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Career Villarroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Jia Nee Foo
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore; Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A∗STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore.
| | - Yun Xia
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232, Singapore.
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4
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Grob A, Enrico Bena C, Di Blasi R, Pessina D, Sood M, Yunyue Z, Bosia C, Isalan M, Ceroni F. Mammalian cell growth characterisation by a non-invasive plate reader assay. Nat Commun 2024; 15:57. [PMID: 38167870 PMCID: PMC10761699 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44396-4] [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: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Automated and non-invasive mammalian cell analysis is currently lagging behind due to a lack of methods suitable for a variety of cell lines and applications. Here, we report the development of a high throughput non-invasive method for tracking mammalian cell growth and performance based on plate reader measurements. We show the method to be suitable for both suspension and adhesion cell lines, and we demonstrate it can be adopted when cells are grown under different environmental conditions. We establish that the method is suitable to inform on effective drug treatments to be used depending on the cell line considered, and that it can support characterisation of engineered mammalian cells over time. This work provides the scientific community with an innovative approach to mammalian cell screening, also contributing to the current efforts towards high throughput and automated mammalian cell engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Grob
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Chiara Enrico Bena
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Torino, Italy
- Université Paris-Saclay (INRAE), AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Roberto Di Blasi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniele Pessina
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Sood
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Zhou Yunyue
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carla Bosia
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Torino, Italy.
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy.
| | - Mark Isalan
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Francesca Ceroni
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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5
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Wilkins OG, Chien MZ, Wlaschin JJ, Pisliakova M, Thompson D, Digby H, Simkin RL, Diaz JA, Mehta PR, Keuss MJ, Zanovello M, Brown AL, Harley P, Darbey A, Karda R, Fisher EM, Cunningham TJ, Le Pichon CE, Ule J, Fratta P. Creation of de novo cryptic splicing for ALS/FTD precision medicine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.15.565967. [PMID: 38014203 PMCID: PMC10680699 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.15.565967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
A system enabling the expression of therapeutic proteins specifically in diseased cells would be transformative, providing greatly increased safety and the possibility of pre-emptive treatment. Here we describe "TDP-REG", a precision medicine approach primarily for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which exploits the cryptic splicing events that occur in cells with TDP-43 loss-of-function (TDP-LOF) in order to drive expression specifically in diseased cells. In addition to modifying existing cryptic exons for this purpose, we develop a deep-learning-powered algorithm for generating customisable cryptic splicing events, which can be embedded within virtually any coding sequence. By placing part of a coding sequence within a novel cryptic exon, we tightly couple protein expression to TDP-LOF. Protein expression is activated by TDP-LOF in vitro and in vivo, including TDP-LOF induced by cytoplasmic TDP-43 aggregation. In addition to generating a variety of fluorescent and luminescent reporters, we use this system to perform TDP-LOF-dependent genomic prime editing to ablate the UNC13A cryptic donor splice site. Furthermore, we design a panel of tightly gated, autoregulating vectors encoding a TDP-43/Raver1 fusion protein, which rescue key pathological cryptic splicing events. In summary, we combine deep-learning and rational design to create sophisticated splicing sensors, resulting in a platform that provides far safer therapeutics for neurodegeneration, potentially even enabling preemptive treatment of at-risk individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar G. Wilkins
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Max Z.Y.J. Chien
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Josette J. Wlaschin
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Maria Pisliakova
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David Thompson
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute; Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Holly Digby
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; London, SE5 9RX, UK
| | - Rebecca L. Simkin
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Juan Antinao Diaz
- EGA-Institute for Women’s Health, University College London; London, WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Puja R. Mehta
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Matthew J. Keuss
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Matteo Zanovello
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Anna-Leigh Brown
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Peter Harley
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Annalucia Darbey
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rajvinder Karda
- EGA-Institute for Women’s Health, University College London; London, WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Elizabeth M.C. Fisher
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Tom J. Cunningham
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute; Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Claire E. Le Pichon
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jernej Ule
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; London, SE5 9RX, UK
| | - Pietro Fratta
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL; London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute; London, NW1 1AT, UK
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6
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Balmas E, Sozza F, Bottini S, Ratto ML, Savorè G, Becca S, Snijders KE, Bertero A. Manipulating and studying gene function in human pluripotent stem cell models. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:2250-2287. [PMID: 37519013 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are uniquely suited to study human development and disease and promise to revolutionize regenerative medicine. These applications rely on robust methods to manipulate gene function in hPSC models. This comprehensive review aims to both empower scientists approaching the field and update experienced stem cell biologists. We begin by highlighting challenges with manipulating gene expression in hPSCs and their differentiated derivatives, and relevant solutions (transfection, transduction, transposition, and genomic safe harbor editing). We then outline how to perform robust constitutive or inducible loss-, gain-, and change-of-function experiments in hPSCs models, both using historical methods (RNA interference, transgenesis, and homologous recombination) and modern programmable nucleases (particularly CRISPR/Cas9 and its derivatives, i.e., CRISPR interference, activation, base editing, and prime editing). We further describe extension of these approaches for arrayed or pooled functional studies, including emerging single-cell genomic methods, and the related design and analytical bioinformatic tools. Finally, we suggest some directions for future advancements in all of these areas. Mastering the combination of these transformative technologies will empower unprecedented advances in human biology and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Balmas
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Sozza
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Sveva Bottini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Ratto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Giulia Savorè
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvia Becca
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Kirsten Esmee Snijders
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertero
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone", University of Turin, Torino, Italy
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7
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Pierson Smela MD, Kramme CC, Fortuna PRJ, Adams JL, Su R, Dong E, Kobayashi M, Brixi G, Kavirayuni VS, Tysinger E, Kohman RE, Shioda T, Chatterjee P, Church GM. Directed differentiation of human iPSCs to functional ovarian granulosa-like cells via transcription factor overexpression. eLife 2023; 12:e83291. [PMID: 36803359 PMCID: PMC9943069 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
An in vitro model of human ovarian follicles would greatly benefit the study of female reproduction. Ovarian development requires the combination of germ cells and several types of somatic cells. Among these, granulosa cells play a key role in follicle formation and support for oogenesis. Whereas efficient protocols exist for generating human primordial germ cell-like cells (hPGCLCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), a method of generating granulosa cells has been elusive. Here, we report that simultaneous overexpression of two transcription factors (TFs) can direct the differentiation of hiPSCs to granulosa-like cells. We elucidate the regulatory effects of several granulosa-related TFs and establish that overexpression of NR5A1 and either RUNX1 or RUNX2 is sufficient to generate granulosa-like cells. Our granulosa-like cells have transcriptomes similar to human fetal ovarian cells and recapitulate key ovarian phenotypes including follicle formation and steroidogenesis. When aggregated with hPGCLCs, our cells form ovary-like organoids (ovaroids) and support hPGCLC development from the premigratory to the gonadal stage as measured by induction of DAZL expression. This model system will provide unique opportunities for studying human ovarian biology and may enable the development of therapies for female reproductive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merrick D Pierson Smela
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Christian C Kramme
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Patrick RJ Fortuna
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Jessica L Adams
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Rui Su
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Edward Dong
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Mutsumi Kobayashi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical SchoolCharlestownUnited States
| | - Garyk Brixi
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Venkata Srikar Kavirayuni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Emma Tysinger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Richie E Kohman
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Toshi Shioda
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical SchoolCharlestownUnited States
| | - Pranam Chatterjee
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - George M Church
- Wyss Institute, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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8
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Caliskan A, Crouch SAW, Giddins S, Dandekar T, Dangwal S. Progeria and Aging-Omics Based Comparative Analysis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:2440. [PMID: 36289702 PMCID: PMC9599154 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Since ancient times aging has also been regarded as a disease, and humankind has always strived to extend the natural lifespan. Analyzing the genes involved in aging and disease allows for finding important indicators and biological markers for pathologies and possible therapeutic targets. An example of the use of omics technologies is the research regarding aging and the rare and fatal premature aging syndrome progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, HGPS). In our study, we focused on the in silico analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in progeria and aging, using a publicly available RNA-Seq dataset (GEO dataset GSE113957) and a variety of bioinformatics tools. Despite the GSE113957 RNA-Seq dataset being well-known and frequently analyzed, the RNA-Seq data shared by Fleischer et al. is far from exhausted and reusing and repurposing the data still reveals new insights. By analyzing the literature citing the use of the dataset and subsequently conducting a comparative analysis comparing the RNA-Seq data analyses of different subsets of the dataset (healthy children, nonagenarians and progeria patients), we identified several genes involved in both natural aging and progeria (KRT8, KRT18, ACKR4, CCL2, UCP2, ADAMTS15, ACTN4P1, WNT16, IGFBP2). Further analyzing these genes and the pathways involved indicated their possible roles in aging, suggesting the need for further in vitro and in vivo research. In this paper, we (1) compare "normal aging" (nonagenarians vs. healthy children) and progeria (HGPS patients vs. healthy children), (2) enlist genes possibly involved in both the natural aging process and progeria, including the first mention of IGFBP2 in progeria, (3) predict miRNAs and interactomes for WNT16 (hsa-mir-181a-5p), UCP2 (hsa-mir-26a-5p and hsa-mir-124-3p), and IGFBP2 (hsa-mir-124-3p, hsa-mir-126-3p, and hsa-mir-27b-3p), (4) demonstrate the compatibility of well-established R packages for RNA-Seq analysis for researchers interested but not yet familiar with this kind of analysis, and (5) present comparative proteomics analyses to show an association between our RNA-Seq data analyses and corresponding changes in protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aylin Caliskan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Samantha A. W. Crouch
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sara Giddins
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Dandekar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Seema Dangwal
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Kramme C, Plesa AM, Wang HH, Wolf B, Smela MP, Guo X, Kohman RE, Chatterjee P, Church GM. MegaGate: A toxin-less gateway molecular cloning tool. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100907. [PMID: 34746865 PMCID: PMC8551244 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Gateway cloning employs the use of the ccdb toxin and has low colony numbers, making it difficult to apply at scale to clone libraries of cDNA vectors. In this protocol, we describe MegaGate, a toxin-less Gateway technology capable of robust cDNA library cloning that is efficient, cheap, and scalable. MegaGate eliminates the ccdb toxin used in Gateway recombinase cloning and instead utilizes meganuclease-mediated digestion to eliminate background vectors during cloning and is 99.8% efficient with high colony numbers. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kramme et al. (2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kramme
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexandru M. Plesa
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Helen H. Wang
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bennett Wolf
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Merrick Pierson Smela
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xiaoge Guo
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Richie E. Kohman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Pranam Chatterjee
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - George M. Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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