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Akhtar N, Shadab M, Bhatti N, Sajid Ansarì M, Siddiqui MB. Biotechnological frontiers in harnessing allelopathy for sustainable crop production. Funct Integr Genomics 2024; 24:155. [PMID: 39227468 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01418-8] [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: 06/19/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Allelopathy, the phenomenon in which plants release biochemical compounds that influence the growth and development of neighbouring plants, presents promising opportunities for revolutionizing agriculture towards sustainability. This abstract explores the role of biotechnological advancements in unlocking the potential of allelopathy for sustainable crop production and its applications in agriculture, ecology, and natural resource management. By combining molecular, genetic, biochemical, and bioinformatic tools, researchers can unravel the complexities of allelopathic interactions and their potential for sustainable crop production and environmental stewardship. The development of novel management methods for weed control is getting a lot of attention with the introduction of new genetic technologies such as Gene drive, Transgene technologies, Gene silencing, Marker-assisted selection (MAS), and Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9). By strengthening competitive characteristics these tools hold great promise for boosting crops' ability to compete with weeds. Considering recent literature, this review highlights the genetic, transcriptomics, and metabolomics approaches to allelopathy. Employing allelopathic properties in agriculture offer sustainable benefits like natural weed management, pest management, and reduced chemical pollution, but challenges include environmental factors, toxicity, regulatory hurdles, and limited resources. Effective integration requires continued research, regulatory support, and farmer education. Also, we aimed to identify the biotechnological domains requiring more investigation and to provide the basis for future advances through this assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazish Akhtar
- Allelopathy and Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Mo Shadab
- Allelopathy and Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
| | - Nourien Bhatti
- Allelopathy and Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Moh Sajid Ansarì
- Section of Environmental pollution research unit, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - M B Siddiqui
- Allelopathy and Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
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Zhang X, Sun W, Kim IK, Messer PW, Champer J. Population dynamics in spatial suppression gene drive models and the effect of resistance, density dependence, and life history. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.14.607913. [PMID: 39185243 PMCID: PMC11343152 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.14.607913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Due to their super-Mendelian inheritance, gene drive systems have the potential to provide revolutionary solutions to critical public health and environmental problems. For suppression drives, however, spatial structure can cause "chasing" population dynamics that may postpone target population elimination or even cause the drive to fail. In chasing, wild-type individuals elude the drive and recolonize previously suppressed areas. The drive can re-enter these recolonized areas, but often is not able to catch up to wild-type and finally eliminate it. Previous methods for chasing detection are only suitable to limited parameter ranges. In this study with expanded parameter ranges, we found that the shift from chasing dynamics to static equilibrium outcomes is continuous as drive performance is reduced. To quantify this, we defined a Weighted Average Nearest Neighbor statistic to assess the clustering degree during chasing, while also characterizing chasing by the per-generation chance of population elimination and drive loss. To detect chasing dynamics in local areas and to detect the start of chasing, we implemented Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise. Using these techniques, we determined the effect of arena size, resistance allele formation rate in both the germline and in the early embryo from maternally deposited Cas9, life history and reproduction strategies, and density-dependent growth curve shape on chasing outcomes. We found that larger real-world areas will be much more vulnerable to chasing and that species with overlapping generations, fecundity-based density dependence, and concave density-dependent growth curves have smaller and more clustered local chasing with a greater chance of eventual population elimination. We also found that embryo resistance and germline resistance hinder drive performance in different ways. These considerations will be important for determining the necessary drive performance parameters needed for success in different species, and whether future drives could potentially be considered as release candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Zhang
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China 100871
| | - Weitang Sun
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China 100871
| | - Isabel K. Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Philipp W. Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China 100871
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3
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Mullins E, Bresson J, Dewhurst IC, Epstein MM, Firbank LG, Guerche P, Hejatko J, Moreno FJ, Naegeli H, Nogué F, Rostoks N, Sánchez Serrano JJ, Savoini G, Veromann E, Veronesi F, Cocconcelli PS, Glandorf D, Herman L, Jimenez Saiz R, Ruiz Garcia L, Aguilera Entrena J, Gennaro A, Schoonjans R, Kagkli DM, Dalmay T. New developments in biotechnology applied to microorganisms. EFSA J 2024; 22:e8895. [PMID: 39040572 PMCID: PMC11261303 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8895] [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] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
EFSA was requested by the European Commission (in accordance with Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) to provide a scientific opinion on the application of new developments in biotechnology (new genomic techniques, NGTs) to viable microorganisms and products of category 4 to be released into the environment or placed on the market as or in food and feed, and to non-viable products of category 3 to be placed on the market as or in food and feed. A horizon scanning exercise identified a variety of products containing microorganisms obtained with NGTs (NGT-Ms), falling within the remit of EFSA, that are expected to be placed on the (EU) market in the next 10 years. No novel potential hazards/risks from NGT-Ms were identified as compared to those obtained by established genomic techniques (EGTs), or by conventional mutagenesis. Due to the higher efficiency, specificity and predictability of NGTs, the hazards related to the changes in the genome are likely to be less frequent in NGT-Ms than those modified by EGTs and conventional mutagenesis. It is concluded that EFSA guidances are 'partially applicable', therefore on a case-by-case basis for specific NGT-Ms, fewer requirements may be needed. Some of the EFSA guidances are 'not sufficient' and updates are recommended. Because possible hazards relate to genotypic and phenotypic changes introduced and not to the method used for the modification, it is recommended that any new guidance should take a consistent risk assessment approach for strains/products derived from or produced with microorganisms obtained with conventional mutagenesis, EGTs or NGTs.
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Fang L, Chen Y, He Q, Wang L, Duan Q, Huang C, Song H, Cao Y. Mining novel gene targets for improving tolerance to furfural and acetic acid in Yarrowia lipolytica using whole-genome CRISPRi library. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 403:130764. [PMID: 38718903 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130764] [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: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Abundant renewable resource lignocellulosic biomass possesses tremendous potential for green biomanufacturing, while its efficient utilization by Yarrowia lipolytica, an attractive biochemical production host, is restricted since the presence of inhibitors furfural and acetic acid in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. Given deficient understanding of inherent interactions between inhibitors and cellular metabolism, sufficiently mining relevant genes is necessary. Herein, 14 novel gene targets were discovered using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference library in Y. lipolytica, achieving tolerance to 0.35 % (v/v) acetic acid (the highest concentration reported in Y. lipolytica), 4.8 mM furfural, or a combination of 2.4 mM furfural and 0.15 % (v/v) acetic acid. The tolerance mechanism might involve improvement of cell division and decrease of reactive oxygen species level. Transcriptional repression of effective gene targets still enabled tolerance when xylose was a carbon source. This work forms a robust foundation for improving microbial tolerance to lignocellulose-derived inhibitors and revealing underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixia Fang
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yaru Chen
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Qianxi He
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Luxin Wang
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Qiyang Duan
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Congcong Huang
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Hao Song
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yingxiu Cao
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Liu Y, Jiao B, Champer J, Qian W. Overriding Mendelian inheritance in Arabidopsis with a CRISPR toxin-antidote gene drive that impairs pollen germination. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:910-922. [PMID: 38886523 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01692-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic gene drives, inspired by natural selfish genetic elements and transmitted to progeny at super-Mendelian (>50%) frequencies, present transformative potential for disseminating traits that benefit humans throughout wild populations, even facing potential fitness costs. Here we constructed a gene drive system in plants called CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance utilizing NPG1 (CAIN), which uses a toxin-antidote mechanism in the male germline to override Mendelian inheritance. Specifically, a guide RNA-Cas9 cassette targets the essential No Pollen Germination 1 (NPG1) gene, serving as the toxin to block pollen germination. A recoded, CRISPR-resistant copy of NPG1 serves as the antidote, providing rescue only in pollen cells that carry the drive. To limit potential consequences of inadvertent release, we used self-pollinating Arabidopsis thaliana as a model. The drive demonstrated a robust 88-99% transmission rate over two successive generations, producing minimal resistance alleles that are unlikely to inhibit drive spread. Our study provides a strong basis for rapid genetic modification or suppression of outcrossing plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bingke Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenfeng Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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de Haas FJH, Kläy L, Débarre F, Otto SP. Modelling daisy quorum drive: A short-term bridge across engineered fitness valleys. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011262. [PMID: 38753875 PMCID: PMC11135765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011262] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Engineered gene-drive techniques for population modification and/or suppression have the potential for tackling complex challenges, including reducing the spread of diseases and invasive species. Gene-drive systems with low threshold frequencies for invasion, such as homing-based gene drive, require initially few transgenic individuals to spread and are therefore easy to introduce. The self-propelled behavior of such drives presents a double-edged sword, however, as the low threshold can allow transgenic elements to expand beyond a target population. By contrast, systems where a high threshold frequency must be reached before alleles can spread-above a fitness valley-are less susceptible to spillover but require introduction at a high frequency. We model a proposed drive system, called "daisy quorum drive," that transitions over time from a low-threshold daisy-chain system (involving homing-based gene drive such as CRISPR-Cas9) to a high-threshold fitness-valley system (requiring a high frequency-a "quorum"-to spread). The daisy-chain construct temporarily lowers the high thresholds required for spread of the fitness-valley construct, facilitating use in a wide variety of species that are challenging to breed and release in large numbers. Because elements in the daisy chain only drive subsequent elements in the chain and not themselves and also carry deleterious alleles ("drive load"), the daisy chain is expected to exhaust itself, removing all CRISPR elements and leaving only the high-threshold fitness-valley construct, whose spread is more spatially restricted. Developing and analyzing both discrete patch and continuous space models, we explore how various attributes of daisy quorum drive affect the chance of modifying local population characteristics and the risk that transgenic elements expand beyond a target area. We also briefly explore daisy quorum drive when population suppression is the goal. We find that daisy quorum drive can provide a promising bridge between gene-drive and fitness-valley constructs, allowing spread from a low frequency in the short term and better containment in the long term, without requiring repeated introductions or persistence of CRISPR elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik J. H. de Haas
- Biodiversity Research Center, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
| | - Léna Kläy
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Paris (IEES Paris), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Université Paris Est Creteil, Université de Paris, Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Florence Débarre
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Paris (IEES Paris), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Université Paris Est Creteil, Université de Paris, Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Sarah P. Otto
- Biodiversity Research Center, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
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Anderson MAE, Gonzalez E, Edgington MP, Ang JXD, Purusothaman DK, Shackleford L, Nevard K, Verkuijl SAN, Harvey-Samuel T, Leftwich PT, Esvelt K, Alphey L. A multiplexed, confinable CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive can propagate in caged Aedes aegypti populations. Nat Commun 2024; 15:729. [PMID: 38272895 PMCID: PMC10810878 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44956-2] [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: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several major pathogens including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Classical mosquito control strategies utilizing insecticides are threatened by rising resistance. This has stimulated interest in new genetic systems such as gene drivesHere, we test the regulatory sequences from the Ae. aegypti benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) homolog to express Cas9 and a separate multiplexing sgRNA-expressing cassette inserted into the Ae. aegypti kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (kmo) gene. When combined, these two elements provide highly effective germline cutting at the kmo locus and act as a gene drive. Our target genetic element drives through a cage trial population such that carrier frequency of the element increases from 50% to up to 89% of the population despite significant fitness costs to kmo insertions. Deep sequencing suggests that the multiplexing design could mitigate resistance allele formation in our gene drive system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A E Anderson
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Estela Gonzalez
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Matthew P Edgington
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Joshua X D Ang
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Deepak-Kumar Purusothaman
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Henry Wellcome Building, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Lewis Shackleford
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Katherine Nevard
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
| | - Sebald A N Verkuijl
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | | | - Philip T Leftwich
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Kevin Esvelt
- Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0HN, UK.
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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Kumam Y, Trick HN, Vara Prasad P, Jugulam M. Transformative Approaches for Sustainable Weed Management: The Power of Gene Drive and CRISPR-Cas9. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2176. [PMID: 38136999 PMCID: PMC10742955 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122176] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Weeds can negatively impact crop yields and the ecosystem's health. While many weed management strategies have been developed and deployed, there is a greater need for the development of sustainable methods for employing integrated weed management. Gene drive systems can be used as one of the approaches to suppress the aggressive growth and reproductive behavior of weeds, although their efficacy is yet to be tested. Their popularity in insect pest management has increased, however, with the advent of CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which provides specificity and precision in editing the target gene. This review focuses on the different types of gene drive systems, including the use of CRISPR-Cas9-based systems and their success stories in pest management, while also exploring their possible applications in weed species. Factors that govern the success of a gene drive system in weeds, including the mode of reproduction, the availability of weed genome databases, and well-established transformation protocols are also discussed. Importantly, the risks associated with the release of weed populations with gene drive-bearing alleles into wild populations are also examined, along with the importance of addressing ecological consequences and ethical concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaiphabi Kumam
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA; (Y.K.); (P.V.V.P.)
| | - Harold N Trick
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA;
| | - P.V. Vara Prasad
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA; (Y.K.); (P.V.V.P.)
| | - Mithila Jugulam
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA; (Y.K.); (P.V.V.P.)
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Overton MS, Guy SE, Chen X, Martsul A, Carolino K, Akbari OS, Meyer JR, Kryazhimskiy S. Upper Bound on the Mutational Burden Imposed by a CRISPR-Cas9 Gene-Drive Element. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.28.569142. [PMID: 38076841 PMCID: PMC10705488 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.28.569142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9 gene drives (CCGDs) are powerful tools for genetic control of wild populations, useful for eradication of disease vectors, conservation of endangered species and other applications. However, Cas9 alone and in a complex with gRNA can cause double-stranded DNA breaks at off-target sites, which could increase the mutational load and lead to loss of heterozygosity (LOH). These undesired effects raise potential concerns about the long-term evolutionary safety of CCGDs, but the magnitude of these effects is unknown. To estimate how the presence of a CCGD or a Cas9 alone in the genome affects the rates of LOH events and de novo mutations, we carried out a mutation accumulation experiment in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Despite its substantial statistical power, our experiment revealed no detectable effect of CCGD or Cas9 alone on the genome-wide rates of mutations or LOH events, suggesting that these rates are affected by less than 30%. Nevertheless, we found that Cas9 caused a slight but significant shift towards more interstitial and fewer terminal LOH events, and the CCGD caused a significant difference in the distribution of LOH events on Chromosome V. Taken together, our results show that these genetic elements impose a weak and likely localized additional mutational burden in the yeast model. Although the mutagenic effects of CCGDs need to be further evaluated in other systems, our results suggest that the effect of CCGDs on off-target mutation rates and genetic diversity may be acceptable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Overton
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Sean E. Guy
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Current address: Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA 92121
| | - Xingsen Chen
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Current address: Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Alena Martsul
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Current address: Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA 92122
| | - Krypton Carolino
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Justin R. Meyer
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Sergey Kryazhimskiy
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
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Raban R, Marshall JM, Hay BA, Akbari OS. Manipulating the Destiny of Wild Populations Using CRISPR. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:361-390. [PMID: 37722684 PMCID: PMC11064769 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-031623-105059] [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] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Genetic biocontrol aims to suppress or modify populations of species to protect public health, agriculture, and biodiversity. Advancements in genome engineering technologies have fueled a surge in research in this field, with one gene editing technology, CRISPR, leading the charge. This review focuses on the current state of CRISPR technologies for genetic biocontrol of pests and highlights the progress and ongoing challenges of using these approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Raban
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - John M Marshall
- Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Bruce A Hay
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
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11
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Chennuri PR, Zapletal J, Monfardini RD, Ndeffo-Mbah ML, Adelman ZN, Myles KM. Repeat mediated excision of gene drive elements for restoring wild-type populations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.23.568397. [PMID: 38045402 PMCID: PMC10690251 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.23.568397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate here that single strand annealing (SSA) repair can be co-opted for the precise autocatalytic excision of a drive element. Although SSA is not the predominant form of DNA repair in eukaryotic organisms, we increased the likelihood of its use by engineering direct repeats at sites flanking the drive allele, and then introducing a double-strand DNA break (DSB) at a second endonuclease target site encoded within the drive allele. We have termed this technology Re peat M ediated E xcision of a D rive E lement (ReMEDE). Incorporation of ReMEDE into the previously described mutagenic chain reaction (MCR) gene drive, targeting the yellow gene of Drosophila melanogaster , replaced drive alleles with wild-type alleles demonstrating proof-of-principle. Although the ReMEDE system requires further research and development, the technology has a number of attractive features as a gene drive mitigation strategy, chief among these the potential to restore a wild-type population without releasing additional transgenic organisms or large-scale environmental engineering efforts.
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12
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Xia Y, Li Y, Shen W, Yang H, Chen X. CRISPR-Cas Technology for Bioengineering Conventional and Non-Conventional Yeasts: Progress and New Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15310. [PMID: 37894990 PMCID: PMC10607330 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015310] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR-Cas) system has undergone substantial and transformative progress. Simultaneously, a spectrum of derivative technologies has emerged, spanning both conventional and non-conventional yeast strains. Non-conventional yeasts, distinguished by their robust metabolic pathways, formidable resilience against diverse stressors, and distinctive regulatory mechanisms, have emerged as a highly promising alternative for diverse industrial applications. This comprehensive review serves to encapsulate the prevailing gene editing methodologies and their associated applications within the traditional industrial microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Additionally, it delineates the current panorama of non-conventional yeast strains, accentuating their latent potential in the realm of industrial and biotechnological utilization. Within this discourse, we also contemplate the potential value these tools offer alongside the attendant challenges they pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China; (Y.X.); (Y.L.); (W.S.); (H.Y.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yujie Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China; (Y.X.); (Y.L.); (W.S.); (H.Y.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China; (Y.X.); (Y.L.); (W.S.); (H.Y.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Haiquan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China; (Y.X.); (Y.L.); (W.S.); (H.Y.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xianzhong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China; (Y.X.); (Y.L.); (W.S.); (H.Y.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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13
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Pan M, Champer J. Making waves: Comparative analysis of gene drive spread characteristics in a continuous space model. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5673-5694. [PMID: 37694511 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17131] [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: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
With their ability to rapidly increase in frequency, gene drives can be used to modify or suppress target populations after an initial release of drive individuals. Recent advances have revealed many possibilities for different types of drives, and several of these have been realized in experiments. These drives have advantages and disadvantages related to their ease of construction, confinement and capacity to be used for modification or suppression. Though characteristics of these drives have been explored in modelling studies, assessment in continuous space environments has been limited, often focusing on outcomes rather than fundamental properties. Here, we conduct a comparative analysis of many different gene drive types that have the capacity to form a wave of advance in continuous space using individual-based simulations in continuous space. We evaluate the drive wave speed as a function of drive performance and ecological parameters, which reveals substantial differences between drive performance in panmictic versus spatial environments. In particular, we find that suppression drive waves are uniquely vulnerable to fitness costs and undesired CRISPR cleavage activity in embryos by maternal deposition. Some drives, however, retain robust performance even with widely varying efficiency parameters. To gain a better understanding of drive waves, we compare their panmictic performance and find that the rate of wild-type allele removal is correlated with drive wave speed, though this is also affected by other factors. Overall, our results provide a useful resource for understanding the performance of drives in spatially continuous environments, which may be most representative of potential drive deployment in many relevant scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzuyu Pan
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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14
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Kim J, Harris KD, Kim IK, Shemesh S, Messer PW, Greenbaum G. Incorporating ecology into gene drive modelling. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S62-S80. [PMID: 37840022 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14194] [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: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Gene drive technology, in which fast-spreading engineered drive alleles are introduced into wild populations, represents a promising new tool in the fight against vector-borne diseases, agricultural pests and invasive species. Due to the risks involved, gene drives have so far only been tested in laboratory settings while their population-level behaviour is mainly studied using mathematical and computational models. The spread of a gene drive is a rapid evolutionary process that occurs over timescales similar to many ecological processes. This can potentially generate strong eco-evolutionary feedback that could profoundly affect the dynamics and outcome of a gene drive release. We, therefore, argue for the importance of incorporating ecological features into gene drive models. We describe the key ecological features that could affect gene drive behaviour, such as population structure, life-history, environmental variation and mode of selection. We review previous gene drive modelling efforts and identify areas where further research is needed. As gene drive technology approaches the level of field experimentation, it is crucial to evaluate gene drive dynamics, potential outcomes, and risks realistically by including ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehee Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Keith D Harris
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Isabel K Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Shahar Shemesh
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Gili Greenbaum
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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15
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Nguyen PQ, Huang X, Collins DS, Collins JJ, Lu T. Harnessing synthetic biology to enhance ocean health. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:860-874. [PMID: 36669947 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Ocean health is faltering, its capability for regeneration and renewal being eroded by a steady pulse of anthropomorphic impacts. Plastic waste has infiltrated all ocean biomes, climate change threatens coral reefs with extinction, and eutrophication has unleashed vast algal blooms. In the face of these challenges, synthetic biology approaches may hold untapped solutions to mitigate adverse effects, repair ecosystems, and put us on a path towards sustainable stewardship of our planet. Leveraging synthetic biology tools would enable innovative engineering approaches to augment the natural adaptive capacity of ocean biological systems to cope with the swiftness of human-induced change. Here, we present a framework for developing synthetic biology solutions for the challenges of plastic pollution, coral bleaching, and harmful algal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Q Nguyen
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaoning Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Daniel S Collins
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biology and Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - James J Collins
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Ting Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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16
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Chae K, Overcash JM, Dawson C, Valentin C, Tsujimoto H, Myles KM, Adelman ZN. CRISPR-based gene editing of non-homologous end joining factors biases DNA repair pathway choice toward single-strand annealing in Aedes aegypti. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 5:100133. [PMID: 37475832 PMCID: PMC10357993 DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2023.100133] [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] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
To maintain genome stability, eukaryotic cells orchestrate DNA repair pathways to process DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that result from diverse developmental or environmental stimuli. Bias in the selection of DSB repair pathways, either non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR), is also critical for efficient gene editing and for homing-based gene drive approaches developed for the control of disease-transmitting vector mosquitoes. However, little is understood about DNA repair homeostasis in the mosquito genome. Here, we utilized CRISPR/Cas9 to generate indel mutant strains for core NHEJ factors ku80, DNA ligase IV (lig4), and DNA-PKcs in the mosquito Aedes aegypti and evaluated the corresponding effects on DNA repair. In a plasmid-based assay, disruption of ku80 or lig4, but not DNA-PKcs, reduced both NHEJ and SSA. However, a transgenic reporter strain-based test revealed that those mutations significantly biased DNA repair events toward SSA. Interestingly, ku80 mutation also significantly increased the end joining rate by a yet-characterized mechanism in males. Our study provides evidence that the core NHEJ factors have an antagonistic effect on SSA-based DSB repair of the Ae. aegypti genome. Down-modulating the NHEJ pathway can enhance the efficiency of nuclease-based genetic control approaches, as most of those operate by homology-based repair processes along with extensive DNA end resection that is antagonized by NHEJ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keun Chae
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Justin M. Overcash
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Riverdale, MD 20737, United States
| | - Chanell Dawson
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Collin Valentin
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Hitoshi Tsujimoto
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Kevin M. Myles
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Zach N. Adelman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
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17
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Abdullah M, Greco BM, Laurent JM, Garge RK, Boutz DR, Vandeloo M, Marcotte EM, Kachroo AH. Rapid, scalable, combinatorial genome engineering by marker-less enrichment and recombination of genetically engineered loci in yeast. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100464. [PMID: 37323580 PMCID: PMC10261898 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge to rationally building multi-gene processes in yeast arises due to the combinatorics of combining all of the individual edits into the same strain. Here, we present a precise and multi-site genome editing approach that combines all edits without selection markers using CRISPR-Cas9. We demonstrate a highly efficient gene drive that selectively eliminates specific loci by integrating CRISPR-Cas9-mediated double-strand break (DSB) generation and homology-directed recombination with yeast sexual assortment. The method enables marker-less enrichment and recombination of genetically engineered loci (MERGE). We show that MERGE converts single heterologous loci to homozygous loci at ∼100% efficiency, independent of chromosomal location. Furthermore, MERGE is equally efficient at converting and combining multiple loci, thus identifying compatible genotypes. Finally, we establish MERGE proficiency by engineering a fungal carotenoid biosynthesis pathway and most of the human α-proteasome core into yeast. Therefore, MERGE lays the foundation for scalable, combinatorial genome editing in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudabir Abdullah
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Brittany M. Greco
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jon M. Laurent
- Institute of Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Riddhiman K. Garge
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Daniel R. Boutz
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Michelle Vandeloo
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Edward M. Marcotte
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Aashiq H. Kachroo
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, QC, Canada
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18
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Zhu Y, Champer J. Simulations Reveal High Efficiency and Confinement of a Population Suppression CRISPR Toxin-Antidote Gene Drive. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:809-819. [PMID: 36825354 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00611] [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: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Though engineered gene drives hold great promise for spreading through and suppressing populations of disease vectors or invasive species, complications such as resistance alleles and spatial population structure can prevent their success. Additionally, most forms of suppression drives, such as homing drives or driving Y chromosomes, will generally spread uncontrollably between populations with even small levels of migration. The previously proposed CRISPR-based toxin-antidote system called toxin-antidote dominant embryo (TADE) suppression drive could potentially address the issues of confinement and resistance. However, it is a relatively weak form of drive compared to homing drives, which might make it particularly vulnerable to spatial population structure. In this study, we investigate TADE suppression drive using individual-based simulations in a continuous spatial landscape. We find that the drive is actually more confined than in simple models without space, even in its most efficient form with low cleavage rate in embryos from maternally deposited Cas9. Furthermore, the drive performed well in continuous space scenarios if the initial release requirements were met, suppressing the population in a timely manner without being severely affected by chasing, a phenomenon in which wild-type individuals avoid the drive by recolonizing empty areas. At higher embryo cut rates, the drive loses its ability to spread, but a single, widespread release can often still induce rapid population collapse. Thus, if TADE suppression gene drives can be successfully constructed, they may play an important role in control of disease vectors and invasive species when stringent confinement to target populations is desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Zhu
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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19
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Gong Z, Guo J, Li Q, Xie H. Molecular mechanism of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in promoting biomineralization on bacterial surface. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130305. [PMID: 36621513 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2023.130305] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Biomineralization on bacterial surface is affected by biomolecules of bacterial cell surface. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main and outermost component on the extracellular membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. In the present study, the molecular mechanism of LPS in affecting biomineralization of Ag+/Cl- colloids was investigated by taking advantages of two LPS structural deficient mutants of Escherichia coli. The two mutants were generated by impairing the expression of waaP or wbbH genes with CRISPR/Cas9 technology and it induced deficient polysaccharide chain of O-antigen (ΔwbbH) or phosphate groups of core oligosaccharide (ΔwaaP) in LPS structures. There were significant changes of the cell morphology and surface charge of the two mutants in comparing with that of wild type cells. LPS from ΔwaaP mutant showed increased ΔHITC upon interacting with free Ag+ ions than LPS from wild type cells or ΔwbbH mutant, implying the binding affinity of LPS to Ag+ ions is affected by the phosphate groups in core oligosaccharide. LPS from ΔwbbH mutant showed decreased endotherm (ΔQ) upon interacting with Ag+/Cl- colloids than LPS from wild type or ΔwaaP mutant cells, implying LPS polysaccharide chain structure is critical for stabilizing Ag+/Cl- colloids. Biomineralization of Ag+/Cl- colloids on ΔwbbH mutant cell surface showed distinctive morphology in comparison with that of wild type or ΔwaaP mutant cells, which confirmed the critical role of O-antigen of LPS in biomineralization. The present work provided molecular evidence of the relationship between LPS structure, ions, and ionic colloids in biomineralization on bacterial cell surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zechuan Gong
- Institute of Aix-marseille (AMU-WHU), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Junhui Guo
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Qichang Li
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hao Xie
- Institute of Aix-marseille (AMU-WHU), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
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20
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Chen J, Xu X, Champer J. Assessment of distant-site rescue elements for CRISPR toxin-antidote gene drives. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1138702. [PMID: 36860883 PMCID: PMC9968759 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1138702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene drive is a genetic engineering technology that can enable super-mendelian inheritance of specific alleles, allowing them to spread through a population. New gene drive types have increased flexibility, offering options for confined modification or suppression of target populations. Among the most promising are CRISPR toxin-antidote gene drives, which disrupt essential wild-type genes by targeting them with Cas9/gRNA. This results in their removal, increasing the frequency of the drive. All these drives rely on having an effective rescue element, which consists of a recoded version of the target gene. This rescue element can be at the same site as the target gene, maximizing the chance of efficient rescue, or at a distant site, which allows useful options such as easily disrupting another essential gene or increasing confinement. Previously, we developed a homing rescue drive targeting a haplolethal gene and a toxin-antidote drive targeting a haplosufficient gene. These successful drives had functional rescue elements but suboptimal drive efficiency. Here, we attempted to construct toxin-antidote drives targeting these genes with a distant-site configuration from three loci in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that additional gRNAs increased cut rates to nearly 100%. However, all distant-site rescue elements failed for both target genes. Furthermore, one rescue element with a minimally recoded sequence was used as a template for homology-directed repair for the target gene on a different chromosomal arm, resulting in the formation of functional resistance alleles. Together, these results can inform the design of future CRISPR-based toxin-antidote gene drives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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21
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Meiborg AB, Faber NR, Taylor BA, Harpur BA, Gorjanc G. The suppressive potential of a gene drive in populations of invasive social wasps is currently limited. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1640. [PMID: 36717606 PMCID: PMC9886928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28867-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects are very successful invasive species, and the continued increase of global trade and transportation has exacerbated this problem. The yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax (henceforth Asian hornet), is drastically expanding its range in Western Europe. As an apex insect predator, this hornet poses a serious threat to the honey bee industry and endemic pollinators. Current suppression methods have proven too inefficient and expensive to limit its spread. Gene drives might be an effective tool to control this species, but their use has not yet been thoroughly investigated in social insects. Here, we built a model that matches the hornet's life history and modelled the effect of different gene drive scenarios on an established invasive population. To test the broader applicability and sensitivity of the model, we also incorporated the invasive European paper wasp Polistes dominula. We find that, due to the haplodiploidy of social hymenopterans, only a gene drive targeting female fertility is promising for population control. Our results show that although a gene drive can suppress a social wasp population, it can only do so under fairly stringent gene drive-specific conditions. This is due to a combination of two factors: first, the large number of surviving offspring that social wasp colonies produce make it possible that, even with very limited formation of resistance alleles, such alleles can quickly spread and rescue the population. Second, due to social wasp life history, infertile individuals do not compete with fertile ones, allowing fertile individuals to maintain a large population size even when drive alleles are widespread. Nevertheless, continued improvements in gene drive technology may make it a promising method for the control of invasive social insects in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriaan B Meiborg
- HighlanderLab, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK. .,Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Nicky R Faber
- HighlanderLab, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.,Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin A Taylor
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Brock A Harpur
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Gregor Gorjanc
- HighlanderLab, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
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22
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Raban R, Gendron WAC, Akbari OS. A perspective on the expansion of the genetic technologies to support the control of neglected vector-borne diseases and conservation. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.999273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic-based technologies are emerging as promising tools to support vector population control. Vectors of human malaria and dengue have been the main focus of these development efforts, but in recent years these technologies have become more flexible and adaptable and may therefore have more wide-ranging applications. Culex quinquefasciatus, for example, is the primary vector of avian malaria in Hawaii and other tropical islands. Avian malaria has led to the extinction of numerous native bird species and many native bird species continue to be threatened as climate change is expanding the range of this mosquito. Genetic-based technologies would be ideal to support avian malaria control as they would offer alternatives to interventions that are difficult to implement in natural areas, such as larval source reduction, and limit the need for chemical insecticides, which can harm beneficial species in these natural areas. This mosquito is also an important vector of human diseases, such as West Nile and Saint Louis encephalitis viruses, so genetic-based control efforts for this species could also have a direct impact on human health. This commentary will discuss the current state of development and future needs for genetic-based technologies in lesser studied, but important disease vectors, such as C. quinquefasciatus, and make comparisons to technologies available in more studied vectors. While most current genetic control focuses on human disease, we will address the impact that these technologies could have on both disease and conservation focused vector control efforts and what is needed to prepare these technologies for evaluation in the field. The versatility of genetic-based technologies may result in the development of many important tools to control a variety of vectors that impact human, animal, and ecosystem health.
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23
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Langmüller AM, Champer J, Lapinska S, Xie L, Metzloff M, Champer SE, Liu J, Xu Y, Du J, Clark AG, Messer PW. Fitness effects of CRISPR endonucleases in Drosophila melanogaster populations. eLife 2022; 11:e71809. [PMID: 36135925 PMCID: PMC9545523 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 provides a highly efficient and flexible genome editing technology with numerous potential applications ranging from gene therapy to population control. Some proposed applications involve the integration of CRISPR/Cas9 endonucleases into an organism's genome, which raises questions about potentially harmful effects to the transgenic individuals. One example for which this is particularly relevant are CRISPR-based gene drives conceived for the genetic alteration of entire populations. The performance of such drives can strongly depend on fitness costs experienced by drive carriers, yet relatively little is known about the magnitude and causes of these costs. Here, we assess the fitness effects of genomic CRISPR/Cas9 expression in Drosophila melanogaster cage populations by tracking allele frequencies of four different transgenic constructs that allow us to disentangle 'direct' fitness costs due to the integration, expression, and target-site activity of Cas9, from fitness costs due to potential off-target cleavage. Using a maximum likelihood framework, we find that a model with no direct fitness costs but moderate costs due to off-target effects fits our cage data best. Consistent with this, we do not observe fitness costs for a construct with Cas9HF1, a high-fidelity version of Cas9. We further demonstrate that using Cas9HF1 instead of standard Cas9 in a homing drive achieves similar drive conversion efficiency. These results suggest that gene drives should be designed with high-fidelity endonucleases and may have implications for other applications that involve genomic integration of CRISPR endonucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Langmüller
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Jackson Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Sandra Lapinska
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Lin Xie
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Matthew Metzloff
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Samuel E Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Jingxian Liu
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Yineng Xu
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Jie Du
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Andrew G Clark
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
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24
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Verkuijl SAN, Anderson MAE, Alphey L, Bonsall MB. Daisy-chain gene drives: The role of low cut-rate, resistance mutations, and maternal deposition. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010370. [PMID: 36121880 PMCID: PMC9521892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The introgression of genetic traits through gene drive may serve as a powerful and widely applicable method of biological control. However, for many applications, a self-perpetuating gene drive that can spread beyond the specific target population may be undesirable and preclude use. Daisy-chain gene drives have been proposed as a means of tuning the invasiveness of a gene drive, allowing it to spread efficiently into the target population, but be self-limiting beyond that. Daisy-chain gene drives are made up of multiple independent drive elements, where each element, except one, biases the inheritance of another, forming a chain. Under ideal inheritance biasing conditions, the released drive elements remain linked in the same configuration, generating copies of most of their elements except for the last remaining link in the chain. Through mathematical modelling of populations connected by migration, we have evaluated the effect of resistance alleles, different fitness costs, reduction in the cut-rate, and maternal deposition on two alternative daisy-chain gene drive designs. We find that the self-limiting nature of daisy-chain gene drives makes their spread highly dependent on the efficiency and fidelity of the inheritance biasing mechanism. In particular, reductions in the cut-rate and the formation of non-lethal resistance alleles can cause drive elements to lose their linked configuration. This severely reduces the invasiveness of the drives and allows for phantom cutting, where an upstream drive element cuts a downstream target locus despite the corresponding drive element being absent, creating and biasing the inheritance of additional resistance alleles. This phantom cutting can be mitigated by an alternative indirect daisy-chain design. We further find that while dominant fitness costs and maternal deposition reduce daisy-chain invasiveness, if overcome with an increased release frequency, they can reduce the spread of the drive into a neighbouring population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebald A. N. Verkuijl
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | | | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
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Melesse Vergara M, Labbé J, Tannous J. Reflection on the Challenges, Accomplishments, and New Frontiers of Gene Drives. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9853416. [PMID: 37850135 PMCID: PMC10521683 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9853416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Ongoing pest and disease outbreaks pose a serious threat to human, crop, and animal lives, emphasizing the need for constant genetic discoveries that could serve as mitigation strategies. Gene drives are genetic engineering approaches discovered decades ago that may allow quick, super-Mendelian dissemination of genetic modifications in wild populations, offering hopes for medicine, agriculture, and ecology in combating diseases. Following its first discovery, several naturally occurring selfish genetic elements were identified and several gene drive mechanisms that could attain relatively high threshold population replacement have been proposed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in gene drive research with a particular emphasis on CRISPR-Cas gene drives, the technology that has revolutionized the process of genome engineering. Herein, we discuss the benefits and caveats of this technology and place it within the context of natural gene drives discovered to date and various synthetic drives engineered. Later, we elaborate on the strategies for designing synthetic drive systems to address resistance issues and prevent them from altering the entire wild populations. Lastly, we highlight the major applications of synthetic CRISPR-based gene drives in different living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse Labbé
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Invaio Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02138USA
| | - Joanna Tannous
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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26
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Asad M, Liu D, Li J, Chen J, Yang G. Development of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene-Drive Construct Targeting the Phenotypic Gene in Plutella xylostella. Front Physiol 2022; 13:938621. [PMID: 35845988 PMCID: PMC9277308 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.938621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gene-drive system can ensure that desirable traits are transmitted to the progeny more than the normal Mendelian segregation. The clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) mediated gene-drive system has been demonstrated in dipteran insect species, including Drosophila and Anopheles, not yet in other insect species. Here, we have developed a single CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-drive construct for Plutella xylostella, a highly-destructive lepidopteran pest of cruciferous crops. The gene-drive construct was developed containing a Cas9 gene, a marker gene (EGFP) and a gRNA sequence targeting the phenotypic marker gene (Pxyellow) and site-specifically inserted into the P. xylostella genome. This homing-based gene-drive copied ∼12 kb of a fragment containing Cas9 gene, gRNA, and EGFP gene along with their promoters to the target site. Overall, 6.67%–12.59% gene-drive efficiency due to homology-directed repair (HDR), and 80.93%–86.77% resistant-allele formation due to non-homologous-end joining (NHEJ) were observed. Furthermore, the transgenic progeny derived from male parents showed a higher gene-drive efficiency compared with transgenic progeny derived from female parents. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-drive construct in P. xylostella that inherits the desired traits to the progeny. The finding of this study provides a foundation to develop an effective CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-drive system for pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asad
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Pest Control, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Pest Control, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jianwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Pest Control, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Pest Control, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Guang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Pest Control, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Guang Yang,
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27
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Chennuri PR, Adelman ZN, Myles KM. Genetic Approaches for Controlling CRISPR-based Autonomous Homing Gene Drives. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:897231. [PMID: 35782500 PMCID: PMC9240394 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.897231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-based autonomous homing gene drives are a potentially transformative technology with the power to reduce the prevalence of, or even eliminate, vector-borne diseases, agricultural pests, and invasive species. However, there are a number of regulatory, ethical, environmental, and sociopolitical concerns surrounding the potential use of gene drives, particularly regarding the possibility for any unintended outcomes that might result from such a powerful technology. Therefore, there is an imminent need for countermeasures or technologies capable of exerting precise spatiotemporal control of gene drives, if their transformative potential is ever to be fully realized. This review summarizes the current state of the art in the development of technologies to prevent the uncontrolled spread of CRISPR-based autonomous homing gene drives.
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Yang E, Metzloff M, Langmüller AM, Xu X, Clark AG, Messer PW, Champer J. A homing suppression gene drive with multiplexed gRNAs maintains high drive conversion efficiency and avoids functional resistance alleles. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac081. [PMID: 35394026 PMCID: PMC9157102 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Gene drives are engineered alleles that can bias inheritance in their favor, allowing them to spread throughout a population. They could potentially be used to modify or suppress pest populations, such as mosquitoes that spread diseases. CRISPR/Cas9 homing drives, which copy themselves by homology-directed repair in drive/wild-type heterozygotes, are a powerful form of gene drive, but they are vulnerable to resistance alleles that preserve the function of their target gene. Such resistance alleles can prevent successful population suppression. Here, we constructed a homing suppression drive in Drosophila melanogaster that utilized multiplexed gRNAs to inhibit the formation of functional resistance alleles in its female fertility target gene. The selected gRNA target sites were close together, preventing reduction in drive conversion efficiency. The construct reached a moderate equilibrium frequency in cage populations without apparent formation of resistance alleles. However, a moderate fitness cost prevented elimination of the cage population, showing the importance of using highly efficient drives in a suppression strategy, even if resistance can be addressed. Nevertheless, our results experimentally demonstrate the viability of the multiplexed gRNAs strategy in homing suppression gene drives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Yang
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Matthew Metzloff
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Anna M Langmüller
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni Vienna, 1210 Wien, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, 1210 Wien, Austria
| | - Xuejiao Xu
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Andrew G Clark
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Jackson Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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29
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Peng B, Esquirol L, Lu Z, Shen Q, Cheah LC, Howard CB, Scott C, Trau M, Dumsday G, Vickers CE. An in vivo gene amplification system for high level expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2895. [PMID: 35610221 PMCID: PMC9130285 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30529-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bottlenecks in metabolic pathways due to insufficient gene expression levels remain a significant problem for industrial bioproduction using microbial cell factories. Increasing gene dosage can overcome these bottlenecks, but current approaches suffer from numerous drawbacks. Here, we describe HapAmp, a method that uses haploinsufficiency as evolutionary force to drive in vivo gene amplification. HapAmp enables efficient, titratable, and stable integration of heterologous gene copies, delivering up to 47 copies onto the yeast genome. The method is exemplified in metabolic engineering to significantly improve production of the sesquiterpene nerolidol, the monoterpene limonene, and the tetraterpene lycopene. Limonene titre is improved by 20-fold in a single engineering step, delivering ∼1 g L-1 in the flask cultivation. We also show a significant increase in heterologous protein production in yeast. HapAmp is an efficient approach to unlock metabolic bottlenecks rapidly for development of microbial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyin Peng
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Black Mountain, ACT, 2601, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
- Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
| | - Lygie Esquirol
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - Zeyu Lu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Qianyi Shen
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Li Chen Cheah
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Christopher B Howard
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Colin Scott
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Black Mountain, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Biocatalysis and Synthetic Biology Team, CSIRO Land and Water, Black Mountain Science and Innovation Park, Canberra, ACT, 2061, Australia
| | - Matt Trau
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | | | - Claudia E Vickers
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Black Mountain, ACT, 2601, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
- Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia.
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30
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Metzloff M, Yang E, Dhole S, Clark AG, Messer PW, Champer J. Experimental demonstration of tethered gene drive systems for confined population modification or suppression. BMC Biol 2022; 20:119. [PMID: 35606745 PMCID: PMC9128227 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01292-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homing gene drives hold great promise for the genetic control of natural populations. However, current homing systems are capable of spreading uncontrollably between populations connected by even marginal levels of migration. This could represent a substantial sociopolitical barrier to the testing or deployment of such drives and may generally be undesirable when the objective is only local population control, such as suppression of an invasive species outside of its native range. Tethered drive systems, in which a locally confined gene drive provides the CRISPR nuclease needed for a homing drive, could provide a solution to this problem, offering the power of a homing drive and confinement of the supporting drive. RESULTS Here, we demonstrate the engineering of a tethered drive system in Drosophila, using a regionally confined CRISPR Toxin-Antidote Recessive Embryo (TARE) drive to support modification and suppression homing drives. Each drive was able to bias inheritance in its favor, and the TARE drive was shown to spread only when released above a threshold frequency in experimental cage populations. After the TARE drive had established in the population, it facilitated the spread of a subsequently released split homing modification drive (to all individuals in the cage) and of a homing suppression drive (to its equilibrium frequency). CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the tethered drive strategy is a viable and easily engineered option for providing confinement of homing drives to target populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Metzloff
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Emily Yang
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Sumit Dhole
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Andrew G Clark
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jackson Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- Present Address: Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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31
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Das D, Singha DL, Paswan RR, Chowdhury N, Sharma M, Reddy PS, Chikkaputtaiah C. Recent advancements in CRISPR/Cas technology for accelerated crop improvement. PLANTA 2022; 255:109. [PMID: 35460444 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-03894-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Precise genome engineering approaches could be perceived as a second paradigm for targeted trait improvement in crop plants, with the potential to overcome the constraints imposed by conventional CRISPR/Cas technology. The likelihood of reduced agricultural production due to highly turbulent climatic conditions increases as the global population expands. The second paradigm of stress-resilient crops with enhanced tolerance and increased productivity against various stresses is paramount to support global production and consumption equilibrium. Although traditional breeding approaches have substantially increased crop production and yield, effective strategies are anticipated to restore crop productivity even further in meeting the world's increasing food demands. CRISPR/Cas, which originated in prokaryotes, has surfaced as a coveted genome editing tool in recent decades, reshaping plant molecular biology in unprecedented ways and paving the way for engineering stress-tolerant crops. CRISPR/Cas is distinguished by its efficiency, high target specificity, and modularity, enables precise genetic modification of crop plants, allowing for the creation of allelic variations in the germplasm and the development of novel and more productive agricultural practices. Additionally, a slew of advanced biotechnologies premised on the CRISPR/Cas methodologies have augmented fundamental research and plant synthetic biology toolkits. Here, we describe gene editing tools, including CRISPR/Cas and its imitative tools, such as base and prime editing, multiplex genome editing, chromosome engineering followed by their implications in crop genetic improvement. Further, we comprehensively discuss the latest developments of CRISPR/Cas technology including CRISPR-mediated gene drive, tissue-specific genome editing, dCas9 mediated epigenetic modification and programmed self-elimination of transgenes in plants. Finally, we highlight the applicability and scope of advanced CRISPR-based techniques in crop genetic improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debajit Das
- Biological Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, 785006, India
| | - Dhanawantari L Singha
- Biological Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, 785006, India
| | - Ricky Raj Paswan
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, 785013, India
| | - Naimisha Chowdhury
- Biological Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, 785006, India
| | - Monica Sharma
- Biological Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, 785006, India
| | - Palakolanu Sudhakar Reddy
- International Crop Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, 502 324, India
| | - Channakeshavaiah Chikkaputtaiah
- Biological Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, 785006, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201 002, India.
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32
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Pei L, Garfinkel M, Schmidt M. Bottlenecks and opportunities for synthetic biology biosafety standards. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2175. [PMID: 35449163 PMCID: PMC9023567 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29889-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Pei
- Biofaction KG, Vienna, Austria
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33
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Verkuijl SAN, Ang JXD, Alphey L, Bonsall MB, Anderson MAE. The Challenges in Developing Efficient and Robust Synthetic Homing Endonuclease Gene Drives. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:856981. [PMID: 35419354 PMCID: PMC8996256 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.856981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Making discrete and precise genetic changes to wild populations has been proposed as a means of addressing some of the world's most pressing ecological and public health challenges caused by insect pests. Technologies that would allow this, such as synthetic gene drives, have been under development for many decades. Recently, a new generation of programmable nucleases has dramatically accelerated technological development. CRISPR-Cas9 has improved the efficiency of genetic engineering and has been used as the principal effector nuclease in different gene drive inheritance biasing mechanisms. Of these nuclease-based gene drives, homing endonuclease gene drives have been the subject of the bulk of research efforts (particularly in insects), with many different iterations having been developed upon similar core designs. We chart the history of homing gene drive development, highlighting the emergence of challenges such as unintended repair outcomes, "leaky" expression, and parental deposition. We conclude by discussing the progress made in developing strategies to increase the efficiency of homing endonuclease gene drives and mitigate or prevent unintended outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebald A. N. Verkuijl
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua X. D. Ang
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
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34
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Wang GH, Du J, Chu CY, Madhav M, Hughes GL, Champer J. Symbionts and gene drive: two strategies to combat vector-borne disease. Trends Genet 2022; 38:708-723. [PMID: 35314082 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes bring global health problems by transmitting parasites and viruses such as malaria and dengue. Unfortunately, current insecticide-based control strategies are only moderately effective because of high cost and resistance. Thus, scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective strategies are needed for mosquito-borne disease control. Symbiont-based and genome engineering-based approaches provide new tools that show promise for meeting these criteria, enabling modification or suppression approaches. Symbiotic bacteria like Wolbachia are maternally inherited and manipulate mosquito host reproduction to enhance their vertical transmission. Genome engineering-based gene drive methods, in which mosquitoes are genetically altered to spread drive alleles throughout wild populations, are also proving to be a potentially powerful approach in the laboratory. Here, we review the latest developments in both symbionts and gene drive-based methods. We describe some notable similarities, as well as distinctions and obstacles, relating to these promising technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Hong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Jie Du
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chen Yi Chu
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Mukund Madhav
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Jackson Champer
- Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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35
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Xu X, Harvey-Samuel T, Siddiqui HA, Ang JXD, Anderson ME, Reitmayer CM, Lovett E, Leftwich PT, You M, Alphey L. Toward a CRISPR-Cas9-based Gene Drive in the Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella. CRISPR J 2022; 5:224-236. [PMID: 35285719 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Promising to provide powerful genetic control tools, gene drives have been constructed in multiple dipteran insects, yeast, and mice for the purposes of population elimination or modification. However, it remains unclear whether these techniques can be applied to lepidopterans. Here, we used endogenous regulatory elements to drive Cas9 and single guide RNA (sgRNA) expression in the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, and test the first split gene drive system in a lepidopteran. The DBM is an economically important global agriculture pest of cruciferous crops and has developed severe resistance to various insecticides, making it a prime candidate for such novel control strategy development. A very high level of somatic editing was observed in Cas9/sgRNA transheterozygotes, although no significant homing was revealed in the subsequent generation. Although heritable Cas9-medated germline cleavage as well as maternal and paternal Cas9 deposition were observed, rates were far lower than for somatic cleavage events, indicating robust somatic but limited germline activity of Cas9/sgRNA under the control of selected regulatory elements. Our results provide valuable experience, paving the way for future construction of gene drives or other Cas9-based genetic control strategies in DBM and other lepidopterans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejiao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Tim Harvey-Samuel
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Hamid Anees Siddiqui
- National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Joshua Xin De Ang
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | | | - Christine M Reitmayer
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Erica Lovett
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Philip T Leftwich
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Luke Alphey
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China.,Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright, United Kingdom
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Tellechea-Luzardo J, Hobbs L, Velázquez E, Pelechova L, Woods S, de Lorenzo V, Krasnogor N. Versioning biological cells for trustworthy cell engineering. Nat Commun 2022; 13:765. [PMID: 35140226 PMCID: PMC8828774 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28350-4] [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: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
“Full-stack” biotechnology platforms for cell line (re)programming are on the horizon, thanks mostly to (a) advances in gene synthesis and editing techniques as well as (b) the growing integration of life science research with informatics, the internet of things and automation. These emerging platforms will accelerate the production and consumption of biological products. Hence, traceability, transparency, and—ultimately—trustworthiness is required from cradle to grave for engineered cell lines and their engineering processes. Here we report a cloud-based version control system for biotechnology that (a) keeps track and organizes the digital data produced during cell engineering and (b) molecularly links that data to the associated living samples. Barcoding protocols, based on standard genetic engineering methods, to molecularly link to the cloud-based version control system six species, including gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria as well as eukaryote cells, are shown. We argue that version control for cell engineering marks a significant step toward more open, reproducible, easier to trace and share, and more trustworthy engineering biology. Full traceability and transparency are important to establish trust in engineered cell lines. Here the authors argue that version control for cell engineering marks a significant step toward more open, reproducible, traceable and ultimately more trustworthy engineering biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Tellechea-Luzardo
- Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TG, UK
| | - Leanne Hobbs
- Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TG, UK
| | - Elena Velázquez
- Systems and Synthetic Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lenka Pelechova
- Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TG, UK
| | - Simon Woods
- Policy Ethics and Life Sciences (PEALS), Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems and Synthetic Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Natalio Krasnogor
- Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TG, UK.
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Lewis IC, Yan Y, Finnigan GC. Analysis of a Cas12a-based gene-drive system in budding yeast. Access Microbiol 2022; 3:000301. [PMID: 35024561 PMCID: PMC8749140 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery and adaptation of CRISPR/Cas systems within molecular biology has provided advances across biological research, agriculture and human health. Genomic manipulation through use of a CRISPR nuclease and programmed guide RNAs has become a common and widely accessible practice. The identification and introduction of new engineered variants and orthologues of Cas9 as well as alternative CRISPR systems such as the type V group have provided additional molecular options for editing. These include distinct PAM requirements, staggered DNA double-strand break formation, and the ability to multiplex guide RNAs from a single expression construct. Use of CRISPR/Cas has allowed for the construction and testing of a powerful genetic architecture known as a gene drive within eukaryotic model systems. Our previous work developed a drive within budding yeast using Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9. Here, we installed the type V Francisella novicida Cas12a (Cpf1) nuclease gene and its corresponding guide RNA to power a highly efficient artificial gene drive in diploid yeast. We examined the consequence of altering guide length or introduction of individual mutational substitutions to the crRNA sequence. Cas12a-dependent gene-drive function required a guide RNA of at least 18 bp and could not tolerate most changes within the 5' end of the crRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel C Lewis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.,Present address: School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Yao Yan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Gregory C Finnigan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
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Millett P, Alexanian T, Palmer MJ, Evans SW, Kuiken T, Oye K. iGEM and Gene Drives: A Case Study for Governance. Health Secur 2022; 20:26-34. [PMID: 35020492 PMCID: PMC8892970 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2021.0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene drives have already challenged governance systems. In this case study, we explore the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition's experiences in gene drive-related research and lessons in developing, revising, and implementing a governance system. iGEM's experiences and lessons are distilled into 6 key insights for future gene drive policy development in the United States: (1) gene drives deserve special attention because of their potential for widescale impact and remaining uncertainty about how to evaluate intergenerational and transboundary risks; (2) an adaptive risk management approach is logical for gene drives because of the rapidly changing technical environment; (3) review by individual technical experts is limited and may fail to incorporate other forms of expertise and, therefore, must be complemented with a range of alternative governance methods; (4) current laboratory biosafety and biosecurity review processes may not capture gene drive research or its components in practice even if they are covered theoretically; (5) risk management for research and development must incorporate discussions of values and broader implications of the work; and (6) a regular technology horizon scanning capacity is needed for the early identification of advances that could pose governance system challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piers Millett
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Tessa Alexanian
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Megan J. Palmer
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Sam Weiss Evans
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Todd Kuiken
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Kenneth Oye
- Piers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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Wong ACS, Massel K, Lam Y, Hintzsche J, Chauhan BS. Biotechnological Road Map for Innovative Weed Management. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:887723. [PMID: 35548307 PMCID: PMC9082642 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.887723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In most agriculture farmlands, weed management is predominantly reliant on integrated weed management (IWM) strategies, such as herbicide application. However, the overuse and misuse of herbicides, coupled with the lack of novel active ingredients, has resulted in the uptrend of herbicide-resistant weeds globally. Moreover, weedy traits that contribute to weed seed bank persistence further exacerbate the challenges in weed management. Despite ongoing efforts in identifying and improving current weed management processes, the pressing need for novel control techniques in agricultural weed management should not be overlooked. The advent of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing systems, coupled with the recent advances in "omics" and cheaper sequencing technologies, has brought into focus the potential of managing weeds in farmlands through direct genetic control approaches, but could be achieved stably or transiently. These approaches encompass a range of technologies that could potentially manipulate expression of key genes in weeds to reduce its fitness and competitiveness, or, by altering the crop to improve its competitiveness or herbicide tolerance. The push for reducing or circumventing the use of chemicals in farmlands has provided an added incentive to develop practical and feasible molecular approaches for weed management, although there are significant technical, practical, and regulatory challenges for utilizing these prospective molecular technologies in weed management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Chern Sun Wong
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Albert Chern Sun Wong,
| | - Karen Massel
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Yasmine Lam
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jessica Hintzsche
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Bhagirath Singh Chauhan
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, Australia
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40
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Abstract
Gene drives are selfish genetic elements that are transmitted to progeny at super-Mendelian (>50%) frequencies. Recently developed CRISPR-Cas9-based gene-drive systems are highly efficient in laboratory settings, offering the potential to reduce the prevalence of vector-borne diseases, crop pests and non-native invasive species. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential unintended impacts of gene-drive systems. This Review summarizes the phenomenal progress in this field, focusing on optimal design features for full-drive elements (drives with linked Cas9 and guide RNA components) that either suppress target mosquito populations or modify them to prevent pathogen transmission, allelic drives for updating genetic elements, mitigating strategies including trans-complementing split-drives and genetic neutralizing elements, and the adaptation of drive technology to other organisms. These scientific advances, combined with ethical and social considerations, will facilitate the transparent and responsible advancement of these technologies towards field implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Bier
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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41
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Grunwald HA, Weitzel AJ, Cooper KL. Applications of and considerations for using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene conversion systems in rodents. Nat Protoc 2022; 17:3-14. [PMID: 34949863 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00646-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Genetic elements that are inherited at super-Mendelian frequencies could be used in a 'gene drive' to spread an allele to high prevalence in a population with the goal of eliminating invasive species or disease vectors. We recently demonstrated that the gene conversion mechanism underlying a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene drive is feasible in mice. Although substantial technical hurdles remain, overcoming these could lead to strategies that might decrease the spread of rodent-borne Lyme disease or eliminate invasive populations of mice and rats that devastate island ecology. Perhaps more immediately achievable at moderate gene conversion efficiency, applications in a laboratory setting could produce complex genotypes that reduce the time and cost in both dollars and animal lives compared with Mendelian inheritance strategies. Here, we discuss what we have learned from early efforts to achieve CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene conversion, potential for broader applications in the laboratory, current limitations, and plans for optimizing this potentially powerful technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A Grunwald
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alexander J Weitzel
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kimberly L Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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42
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Champer SE, Oakes N, Sharma R, García-Díaz P, Champer J, Messer PW. Modeling CRISPR gene drives for suppression of invasive rodents using a supervised machine learning framework. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009660. [PMID: 34965253 PMCID: PMC8716047 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasive rodent populations pose a threat to biodiversity across the globe. When confronted with these invaders, native species that evolved independently are often defenseless. CRISPR gene drive systems could provide a solution to this problem by spreading transgenes among invaders that induce population collapse, and could be deployed even where traditional control methods are impractical or prohibitively expensive. Here, we develop a high-fidelity model of an island population of invasive rodents that includes three types of suppression gene drive systems. The individual-based model is spatially explicit, allows for overlapping generations and a fluctuating population size, and includes variables for drive fitness, efficiency, resistance allele formation rate, as well as a variety of ecological parameters. The computational burden of evaluating a model with such a high number of parameters presents a substantial barrier to a comprehensive understanding of its outcome space. We therefore accompany our population model with a meta-model that utilizes supervised machine learning to approximate the outcome space of the underlying model with a high degree of accuracy. This enables us to conduct an exhaustive inquiry of the population model, including variance-based sensitivity analyses using tens of millions of evaluations. Our results suggest that sufficiently capable gene drive systems have the potential to eliminate island populations of rodents under a wide range of demographic assumptions, though only if resistance can be kept to a minimal level. This study highlights the power of supervised machine learning to identify the key parameters and processes that determine the population dynamics of a complex evolutionary system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel E. Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Nathan Oakes
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Ronin Sharma
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Pablo García-Díaz
- Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand and School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Jackson Champer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Philipp W. Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Gene drives are an emerging technology with tremendous potential to impact public health, agriculture, and conservation. While gene drives can be described simply as selfish genetic elements (natural or engineered) that are inherited at non-Mendelian rates, upon closer inspection, engineered gene drive technology is a complex class of biotechnology that uses a diverse number of genetic features to bias rates of inheritance. As a complex technology, gene drives can be difficult to comprehend, not only for the public and stakeholders, but also to risk assessors, risk managers, and decisionmakers not familiar with gene drive literature. To address this difficulty, we describe a gene drive classification system based on 5 functional characteristics. These characteristics include a gene drive's objective, mechanism, release threshold, range, and persistence. The aggregate of the gene drive's characteristics can be described as the gene drive's architecture. Establishing a classification system to define different gene drive technologies should make them more comprehensible to the public and provide a framework to guide regulatory evaluation and decisionmaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Overcash
- Justin Overcash, PhD, is an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Science Fellow, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Riverdale, MD
| | - Andrew Golnar
- Andrew Golnar, PhD, is an APHIS Science Fellow, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO
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44
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Weitzel AJ, Grunwald HA, Weber C, Levina R, Gantz VM, Hedrick SM, Bier E, Cooper KL. Meiotic Cas9 expression mediates gene conversion in the male and female mouse germline. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001478. [PMID: 34941868 PMCID: PMC8699911 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly efficient gene conversion systems have the potential to facilitate the study of complex genetic traits using laboratory mice and, if implemented as a "gene drive," to limit loss of biodiversity and disease transmission caused by wild rodent populations. We previously showed that such a system of gene conversion from heterozygous to homozygous after a sequence targeted CRISPR/Cas9 double-strand DNA break (DSB) is feasible in the female mouse germline. In the male germline, however, all DSBs were instead repaired by end joining (EJ) mechanisms to form an "insertion/deletion" (indel) mutation. These observations suggested that timing Cas9 expression to coincide with meiosis I is critical to favor conditions when homologous chromosomes are aligned and interchromosomal homology-directed repair (HDR) mechanisms predominate. Here, using a Cas9 knock-in allele at the Spo11 locus, we show that meiotic expression of Cas9 does indeed mediate gene conversion in the male as well as in the female germline. However, the low frequency of both HDR and indel mutation in both male and female germlines suggests that Cas9 may be expressed from the Spo11 locus at levels too low for efficient DSB formation. We suggest that more robust Cas9 expression initiated during early meiosis I may improve the efficiency of gene conversion and further increase the rate of "super-mendelian" inheritance from both male and female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Weitzel
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Hannah A. Grunwald
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ceri Weber
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Rimma Levina
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Valentino M. Gantz
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Stephen M. Hedrick
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ethan Bier
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Kimberly L. Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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Guzmán-Zapata D, Vargas-Morales BV, Loyola-Vargas VM. From genome scissors to molecular scalpel: evolution of CRISPR systems. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 2021; 37:82-104. [PMID: 34412573 DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2021.1962071] [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: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
From bizarre palindromic repeats to a bacterial defense mechanism, to genome editing tool, and more, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats or CRISPR has significantly impacted the way we study genome modification in less than a decade. In this review, we would like to highlight some key players over 30 years of research and explain this biotechnological tool's basic mechanisms. We also refer to the evolution of the CRISPR variants and some of the applications derived from them. The understanding and upgrading of this system will be a valuable tool in the years to come to solve some of the challenges in diverse fields from pharmaceuticals to therapeutics, from basic plant genetics to crop improvement, from metabolic engineering to waste management and industrial processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Guzmán-Zapata
- Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, México
| | | | - Víctor M Loyola-Vargas
- Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, México
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46
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Verma P, Reeves RG, Gokhale CS. A common gene drive language eases regulatory process and eco-evolutionary extensions. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:156. [PMID: 34372763 PMCID: PMC8351217 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01881-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Synthetic gene drive technologies aim to spread transgenic constructs into wild populations even when they impose organismal fitness disadvantages. The extraordinary diversity of plausible drive mechanisms and the range of selective parameters they may encounter makes it very difficult to convey their relative predicted properties, particularly where multiple approaches are combined. The sheer number of published manuscripts in this field, experimental and theoretical, the numerous techniques resulting in an explosion in the gene drive vocabulary hinder the regulators’ point of view. We address this concern by defining a simplified parameter based language of synthetic drives. Results Employing the classical population dynamics approach, we show that different drive construct (replacement) mechanisms can be condensed and evaluated on an equal footing even where they incorporate multiple replacement drives approaches. Using a common language, it is then possible to compare various model properties, a task desired by regulators and policymakers. The generalization allows us to extend the study of the invasion dynamics of replacement drives analytically and, in a spatial setting, the resilience of the released drive constructs. The derived framework is available as a standalone tool. Conclusion Besides comparing available drive constructs, our tool is also useful for educational purpose. Users can also explore the evolutionary dynamics of future hypothetical combination drive scenarios. Thus, our results appraise the properties and robustness of drives and provide an intuitive and objective way for risk assessment, informing policies, and enhancing public engagement with proposed and future gene drive approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Verma
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
| | - R Guy Reeves
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Chaitanya S Gokhale
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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Feng X, Kambic L, Nishimoto JH, Reed FA, Denton JA, Sutton JT, Gantz VM. Evaluation of Gene Knockouts by CRISPR as Potential Targets for the Genetic Engineering of the Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. CRISPR J 2021; 4:595-608. [PMID: 34280034 PMCID: PMC8392076 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes are a globally widespread vector of several human and animal pathogens. Their biology and behavior allow them to thrive in proximity to urban areas, rendering them a constant public health threat. Their mixed bird/mammal feeding behavior further offers a vehicle for zoonotic pathogens transmission to people and, separately, poses a threat to the conservation of insular birds. The advent of CRISPR has led to the development of novel technologies for the genetic engineering of wild mosquito populations. Yet, research into Cx. quinquefasciatus has been lagging compared to other disease vectors. Here, we use this tool to disrupt a set of five pigmentation genes in Cx. quinquefasciatus that, when altered, lead to visible, homozygous-viable phenotypes. We further validate this approach in separate laboratories and in two distinct strains of Cx. quinquefasciatus that are relevant to potential future public health and bird conservation applications. We generate a double-mutant line, demonstrating the possibility of sequentially combining multiple such mutations in a single individual. Lastly, we target two loci, doublesex in the sex-determination pathway and proboscipedia, a hox gene, demonstrating the flexibility of these methods applied to novel targets. Our work provides a platform of seven validated loci that could be used for targeted mutagenesis in Cx. quinquefasciatus and the future development of genetic suppression strategies for this species. Furthermore, the mutant lines generated here could have widespread utility to the research community using this model organism, as they could be used as targets for transgene delivery, where a copy of the disrupted gene could be included as an easily scored transgenesis marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuechun Feng
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lukas Kambic
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaiʻi, USA
| | | | - Floyd A. Reed
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA
| | - Jai A. Denton
- Institute of Vector-borne Disease, University of Monash, Clayton, Australia
| | - Jolene T. Sutton
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaiʻi, USA
| | - Valentino M. Gantz
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Bier E, Nizet V. Driving to Safety: CRISPR-Based Genetic Approaches to Reducing Antibiotic Resistance. Trends Genet 2021; 37:745-757. [PMID: 33745750 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has reached critical levels, skyrocketing in hospitals and the environment and posing a major threat to global public health. The complex and challenging problem of reducing antibiotic resistance (AR) requires a network of both societal and science-based solutions to preserve the most lifesaving pharmaceutical intervention known to medicine. In addition to developing new classes of antibiotics, it is essential to safeguard the clinical efficacy of existing drugs. In this review, we examine the potential application of novel CRISPR-based genetic approaches to reducing AR in both environmental and clinical settings and prolonging the utility of vital antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Bier
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0349, USA; Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0349, USA.
| | - Victor Nizet
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0349, USA; Collaborative to Halt Antibiotic-Resistant Microbes, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0687, USA; Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0687, USA
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Caragata EP, Dong S, Dong Y, Simões ML, Tikhe CV, Dimopoulos G. Prospects and Pitfalls: Next-Generation Tools to Control Mosquito-Transmitted Disease. Annu Rev Microbiol 2021; 74:455-475. [PMID: 32905752 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-011320-025557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Mosquito-transmitted diseases, including malaria and dengue, are a major threat to human health around the globe, affecting millions each year. A diverse array of next-generation tools has been designed to eliminate mosquito populations or to replace them with mosquitoes that are less capable of transmitting key pathogens. Many of these new approaches have been built on recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing. These initiatives have driven the development of pathogen-resistant lines, new genetics-based sexing methods, and new methods of driving desirable genetic traits into mosquito populations. Many other emerging tools involve microorganisms, including two strategies involving Wolbachia that are achieving great success in the field. At the same time, other mosquito-associated bacteria, fungi, and even viruses represent untapped sources of new mosquitocidal or antipathogen compounds. Although there are still hurdles to be overcome, the prospect that such approaches will reduce the impact of these diseases is highly encouraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- E P Caragata
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
| | - S Dong
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Y Dong
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
| | - M L Simões
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
| | - C V Tikhe
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
| | - G Dimopoulos
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; , , , , ,
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50
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Wang GH, Gamez S, Raban RR, Marshall JM, Alphey L, Li M, Rasgon JL, Akbari OS. Combating mosquito-borne diseases using genetic control technologies. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4388. [PMID: 34282149 PMCID: PMC8290041 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24654-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria, pose significant global health burdens. Unfortunately, current control methods based on insecticides and environmental maintenance have fallen short of eliminating the disease burden. Scalable, deployable, genetic-based solutions are sought to reduce the transmission risk of these diseases. Pathogen-blocking Wolbachia bacteria, or genome engineering-based mosquito control strategies including gene drives have been developed to address these problems, both requiring the release of modified mosquitoes into the environment. Here, we review the latest developments, notable similarities, and critical distinctions between these promising technologies and discuss their future applications for mosquito-borne disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Hong Wang
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Stephanie Gamez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Robyn R Raban
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - John M Marshall
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
| | - Ming Li
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jason L Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
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