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Wu R, Ye Y, Dong D, Zhang Z, Wang S, Li Y, Wright N, Redding-Ochoa J, Chang K, Xu S, Tu X, Zhu C, Ostrow LW, Roca X, Troncoso JC, Wu B, Sun S. Disruption of nuclear speckle integrity dysregulates RNA splicing in C9ORF72-FTD/ALS. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00570-1. [PMID: 39181135 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.07.025] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Expansion of an intronic (GGGGCC)n repeat within the C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic cause of both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (C9-FTD/ALS), characterized with aberrant repeat RNA foci and noncanonical translation-produced dipeptide repeat (DPR) protein inclusions. Here, we elucidate that the (GGGGCC)n repeat RNA co-localizes with nuclear speckles and alters their phase separation properties and granule dynamics. Moreover, the essential nuclear speckle scaffold protein SRRM2 is sequestered into the poly-GR cytoplasmic inclusions in the C9-FTD/ALS mouse model and patient postmortem tissues, exacerbating the nuclear speckle dysfunction. Impaired nuclear speckle integrity induces global exon skipping and intron retention in human iPSC-derived neurons and causes neuronal toxicity. Similar alternative splicing changes can be found in C9-FTD/ALS patient postmortem tissues. This work identified novel molecular mechanisms of global RNA splicing defects caused by impaired nuclear speckle function in C9-FTD/ALS and revealed novel potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Wu
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yingzhi Ye
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular and Molecular Physiology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daoyuan Dong
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yini Li
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Noelle Wright
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Javier Redding-Ochoa
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Koping Chang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shaohai Xu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xueting Tu
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chengzhang Zhu
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Lyle W Ostrow
- Department of Neurology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Xavier Roca
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Bin Wu
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shuying Sun
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Chen M, Huang X, Shi Y, Wang W, Huang Z, Tong Y, Zou X, Xu Y, Dai Z. CRISPR/Pepper-tDeg: A Live Imaging System Enables Non-Repetitive Genomic Locus Analysis with One Single-Guide RNA. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2402534. [PMID: 38924638 PMCID: PMC11348139 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202402534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
CRISPR-based genomic-imaging systems have been utilized for spatiotemporal imaging of the repetitive genomic loci in living cells, but they are still challenged by limited signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at a non-repetitive genomic locus. Here, an efficient genomic-imaging system is proposed, termed CRISPR/Pepper-tDeg, by engineering the CRISPR sgRNA scaffolds with the degron-binding Pepper aptamers for binding fluorogenic proteins fused with Tat peptide derived degron domain (tDeg). The target-dependent stability switches of both sgRNA and fluorogenic protein allow this system to image repetitive telomeres sensitively with a 5-fold higher SNR than conventional CRISPR/MS2-MCP system using "always-on" fluorescent protein tag. Subsequently, CRISPR/Pepper-tDeg is applied to simultaneously label and track two different genomic loci, telomeres and centromeres, in living cells by combining two systems. Given a further improved SNR by the split fluorescent protein design, CRISPR/Pepper-tDeg system is extended to non-repetitive sequence imaging using only one sgRNA with two aptamer insertions. Neither complex sgRNA design nor difficult plasmid construction is required, greatly reducing the technical barriers to define spatiotemporal organization and dynamics of both repetitive and non-repetitive genomic loci in living cells, and thus demonstrating the large application potential of this genomic-imaging system in biological research, clinical diagnosis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Technology and Biomedical InstrumentSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen Campus of Sun Yat‐Sen UniversitySun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
| | - Xing Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Technology and Biomedical InstrumentSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen Campus of Sun Yat‐Sen UniversitySun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
| | - Yakun Shi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Technology and Biomedical InstrumentSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen Campus of Sun Yat‐Sen UniversitySun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
| | - Wen Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhou510275China
| | - Zhan Huang
- School of ChemistrySun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhou510275China
| | - Yanli Tong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Technology and Biomedical InstrumentSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen Campus of Sun Yat‐Sen UniversitySun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
| | - Xiaoyong Zou
- School of ChemistrySun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhou510275China
| | - Yuzhi Xu
- Scientific Research CenterThe Seventh Affiliated HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
| | - Zong Dai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Technology and Biomedical InstrumentSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen Campus of Sun Yat‐Sen UniversitySun Yat‐Sen UniversityShenzhen518107China
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Takenouchi O, Sakakibara Y, Kitajima TS. Live chromosome identifying and tracking reveals size-based spatial pathway of meiotic errors in oocytes. Science 2024; 385:eadn5529. [PMID: 39024439 DOI: 10.1126/science.adn5529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Meiotic errors of relatively small chromosomes in oocytes result in egg aneuploidies that cause miscarriages and congenital diseases. Unlike somatic cells, which preferentially mis-segregate larger chromosomes, aged oocytes preferentially mis-segregate smaller chromosomes through unclear processes. Here, we provide a comprehensive three-dimensional chromosome identifying-and-tracking dataset throughout meiosis I in live mouse oocytes. This analysis reveals a prometaphase pathway that actively moves smaller chromosomes to the inner region of the metaphase plate. In the inner region, chromosomes are pulled by stronger bipolar microtubule forces, which facilitates premature chromosome separation, a major cause of segregation errors in aged oocytes. This study reveals a spatial pathway that facilitates aneuploidy of small chromosomes preferentially in aged eggs and implicates the role of the M phase in creating a chromosome size-based spatial arrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osamu Takenouchi
- Laboratory for Chromosome Segregation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Kobe, Japan
| | - Yogo Sakakibara
- Laboratory for Chromosome Segregation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Kobe, Japan
| | - Tomoya S Kitajima
- Laboratory for Chromosome Segregation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Kobe, Japan
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Lu P, Zuo E, Yan J. Developing a multi-modular assembled prime editing (mPE) system improved precise multi-base insertion efficiency in dicots. J Adv Res 2024:S2090-1232(24)00259-5. [PMID: 38942381 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.06.021] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Prime Editing (PE) system is a precise and versatile genome editing tool with great potential in plant breeding and plant synthetic biology. However, low PE efficiency severely restricts its application, especially in dicots. PE can introduce small tags to trace target protein or cis-element to regulate gene transcription which is an expertise superior to other gene editing tools. Owing to low efficiency, PE adaption in stably transformed Arabidopsis is lacking. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the issue of low PE efficiency in dicots and develop systematic solutions to improve it. Currently, PE in dicots is undetectable and inconsistent, and this study seeks to address it. Split PE into several parts showed better performance in some target sites in mammal cells. We plan to discover the optimal split PE combination in dicot. METHODS We conducted large-scale transformation experiments in dicot model plants Arabidopsis thaliana (At) and Nicotiana benthamiana (Nb) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with deep amplicon sequencing (0.2-0.5 million clean total reads). RESULTS The editing efficiency decreased upon using a fused reverse transcriptase (RT) or an extended pegRNA separately and further decreased dramatically when these were used together. With the help of the pol II strategy to express PE gRNA (pegRNA), we named the most effective split PE combination as a multi-modular assembled prime editing system (mPE). mPE exhibited improved precise editing efficiency on most gene sites with various editing types, ranging from 1.3-fold to 1288.5-fold and achieved PE on some sites that could not be edited by original PE2. Especially, mPE showed superiority for multi-base insertion with an average improvement of 197.9-fold. CONCLUSION The original PE architecture strongly inhibited the cleavage activity of Cas9. Split PE improved PE efficiency extensively and was in favor of introducing small insertions in dicot plants, indicating that different PE variants might have their own expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengjun Lu
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Erwei Zuo
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Jianbin Yan
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China.
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5
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Hao W, Cui W, Liu Z, Suo F, Wu Y, Han L, Zhou Z. A New-Generation Base Editor with an Expanded Editing Window for Microbial Cell Evolution In Vivo Based on CRISPR‒Cas12b Engineering. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2309767. [PMID: 38602436 PMCID: PMC11165516 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Base editors (BEs) are widely used as revolutionary genome manipulation tools for cell evolution. To screen the targeted individuals, it is often necessary to expand the editing window to ensure highly diverse variant library. However, current BEs suffer from a limited editing window of 5-6 bases, corresponding to only 2-3 amino acids. Here, by engineering the CRISPR‒Cas12b, the study develops dCas12b-based CRISPRi system, which can efficiently repress gene expression by blocking the initiation and elongation of gene transcription. Further, based on dCas12b, a new-generation of BEs with an expanded editing window is established, covering the entire protospacer or more. The expanded editing window results from the smaller steric hindrance compared with other Cas proteins. The universality of the new BE is successfully validated in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. As a proof of concept, a spectinomycin-resistant E. coli strain (BL21) and a 6.49-fold increased protein secretion efficiency in E. coli JM109 are successfully obtained by using the new BE. The study, by tremendously expanding the editing window of BEs, increased the capacity of the variant library exponentially, greatly increasing the screening efficiency for microbial cell evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenliang Hao
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
| | - Wenjing Cui
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
| | - Zhongmei Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
| | - Feiya Suo
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
| | - Yaokang Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
- Science Center for Future FoodsJiangnan UniversityWuxi214122China
| | - Laichuang Han
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
| | - Zhemin Zhou
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology (Ministry of Education), School of BiotechnologyJiangnan University1800 Lihu AvenueWuxi214122China
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Shim AR, Frederick J, Pujadas EM, Kuo T, Ye IC, Pritchard JA, Dunton CL, Gonzalez PC, Acosta N, Jain S, Anthony NM, Almassalha LM, Szleifer I, Backman V. Formamide denaturation of double-stranded DNA for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) distorts nanoscale chromatin structure. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301000. [PMID: 38805476 PMCID: PMC11132451 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301000] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
As imaging techniques rapidly evolve to probe nanoscale genome organization at higher resolution, it is critical to consider how the reagents and procedures involved in sample preparation affect chromatin at the relevant length scales. Here, we investigate the effects of fluorescent labeling of DNA sequences within chromatin using the gold standard technique of three-dimensional fluorescence in situ hybridization (3D FISH). The chemical reagents involved in the 3D FISH protocol, specifically formamide, cause significant alterations to the sub-200 nm (sub-Mbp) chromatin structure. Alternatively, two labeling methods that do not rely on formamide denaturation, resolution after single-strand exonuclease resection (RASER)-FISH and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Sirius, had minimal impact on the three-dimensional organization of chromatin. We present a polymer physics-based analysis of these protocols with guidelines for their interpretation when assessing chromatin structure using currently available techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne R. Shim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jane Frederick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Emily M. Pujadas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Tiffany Kuo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - I. Chae Ye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Joshua A. Pritchard
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Cody L. Dunton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Paola Carrillo Gonzalez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nicolas Acosta
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Surbhi Jain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nicholas M. Anthony
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Luay M. Almassalha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Igal Szleifer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
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He X, Tan Y, Feng Y, Sun Y, Ma H. Tracking pairwise genomic loci by the ParB-ParS and Noc-NBS systems in living cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4922-4934. [PMID: 38412314 PMCID: PMC11109969 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The dynamics of genomic loci pairs and their interactions are essential for transcriptional regulation and genome organization. However, a robust method for tracking pairwise genomic loci in living cells is lacking. Here we developed a multicolor DNA labeling system, mParSpot (multicolor ParSpot), to track pairs of genomic loci and their interactions in living cells. The mParSpot system is derived from the ParB/ParS in the parABS system and Noc/NBS in its paralogous nucleoid occlusion system. The insertion of 16 base-pair palindromic ParSs or NBSs into the genomic locus allows the cognate binding protein ParB or Noc to spread kilobases of DNA around ParSs or NBSs for loci-specific visualization. We tracked two loci with a genomic distance of 53 kilobases and measured their spatial distance over time. Using the mParSpot system, we labeled the promoter and terminator of the MSI2 gene span 423 kb and measured their spatial distance. We also tracked the promoter and terminator dynamics of the MUC4 gene in living cells. In sum, the mParSpot is a robust and sensitive DNA labeling system for tracking genomic interactions in space and time under physiological or pathological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui He
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuxi Tan
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yadong Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hanhui Ma
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
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Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Liu JL. eCRUIS captures RNA-protein interaction in vitro and in vivo. Exp Cell Res 2024; 438:114051. [PMID: 38631547 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114051] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
As an information bridge between DNA and protein, RNA regulates cellular processes and gene expression in various ways. From its synthesis to degradation, RNA is associated with a range of RNA-binding proteins. Therefore, it is necessary to develop innovative methods to study the interaction between RNA and proteins. Previously, we developed an RNA-centric method, called CRISPR-based RNA-United Interacting System (CRUIS), to capture RNA-protein interaction in cells. On this basis, here we develop an enhanced CRUIS (eCRUIS) by combining the power of dCas13d and the engineered promiscuous ligase TurboID. The current version allows us to rapidly label RNA-binding proteins on the target RNA within 30 minutes, potentially for in vivo use. By introducing bait-assay with exogenous RNA, we confirm that eCRUIS can effectively label RNA-binding proteins on bait RNA in a short time. eCRUIS provides a broader range of in vitro and in vivo applications for studying RNA-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziheng Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Yuanbing Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Ji-Long Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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9
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Köhler AR, Haußer J, Harsch A, Bernhardt S, Häußermann L, Brenner LM, Lungu C, Olayioye MA, Bashtrykov P, Jeltsch A. Modular dual-color BiAD sensors for locus-specific readout of epigenome modifications in single cells. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100739. [PMID: 38554702 PMCID: PMC11045877 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100739] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Dynamic changes in the epigenome at defined genomic loci play crucial roles during cellular differentiation and disease development. Here, we developed dual-color bimolecular anchor detector (BiAD) sensors for high-sensitivity readout of locus-specific epigenome modifications by fluorescence microscopy. Our BiAD sensors comprise an sgRNA/dCas9 complex as anchor and double chromatin reader domains as detector modules, both fused to complementary parts of a split IFP2.0 fluorophore, enabling its reconstitution upon binding of both parts in close proximity. In addition, a YPet fluorophore is recruited to the sgRNA to mark the genomic locus of interest. With these dual-color BiAD sensors, we detected H3K9me2/3 and DNA methylation and their dynamic changes upon RNAi or inhibitor treatment with high sensitivity at endogenous genomic regions. Furthermore, we showcased locus-specific H3K36me2/3 readout as well as H3K27me3 and H3K9me2/3 enrichment on the inactive X chromosome, highlighting the broad applicability of our dual-color BiAD sensors for single-cell epigenome studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja R Köhler
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Johannes Haußer
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Annika Harsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Steffen Bernhardt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Lilia Häußermann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Lisa-Marie Brenner
- Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Cristiana Lungu
- Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Monilola A Olayioye
- Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Pavel Bashtrykov
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Albert Jeltsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
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10
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Pujadas Liwag EM, Wei X, Acosta N, Carter LM, Yang J, Almassalha LM, Jain S, Daneshkhah A, Rao SSP, Seker-Polat F, MacQuarrie KL, Ibarra J, Agrawal V, Aiden EL, Kanemaki MT, Backman V, Adli M. Depletion of lamins B1 and B2 promotes chromatin mobility and induces differential gene expression by a mesoscale-motion-dependent mechanism. Genome Biol 2024; 25:77. [PMID: 38519987 PMCID: PMC10958841 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03212-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND B-type lamins are critical nuclear envelope proteins that interact with the three-dimensional genomic architecture. However, identifying the direct roles of B-lamins on dynamic genome organization has been challenging as their joint depletion severely impacts cell viability. To overcome this, we engineered mammalian cells to rapidly and completely degrade endogenous B-type lamins using Auxin-inducible degron technology. RESULTS Using live-cell Dual Partial Wave Spectroscopic (Dual-PWS) microscopy, Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM), in situ Hi-C, CRISPR-Sirius, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we demonstrate that lamin B1 and lamin B2 are critical structural components of the nuclear periphery that create a repressive compartment for peripheral-associated genes. Lamin B1 and lamin B2 depletion minimally alters higher-order chromatin folding but disrupts cell morphology, significantly increases chromatin mobility, redistributes both constitutive and facultative heterochromatin, and induces differential gene expression both within and near lamin-associated domain (LAD) boundaries. Critically, we demonstrate that chromatin territories expand as upregulated genes within LADs radially shift inwards. Our results indicate that the mechanism of action of B-type lamins comes from their role in constraining chromatin motion and spatial positioning of gene-specific loci, heterochromatin, and chromatin domains. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that, while B-type lamin degradation does not significantly change genome topology, it has major implications for three-dimensional chromatin conformation at the single-cell level both at the lamina-associated periphery and the non-LAD-associated nuclear interior with concomitant genome-wide transcriptional changes. This raises intriguing questions about the individual and overlapping roles of lamin B1 and lamin B2 in cellular function and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Pujadas Liwag
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- IBIS Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Xiaolong Wei
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
| | - Nicolas Acosta
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Lucas M Carter
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- IBIS Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Jiekun Yang
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Luay M Almassalha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Surbhi Jain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Ali Daneshkhah
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Suhas S P Rao
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Fidan Seker-Polat
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Kyle L MacQuarrie
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joe Ibarra
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Vasundhara Agrawal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Departments of Computer Science and Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Masato T Kanemaki
- Department of Chromosome Science, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
- Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
- Department of Biological Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - Mazhar Adli
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
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11
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Montagud‐Martínez R, Márquez‐Costa R, Heras‐Hernández M, Dolcemascolo R, Rodrigo G. On the ever-growing functional versatility of the CRISPR-Cas13 system. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14418. [PMID: 38381083 PMCID: PMC10880580 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14418] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems evolved in prokaryotes to implement a powerful antiviral immune response as a result of sequence-specific targeting by ribonucleoproteins. One of such systems consists of an RNA-guided RNA endonuclease, known as CRISPR-Cas13. In very recent years, this system is being repurposed in different ways in order to decipher and engineer gene expression programmes. Here, we discuss the functional versatility of the CRISPR-Cas13 system, which includes the ability for RNA silencing, RNA editing, RNA tracking, nucleic acid detection and translation regulation. This functional palette makes the CRISPR-Cas13 system a relevant tool in the broad field of systems and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roser Montagud‐Martínez
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio)CSIC – University of ValenciaPaternaSpain
| | - Rosa Márquez‐Costa
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio)CSIC – University of ValenciaPaternaSpain
| | - María Heras‐Hernández
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio)CSIC – University of ValenciaPaternaSpain
| | - Roswitha Dolcemascolo
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio)CSIC – University of ValenciaPaternaSpain
| | - Guillermo Rodrigo
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio)CSIC – University of ValenciaPaternaSpain
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12
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Liu R, Yao J, Zhou S, Yang J, Zhang Y, Yang X, Li L, Zhang Y, Zhuang Y, Yang Y, Chen X. Spatiotemporal control of RNA metabolism and CRISPR-Cas functions using engineered photoswitchable RNA-binding proteins. Nat Protoc 2024; 19:374-405. [PMID: 38036926 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00920-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
RNA molecules perform various crucial roles in diverse cellular processes, from translating genetic information to decoding the genome, regulating gene expression and catalyzing chemical reactions. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an essential role in regulating the diverse behaviors and functions of RNA in live cells, but techniques for the spatiotemporal control of RBP activities and RNA functions are rarely reported yet highly desirable. We recently reported the development of LicV, a synthetic photoswitchable RBP that can bind to a specific RNA sequence in response to blue light irradiation. LicV has been used successfully for the optogenetic control of RNA localization, splicing, translation and stability, as well as for the photoswitchable regulation of transcription and genomic locus labeling. Compared to classical genetic or pharmacologic perturbations, LicV-based light-switchable effectors have the advantages of large dynamic range between dark and light conditions and submicron and millisecond spatiotemporal resolutions. In this protocol, we provide an easy, efficient and generalizable strategy for engineering photoswitchable RBPs for the spatiotemporal control of RNA metabolism. We also provide a detailed protocol for the conversion of a CRISPR-Cas system to optogenetic control. The protocols typically take 2-3 d, including transfection and results analysis. Most of this protocol is applicable to the development of novel LicV-based photoswitchable effectors for the optogenetic control of other RNA metabolisms and CRISPR-Cas functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renmei Liu
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Bioengineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Yao
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Siyu Zhou
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaqiang Zhang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyan Yang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Leshi Li
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunbin Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingping Zhuang
- School of Bioengineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xianjun Chen
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
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13
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Zhang Z, Rong X, Xie T, Li Z, Song H, Zhen S, Wang H, Wu J, Jaffrey SR, Li X. Fluorogenic CRISPR for genomic DNA imaging. Nat Commun 2024; 15:934. [PMID: 38296979 PMCID: PMC10831063 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45163-9] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Genomic DNA exhibits high heterogeneity in terms of its dynamic within the nucleus, its structure and functional roles. CRISPR-based imaging approaches can image genomic loci in living cells. However, conventional CRISPR-based tools involve expressing constitutively fluorescent proteins, resulting in high background and nonspecific nucleolar signal. Here, we construct fluorogenic CRISPR (fCRISPR) to overcome these issues. fCRISPR is designed with dCas9, an engineered sgRNA, and a fluorogenic protein. Fluorogenic proteins are degraded unless they are bound to specific RNA hairpins. These hairpins are inserted into sgRNA, resulting in dCas9: sgRNA: fluorogenic protein ternary complexes that enable fluorogenic DNA imaging. With fCRISPR, we image various genomic DNA in different human cells with high signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity. Furthermore, fCRISPR tracks chromosomes dynamics and length. fCRISPR also allows DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and repair to be tracked in real time. Taken together, fCRISPR offers a high-contrast and sensitive platform for imaging genomic loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongxuan Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 646000, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Rong
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, China
| | - Tianjin Xie
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Beibei District, 400715, Chongqing, China
| | - Zehao Li
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, China
| | - Haozhi Song
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Shujun Zhen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Beibei District, 400715, Chongqing, China
| | - Haifeng Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Jiahui Wu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Samie R Jaffrey
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Xing Li
- Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China.
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 646000, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
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14
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Zheng F, Kawabe Y, Kamihira M. RNA Aptamer-Mediated Gene Activation Systems for Inducible Transgene Expression in Animal Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:230-241. [PMID: 38073086 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
RNA expression analyses can be used to obtain various information from inside cells, such as physical conditions, the chemical environment, and endogenous signals. For detecting RNA, the system regulating intracellular gene expression has the potential for monitoring RNA expression levels in real time within living cells. Synthetic biology provides powerful tools for detecting and analyzing RNA inside cells. Here, we devised an RNA aptamer-mediated gene activation system, RAMGA, to induce RNA-triggered gene expression activation by employing an inducible complex formation strategy grounded in synthetic biology. This methodology connects DNA-binding domains and transactivators through target RNA using RNA-binding domains, including phage coat proteins. MS2 bacteriophage coat protein fused with a transcriptional activator and PP7 bacteriophage coat protein fused with the tetracycline repressor (tetR) can be bridged by target RNA encoding MS2 and PP7 stem-loops, resulting in transcriptional activation. We generated recombinant CHO cells containing an inducible GFP expression module governed by a minimal promoter with a tetR-responsive element. Cells carrying the trigger RNA exhibited robust reporter gene expression, whereas cells lacking it exhibited no expression. GFP expression was upregulated over 200-fold compared with that in cells without a target RNA expression vector. Moreover, this system can detect the expression of mRNA tagged with aptamer tags and modulate reporter gene expression based on the target mRNA level without affecting the expression of the original mRNA-encoding gene. The RNA-triggered gene expression systems developed in this study have potential as a new platform for establishing gene circuits, evaluating endogenous gene expression, and developing novel RNA detectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyang Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Kawabe
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masamichi Kamihira
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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15
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Chen K, Wang Y. CRISPR/Cas systems for in situ imaging of intracellular nucleic acids: Concepts and applications. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:3446-3464. [PMID: 37641170 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Accurate and precise localization of intracellular nucleic acids is crucial for regulating genetic information transcription and diagnosing diseases. Although intracellular nucleic acid imaging methods are available for various cell types, their widespread utilization is impeded by the intricate nature of the process and its exorbitant cost. Recently, numerous intracellular nucleic acid labeling techniques based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) have been established due to their modularity, flexibility, and specificity. In this work, we present various CRISPR methods that are currently employed for visualizing intracellular genomic sequences and RNA, based on their detection principles and application scenarios. Furthermore, we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the existing CRISPR imaging methods, as well as future research directions. We anticipate that with continued refinement, more advanced CRISPR-based imaging techniques can be developed to better elucidate the localization and dynamics of intracellular nucleic acids, thereby providing a powerful tool for molecular biology research and clinical molecular pathology diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Beijing, China
| | - Yufei Wang
- Department of Clinical Diagnosis, Laboratory of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Control of In Vitro Diagnostics, Beijing Engineering Research Center of Immunological Reagents Clinical Research, Beijing, China
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16
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Tyumentseva M, Tyumentsev A, Akimkin V. CRISPR/Cas9 Landscape: Current State and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16077. [PMID: 38003266 PMCID: PMC10671331 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216077] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 is a unique genome editing tool that can be easily used in a wide range of applications, including functional genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, biotechnology, plant engineering, livestock breeding, gene therapy, diagnostics, and so on. This review is focused on the current CRISPR/Cas9 landscape, e.g., on Cas9 variants with improved properties, on Cas9-derived and fusion proteins, on Cas9 delivery methods, on pre-existing immunity against CRISPR/Cas9 proteins, anti-CRISPR proteins, and their possible roles in CRISPR/Cas9 function improvement. Moreover, this review presents a detailed outline of CRISPR/Cas9-based diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. Finally, the review addresses the future expansion of genome editors' toolbox with Cas9 orthologs and other CRISPR/Cas proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Tyumentseva
- Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Novogireevskaya Str., 3a, 111123 Moscow, Russia; (A.T.); (V.A.)
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17
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Mehra D, Puchner EM. Correlative Conventional and Super-resolution Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM) Imaging to Characterize Chromatin Structure and Dynamics in Live Mammalian Cells. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4850. [PMID: 37900107 PMCID: PMC10603262 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A fundamental understanding of gene regulation requires a quantitative characterization of the spatial organization and dynamics of chromatin. The advent of fluorescence super-resolution microscopy techniques such as photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) presented a breakthrough to visualize structural features with a resolution of ~20 nm in fixed cells. However, until recently the long acquisition time of super-resolution images prevented high-resolution measurements in living cells due to spreading of localizations caused by chromatin motion. Here, we present a step-by step protocol for our recently developed approach for correlatively imaging telomeres with conventional fluorescence and PALM, in order to obtain time-averaged super-resolution images and dynamic parameters in living cells. First, individual single molecule localizations are assigned to a locus as it moves, allowing to discriminate between bound and unbound dCas9 molecules, whose mobilities overlap. By subtracting the telomere trajectory from the localization of bound molecules, the motion blurring is then corrected, and high-resolution structural characterizations can be made. These structural parameters can also be related to local chromatin motion or larger scale domain movement. This protocol therefore improves the ability to analyze the mobility and time-averaged nanoscopic structure of locus-specific chromatin with single-molecule sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dushyant Mehra
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Elias M. Puchner
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
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18
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Feng Y, Guo L, Yang C, Zheng H, Xiao X, Ma H. The local density of H3K9me3 dictates the stability of HP1α condensates-mediated genomic interactions. J Genet Genomics 2023; 50:776-785. [PMID: 37116579 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.04.006] [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: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
The human genome can be demarcated into domains based on distinct epigenetic states. The trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3) is essential for the formation of constitutive heterochromatin nanodomains. However, the extent to which genomic regions require specific densities or degrees of H3K9me3 for stable interactions remains unclear. Here, we utilize CRISPR-based DNA imaging to investigate the role of endogenous or ectopic H3K9me3 in chromatin dynamics and genomic interactions. We select three loci (IDR3, TCF3, and PR1) with distinct levels of H3K9me3 to examine the genomic interactions and association with endogenous Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1α) condensates. Our results demonstrate a positive correlation between the levels of H3K9me3 at the loci and their association with HP1α condensates. By dual-color labeling and long-term tracking of IDR3 and PR1 loci, we find a periodical association between the two ranging from one to three hours. Epigenetic perturbation-induced Genome organization (EpiGo)-KRAB introduces ∼20 kilobases of H3K9me3 at the TCF3 locus, which is sufficient to establish a stable association between TCF3 and HP1α condensates. In addition, EpiGo-mediated H3K9me3 also leads to stable genomic interaction between IDR3 and TCF3. Briefly, these data suggest that the density of H3K9me3 could dictate the stability of interactions between genomic loci and HP1α condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Feng
- School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Li Guo
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Chen Yang
- School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Hui Zheng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
| | - Hanhui Ma
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
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19
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Pederson T. An Intermittent Cytochemist. J Histochem Cytochem 2023; 71:475-480. [PMID: 37610161 PMCID: PMC10501362 DOI: 10.1369/00221554231195393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
I wanted to be a cytochemist but encountered detours and then, in some of my work, became one of a different kind than classically defined. I recount this here to discourage young scientists from regarding cytochemistry as something that peaked in the past, but rather to be viewed as an entirely new form of the discipline, and so rich with opportunities. (J Histochem Cytochem 71: 475-480, 2023).
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Affiliation(s)
- Thoru Pederson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA
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20
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Pujadas EM, Wei X, Acosta N, Carter L, Yang J, Almassalha L, Daneshkhah A, Rao SSP, Agrawal V, Seker-Polat F, Aiden EL, Kanemaki MT, Backman V, Adli M. Depletion of lamins B1 and B2 alters chromatin mobility and induces differential gene expression by a mesoscale-motion dependent mechanism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.26.546573. [PMID: 37425796 PMCID: PMC10326988 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND B-type lamins are critical nuclear envelope proteins that interact with the 3D genomic architecture. However, identifying the direct roles of B-lamins on dynamic genome organization has been challenging as their joint depletion severely impacts cell viability. To overcome this, we engineered mammalian cells to rapidly and completely degrade endogenous B-type lamins using Auxin-inducible degron (AID) technology. RESULTS Paired with a suite of novel technologies, live-cell Dual Partial Wave Spectroscopic (Dual-PWS) microscopy, in situ Hi-C, and CRISPR-Sirius, we demonstrate that lamin B1 and lamin B2 depletion transforms chromatin mobility, heterochromatin positioning, gene expression, and loci-positioning with minimal disruption to mesoscale chromatin folding. Using the AID system, we show that the disruption of B-lamins alters gene expression both within and outside lamin associated domains, with distinct mechanistic patterns depending on their localization. Critically, we demonstrate that chromatin dynamics, positioning of constitutive and facultative heterochromatic markers, and chromosome positioning near the nuclear periphery are significantly altered, indicating that the mechanism of action of B-type lamins is derived from their role in maintaining chromatin dynamics and spatial positioning. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the mechanistic role of B-type lamins is stabilization of heterochromatin and chromosomal positioning along the nuclear periphery. We conclude that degrading lamin B1 and lamin B2 has several functional consequences related to both structural disease and cancer.
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21
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Lu S, Hou Y, Zhang XE, Gao Y. Live cell imaging of DNA and RNA with fluorescent signal amplification and background reduction techniques. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1216232. [PMID: 37342234 PMCID: PMC10277805 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1216232] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Illuminating DNA and RNA dynamics in live cell can elucidate their life cycle and related biochemical activities. Various protocols have been developed for labeling the regions of interest in DNA and RNA molecules with different types of fluorescent probes. For example, CRISPR-based techniques have been extensively used for imaging genomic loci. However, some DNA and RNA molecules can still be difficult to tag and observe dynamically, such as genomic loci in non-repetitive regions. In this review, we will discuss the toolbox of techniques and methodologies that have been developed for imaging DNA and RNA. We will also introduce optimized systems that provide enhanced signal intensity or low background fluorescence for those difficult-to-tag molecules. These strategies can provide new insights for researchers when designing and using techniques to visualize DNA or RNA molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Lu
- Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Hou
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xian-En Zhang
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, China
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yunhua Gao
- Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing, China
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22
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Pradhan S, Apaydin S, Bucevičius J, Gerasimaitė R, Kostiuk G, Lukinavičius G. Sequence-specific DNA labelling for fluorescence microscopy. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 230:115256. [PMID: 36989663 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
The preservation of nucleus structure during microscopy imaging is a top priority for understanding chromatin organization, genome dynamics, and gene expression regulation. In this review, we summarize the sequence-specific DNA labelling methods that can be used for imaging in fixed and/or living cells without harsh treatment and DNA denaturation: (i) hairpin polyamides, (ii) triplex-forming oligonucleotides, (iii) dCas9 proteins, (iv) transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) and (v) DNA methyltransferases (MTases). All these techniques are capable of identifying repetitive DNA loci and robust probes are available for telomeres and centromeres, but visualizing single-copy sequences is still challenging. In our futuristic vision, we see gradual replacement of the historically important fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) by less invasive and non-destructive methods compatible with live cell imaging. Combined with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, these methods will open the possibility to look into unperturbed structure and dynamics of chromatin in living cells, tissues and whole organisms.
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23
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Liang Y, Willey S, Chung YC, Lo YM, Miao S, Rundell S, Tu LC, Bong D. Intracellular RNA and DNA tracking by uridine-rich internal loop tagging with fluorogenic bPNA. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2987. [PMID: 37225690 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38579-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The most widely used method for intracellular RNA fluorescence labeling is MS2 labeling, which generally relies on the use of multiple protein labels targeted to multiple RNA (MS2) hairpin structures installed on the RNA of interest (ROI). While effective and conveniently applied in cell biology labs, the protein labels add significant mass to the bound RNA, which potentially impacts steric accessibility and native RNA biology. We have previously demonstrated that internal, genetically encoded, uridine-rich internal loops (URILs) comprised of four contiguous UU pairs (8 nt) in RNA may be targeted with minimal structural perturbation by triplex hybridization with 1 kD bifacial peptide nucleic acids (bPNAs). A URIL-targeting strategy for RNA and DNA tracking would avoid the use of cumbersome protein fusion labels and minimize structural alterations to the RNA of interest. Here we show that URIL-targeting fluorogenic bPNA probes in cell media can penetrate cell membranes and effectively label RNAs and RNPs in fixed and live cells. This method, which we call fluorogenic U-rich internal loop (FLURIL) tagging, was internally validated through the use of RNAs bearing both URIL and MS2 labeling sites. Notably, a direct comparison of CRISPR-dCas labeled genomic loci in live U2OS cells revealed that FLURIL-tagged gRNA yielded loci with signal to background up to 7X greater than loci targeted by guide RNA modified with an array of eight MS2 hairpins. Together, these data show that FLURIL tagging provides a versatile scope of intracellular RNA and DNA tracking while maintaining a light molecular footprint and compatibility with existing methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufeng Liang
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sydney Willey
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Yu-Chieh Chung
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Yi-Meng Lo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Shiqin Miao
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sarah Rundell
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Li-Chun Tu
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Dennis Bong
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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24
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Wang C, Ma H, Baserga SJ, Pederson T, Huang S. Nucleolar structure connects with global nuclear organization. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.30.534966. [PMID: 37034708 PMCID: PMC10081344 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.30.534966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The nucleolus is a multi-functional nuclear body. To tease out the roles of nucleolar structure without resorting to multi-action drugs, we knocked down RNA polymerase I subunit RPA194 in HeLa cells by siRNA. Loss of RPA194 resulted in nucleolar structural segregation and effects on both nucleolus-proximal and distal nuclear components. The perinucleolar compartment was disrupted, centromere-nucleolus interactions were significantly reduced, and the intranuclear locations of specific genomic loci were altered. Moreover, Cajal bodies, distal from nucleoli, underwent morphological and compositional changes. To distinguish whether these global reorganizations are the results of nucleolar structural disruption or inhibition of ribosome synthesis, the pre-ribosomal RNA processing factor, UTP4, was also knocked down, which did not lead to nucleolar segregation, nor the intranuclear effects seen with RPA195A knockdown, demonstrating that they do not arise from a cessation of ribosome synthesis. These findings point to a commutative system that links nucleolar structure to the maintenance and spatial organization of certain nuclear bodies and genomic loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Hanhui Ma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Susan J Baserga
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Thoru Pederson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | - Sui Huang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
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25
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Thuma J, Chung YC, Tu LC. Advances and challenges in CRISPR-based real-time imaging of dynamic genome organization. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1173545. [PMID: 37065447 PMCID: PMC10102487 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1173545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear chromosome compaction is non-random and dynamic. The spatial distance among genomic elements instantly modulates transcription. Visualization of the genome organization in the cell nucleus is essential to understand nuclear function. In addition to cell type-dependent organization, high-resolution 3D imaging shows heterogeneous compaction of chromatin organization among the same cell type. Questions remain to be answered if these structural variations were the snapshots of dynamic organization at different time points and if they are functionally different. Live-cell imaging has provided unique insights into dynamic genome organization at short (milliseconds) and long (hours) time scales. The recent development of CRISPR-based imaging opened windows for studying dynamic chromatin organization in single cells in real time. Here we highlight these CRISPR-based imaging techniques and discuss their advances and challenges as a powerful live-cell imaging method that poses high potential to generate paradigm-shifting discoveries and reveal functional implications of dynamic chromatin organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna Thuma
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Yu-Chieh Chung
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Li-Chun Tu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Li-Chun Tu,
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26
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Li Y, Matsunaga S. Various Strategies for Improved Signal-to-Noise Ratio in CRISPR-Based Live Cell Imaging. CYTOLOGIA 2023. [DOI: 10.1508/cytologia.88.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
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27
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Pecori F, Torres-Padilla ME. Dynamics of nuclear architecture during early embryonic development and lessons from liveimaging. Dev Cell 2023; 58:435-449. [PMID: 36977375 PMCID: PMC10062924 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear organization has emerged as a potential key regulator of genome function. During development, the deployment of transcriptional programs must be tightly coordinated with cell division and is often accompanied by major changes in the repertoire of expressed genes. These transcriptional and developmental events are paralleled by changes in the chromatin landscape. Numerous studies have revealed the dynamics of nuclear organization underlying them. In addition, advances in live-imaging-based methodologies enable the study of nuclear organization with high spatial and temporal resolution. In this Review, we summarize the current knowledge of the changes in nuclear architecture in the early embryogenesis of various model systems. Furthermore, to highlight the importance of integrating fixed-cell and live approaches, we discuss how different live-imaging techniques can be applied to examine nuclear processes and their contribution to our understanding of transcription and chromatin dynamics in early development. Finally, we provide future avenues for outstanding questions in this field.
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28
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Tang H, Peng J, Jiang X, Peng S, Wang F, Weng X, Zhou X. A CRISPR-Cas and Tat Peptide with Fluorescent RNA Aptamer System for Signal Amplification in RNA Imaging. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:293. [PMID: 36832059 PMCID: PMC9954185 DOI: 10.3390/bios13020293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We reported on an efficient RNA imaging strategy based on a CRISPR-Cas and Tat peptide with a fluorescent RNA aptamer (TRAP-tag). Using modified CRISPR-Cas RNA hairpin binding proteins fused with a Tat peptide array that recruits modified RNA aptamers, this simple and sensitive strategy is capable of visualizing endogenous RNA in cells with high precision and efficiency. In addition, the modular design of the CRISPR-TRAP-tag facilitates the substitution of sgRNAs, RNA hairpin binding proteins, and aptamers in order to optimize imaging quality and live cell affinity. With CRISPR-TRAP-tag, exogenous GCN4, endogenous mRNA MUC4, and lncRNA SatIII were distinctly visualized in single live cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Tang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Junran Peng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xin Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Shuang Peng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Fang Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xiaocheng Weng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, The Institute for Advanced Studies, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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29
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Chung YC, Bisht M, Thuma J, Tu LC. Single-chromosome dynamics reveals locus-dependent dynamics and chromosome territory orientation. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:289470. [PMID: 36718642 PMCID: PMC10022681 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamic chromatin organization instantly influences DNA accessibility through modulating local macromolecular density and interactions, driving changes in transcription activities. Chromatin dynamics have been reported to be locally confined but contribute to coherent chromatin motion across the entire nucleus. However, the regulation of dynamics, nuclear orientation and compaction of subregions along a single chromosome are not well-understood. We used CRISPR-based real-time single-particle tracking and polymer models to characterize the dynamics of specific genomic loci and determine compaction levels of large human chromosomal domains. Our studies showed that chromosome compaction changed during interphase and that compactions of two arms on chromosome 19 were different. The dynamics of genomic loci were subdiffusive and dependent on chromosome regions and transcription states. Surprisingly, the correlation between locus-dependent nuclear localization and mobility was negligible. Strong tethering interactions detected at the pericentromeric region implies local condensation or associations with organelles within local nuclear microenvironments, such as chromatin-nuclear body association. Based on our findings, we propose a 'guided radial model' for the nuclear orientation of the long arm of chromosome 19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chieh Chung
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Madhoolika Bisht
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jenna Thuma
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Li-Chun Tu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Author for correspondence ()
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30
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Chen W, Zhao X, Yang N, Li X. Single mRNA Imaging with Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers and Small-molecule Fluorophores. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202209813. [PMID: 36420710 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202209813] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is the fundamental information transfer system in the cell. Tracking single mRNA from transcription to degradation with fluorescent probes provides spatiotemporal information in cells about how the genetic information is transferred from DNA to proteins. The traditional single mRNA imaging approach utilizes RNA hairpins (e.g. MS2) and tethered fluorescent protein as probes. As an exciting alternative, RNA aptamers: small-molecule fluorophores (SFs) systems have emerged as novel single mRNA imaging probes since 2019, exhibiting several advantages including fluorogenic ability and minimal perturbation. This review summarizes all five reported RNA aptamers: SFs systems for single mRNA imaging in living cells so far. It also discusses the challenges and provides prospects for single mRNA imaging applications. This review is expected to inspire researchers to develop RNA aptamers: SFs systems for studying gene expression at single-molecule resolution in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Hengyang Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Beijing Institutes of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Nanyang Yang
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Hengyang Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Xing Li
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100101, China
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31
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Bashtrykov P, Rajaram N, Jeltsch A. Efficient Targeted DNA Methylation with dCas9-Coupled DNMT3A-DNMT3L Methyltransferase. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2577:177-188. [PMID: 36173573 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2724-2_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Epigenome editing is a powerful approach for the establishment of a chromatin environment with desired properties at a selected genomic locus, which is used to influence the transcription of target genes and to study properties and functions of gene regulatory elements. Targeted DNA methylation is one of the most often used types of epigenome editing, which typically aims for gene silencing by methylation of gene promoters. Here, we describe the design principles of EpiEditors for targeted DNA methylation and provide step-by-step guidelines for the realization of this approach. We focus on the dCas9 protein as the state-of-the-art DNA targeting module fused to 10×SunTag as the most frequently used system for editing enhancement. Further, we discuss different flavors of DNA methyltransferase modules used for this purpose including the most specific variants developed recently. Finally, we explain the principles of gRNA selection, outline the setup of the cell culture experiments, and briefly introduce the available options for the downstream DNA methylation data analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Bashtrykov
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Nivethika Rajaram
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Albert Jeltsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
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32
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Hu LF, Li YX, Wang JZ, Zhao YT, Wang Y. Controlling CRISPR-Cas9 by guide RNA engineering. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1731. [PMID: 35393779 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system is a product of million years of evolution by microbes to fight against invading genetic materials. Around 10 years ago, scientists started to repurpose the CRISPR as genetic tools by molecular engineering approaches. The guide RNA provides a versatile and unique platform for the innovation to improve and expand the application of CRISPR-Cas9 system. In this review, we will first introduce the basic sequence and structure of guide RNA and its role during the function of CRISPR-Cas9. We will then summarize recent progress on the development of various guide RNA engineering strategies. These strategies have been dedicated to improve the performance of CRISPR-Cas9, to achieve precise spatiotemporal control of CRISPR-Cas9, and to broaden the application of CRISPR-Cas9. Finally, we will briefly discuss the uniqueness and advantage of guide RNA-engineering based systems versus those with engineered Cas9 proteins and speculate potential future directions in guide RNA engineering. This article is categorized under: RNA Methods > RNA Analyses In Vitro and In Silico RNA Methods > RNA Nanotechnology Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Feng Hu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Xuan Li
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Zhen Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Ting Zhao
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yangming Wang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
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33
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Peng Q, Huang Z, Sun K, Liu Y, Yoon CW, Harrison RES, Schmitt DL, Zhu L, Wu Y, Tasan I, Zhao H, Zhang J, Zhong S, Chien S, Wang Y. Engineering inducible biomolecular assemblies for genome imaging and manipulation in living cells. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7933. [PMID: 36566209 PMCID: PMC9789998 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35504-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome architecture and organization play critical roles in cell life. However, it remains largely unknown how genomic loci are dynamically coordinated to regulate gene expression and determine cell fate at the single cell level. We have developed an inducible system which allows Simultaneous Imaging and Manipulation of genomic loci by Biomolecular Assemblies (SIMBA) in living cells. In SIMBA, the human heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) is fused to mCherry and FRB, which can be induced to form biomolecular assemblies (BAs) with FKBP-scFv, guided to specific genomic loci by a nuclease-defective Cas9 (dCas9) or a transcriptional factor (TF) carrying tandem repeats of SunTag. The induced BAs can not only enhance the imaging signals at target genomic loci using a single sgRNA, either at repetitive or non-repetitive sequences, but also recruit epigenetic modulators such as histone methyltransferase SUV39H1 to locally repress transcription. As such, SIMBA can be applied to simultaneously visualize and manipulate, in principle, any genomic locus with controllable timing in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Peng
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA.
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, P. R. China.
| | - Ziliang Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Kun Sun
- Institute of Cancer Research, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, P. R. China
| | - Yahan Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Chi Woo Yoon
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Reed E S Harrison
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Danielle L Schmitt
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Linshan Zhu
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Yiqian Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Ipek Tasan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Shu Chien
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA
| | - Yingxiao Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0435, USA.
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Ohishi H, Shimada S, Uchino S, Li J, Sato Y, Shintani M, Owada H, Ohkawa Y, Pertsinidis A, Yamamoto T, Kimura H, Ochiai H. STREAMING-tag system reveals spatiotemporal relationships between transcriptional regulatory factors and transcriptional activity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7672. [PMID: 36539402 PMCID: PMC9768169 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35286-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription is a dynamic process. To detect the dynamic relationship among protein clusters of RNA polymerase II and coactivators, gene loci, and transcriptional activity, we insert an MS2 repeat, a TetO repeat, and inteins with a selection marker just downstream of the transcription start site. By optimizing the individual elements, we develop the Spliced TetO REpeAt, MS2 repeat, and INtein sandwiched reporter Gene tag (STREAMING-tag) system. Clusters of RNA polymerase II and BRD4 are observed proximal to the transcription start site of Nanog when the gene is transcribed in mouse embryonic stem cells. In contrast, clusters of MED19 and MED22 tend to be located near the transcription start site, even without transcription activity. Thus, the STREAMING-tag system reveals the spatiotemporal relationships between transcriptional activity and protein clusters near the gene. This powerful tool is useful for quantitatively understanding transcriptional regulation in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Ohishi
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
| | - Seiru Shimada
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
| | - Satoshi Uchino
- grid.32197.3e0000 0001 2179 2105School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501 Japan
| | - Jieru Li
- grid.51462.340000 0001 2171 9952Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Yuko Sato
- grid.32197.3e0000 0001 2179 2105School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501 Japan ,grid.32197.3e0000 0001 2179 2105Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8503 Japan
| | - Manabu Shintani
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
| | - Hitoshi Owada
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Ohkawa
- grid.177174.30000 0001 2242 4849Division of Transcriptomics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan
| | - Alexandros Pertsinidis
- grid.51462.340000 0001 2171 9952Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Takashi Yamamoto
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kimura
- grid.32197.3e0000 0001 2179 2105School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501 Japan ,grid.32197.3e0000 0001 2179 2105Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8503 Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ochiai
- grid.257022.00000 0000 8711 3200Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-0046 Japan
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Viushkov VS, Lomov NA, Rubtsov MA, Vassetzky YS. Visualizing the Genome: Experimental Approaches for Live-Cell Chromatin Imaging. Cells 2022; 11:cells11244086. [PMID: 36552850 PMCID: PMC9776900 DOI: 10.3390/cells11244086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the years, our vision of the genome has changed from a linear molecule to that of a complex 3D structure that follows specific patterns and possesses a hierarchical organization. Currently, genomics is becoming "four-dimensional": our attention is increasingly focused on the study of chromatin dynamics over time, in the fourth dimension. Recent methods for visualizing the movements of chromatin loci in living cells by targeting fluorescent proteins can be divided into two groups. The first group requires the insertion of a special sequence into the locus of interest, to which proteins that recognize the sequence are recruited (e.g., FROS and ParB-INT methods). In the methods of the second approach, "programmed" proteins are targeted to the locus of interest (i.e., systems based on CRISPR/Cas, TALE, and zinc finger proteins). In the present review, we discuss these approaches, examine their strengths and weaknesses, and identify the key scientific problems that can be studied using these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir S. Viushkov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikolai A. Lomov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail A. Rubtsov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Industrial Technologies and Entrepreneurship, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yegor S. Vassetzky
- CNRS UMR9018, Université Paris-Saclay, Gustave Roussy, 94805 Villejuif, France
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence:
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36
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The influence of high-order chromatin state in the regulation of stem cell fate. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1809-1822. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20220763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, genomic DNA is hierarchically compacted by histones into chromatin, which is initially assembled by the nucleosome and further folded into orderly and flexible structures that include chromatin fiber, chromatin looping, topologically associated domains (TADs), chromosome compartments, and chromosome territories. These distinct structures and motifs build the three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture, which precisely controls spatial and temporal gene expression in the nucleus. Given that each type of cell is characterized by its own unique gene expression profile, the state of high-order chromatin plays an essential role in the cell fate decision. Accumulating evidence suggests that the plasticity of high-order chromatin is closely associated with stem cell fate. In this review, we summarize the biological roles of the state of high-order chromatin in embryogenesis, stem cell differentiation, the maintenance of stem cell identity, and somatic cell reprogramming. In addition, we highlight the roles of epigenetic factors and pioneer transcription factors (TFs) involved in regulating the state of high-order chromatin during the determination of stem cell fate and discuss how H3K9me3-heterochromatin restricts stem cell fate. In summary, we review the most recent progress in research on the regulatory functions of high-order chromatin dynamics in the determination and maintenance of stem cell fate.
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37
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Tang H, Peng J, Peng S, Wang Q, Jiang X, Xue X, Tao Y, Xiang L, Ji Q, Liu SM, Weng X, Zhou X. Live-cell RNA imaging using the CRISPR-dCas13 system with modified sgRNAs appended with fluorescent RNA aptamers. Chem Sci 2022; 13:14032-14040. [PMID: 36540819 PMCID: PMC9728512 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc04656c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of RNA imaging strategies in live cells is essential to improve our understanding of their role in various cellular functions. We report an efficient RNA imaging method based on the CRISPR-dPspCas13b system with fluorescent RNA aptamers in sgRNA (CasFAS) in live cells. Using modified sgRNA attached to fluorescent RNA aptamers that showed reduced background fluorescence, this approach provides a simple, sensitive way to image and track endogenous RNA with high accuracy and efficiency. In addition, color switching can be easily achieved by changing the fluorogenic dye analogues in living cells through user-friendly washing and restaining operations. CasFAS is compatible with orthogonal fluorescent aptamers, such as Broccoli and Pepper, enabling multiple colors RNA labeling or intracellular RNA-RNA interaction imaging. Finally, the visualization of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) was achieved by CasFAS, which may facilitate further studies on this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Tang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Junran Peng
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Shuang Peng
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Qi Wang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Xin Jiang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Xiaocheng Xue
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Yanxin Tao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, and Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Limin Xiang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Quanjiang Ji
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University Shanghai 201210 P. R. China
| | - Song-Mei Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Gene Diagnosis, and Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Xiaocheng Weng
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 Hubei P. R. China
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Liang W, Wang S, Wang H, Li X, Meng Q, Zhao Y, Zheng C. When 3D genome technology meets viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2. J Med Virol 2022; 94:5627-5639. [PMID: 35916043 PMCID: PMC9538846 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian chromosomes undergo varying degrees of compression to form three-dimensional genome structures. These three-dimensional structures undergo dynamic and precise chromatin interactions to achieve precise spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression. Most eukaryotic DNA viruses can invade their genomes into the nucleus. However, it is still poorly understood how the viral genome is precisely positioned after entering the host cell nucleus to find the most suitable location and whether it can specifically interact with the host genome to hijack the host transcriptional factories or even integrate into the host genome to complete its transcription and replication rapidly. Chromosome conformation capture technology can reveal long-range chromatin interactions between different chromosomal sites in the nucleus, potentially providing a reference for viral DNA-host chromatin interactions. This review summarized the research progress on the three-dimensional interaction between virus and host genome and the impact of virus integration into the host genome on gene transcription regulation, aiming to provide new insights into chromatin interaction and viral gene transcription regulation, laying the foundation for the treatment of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizheng Liang
- Central LaboratoryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North UniversityZhangjiakouChina
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical SciencesFujian Medical UniversityFuzhouChina
| | - Shuangqing Wang
- Department of NeurologyShenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen UniversityShenzhen, Guangdong ProvinceChina
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShenzhen University General HospitalShenzhen, GuangdongChina
| | - Xiushen Li
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShenzhen University General HospitalShenzhen, GuangdongChina
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical EngineeringShenzhen University Health Science CenterShenzhen, GuangdongChina
- Shenzhen Key LaboratoryShenzhen University General HospitalShenzhen, GuangdongChina
| | - Qingxue Meng
- Central LaboratoryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North UniversityZhangjiakouChina
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Mathematics and Computer ScienceFree University BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Chunfu Zheng
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical SciencesFujian Medical UniversityFuzhouChina
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious DiseasesUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlbertaCanada
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life SciencesInner Mongolia UniversityHohhotChina
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39
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CRISPR FISHer enables high-sensitivity imaging of nonrepetitive DNA in living cells through phase separation-mediated signal amplification. Cell Res 2022; 32:969-981. [PMID: 36104507 PMCID: PMC9652286 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-022-00712-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamic three-dimensional structures of chromatin and extrachromosomal DNA molecules regulate fundamental cellular processes and beyond. However, the visualization of specific DNA sequences in live cells, especially nonrepetitive sequences accounting for most of the genome, is still vastly challenging. Here, we introduce a robust CRISPR-mediated fluorescence in situ hybridization amplifier (CRISPR FISHer) system, which exploits engineered sgRNA and protein trimerization domain-mediated, phase separation-based exponential assembly of fluorescent proteins in the CRISPR-targeting locus, conferring enhancements in both local brightness and signal-to-background ratio and thus achieving single sgRNA-directed visualization of native nonrepetitive DNA loci in live cells. In one application, by labeling and tracking the broken ends of chromosomal fragments, CRISPR FISHer enables real-time visualization of the entire process of chromosome breakage, separation, and subsequent intra- or inter-chromosomal ends rejoining in a single live cell. Furthermore, CRISPR FISHer allows the movement of small extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) and invading DNAs to be recorded, revealing substantial differences in dynamic behaviors between chromosomal and extrachromosomal loci. With the potential to track any specified self or non-self DNA sequences, CRISPR FISHer dramatically broadens the scope of live-cell imaging in biological events and for biomedical diagnoses.
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40
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Van Tricht C, Voet T, Lammertyn J, Spasic D. Imaging the unimaginable: leveraging signal generation of CRISPR-Cas for sensitive genome imaging. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 41:769-784. [PMID: 36369053 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is the gold standard for visualizing genomic DNA in fixed cells and tissues, but it is incompatible with live-cell imaging, and its combination with RNA imaging is challenging. Consequently, due to its capacity to bind double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and design flexibility, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) technology has sparked enormous interest over the past decade. In this review, we describe various nucleic acid (NA)- and protein-based (amplified) signal generation methods that achieve imaging of repetitive and single-copy sequences, and even single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), next to highly multiplexed as well as dynamic imaging in live cells. With future progress in the field, the CRISPR-(d)Cas9-based technology promises to break through as a next-generation cell-imaging technique.
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41
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Ye H, Jiang C, Li L, Li H, Rong Z, Lin Y. Live-cell imaging of genomic loci with Cas9 variants. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100381. [PMID: 36058644 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100381] [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: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endonuclease-deactivated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated nuclease (dCas9) has been repurposed for live-cell imaging of genomic loci. Engineered or evolved dCas9 variants have been developed to increase the applicability of the CRISPR/dCas9 system. However, there have been no systematic comparisons of these dCas9 variants in terms of their performance in the visualization of genomic loci. MAIN METHODS AND MAJOR RESULTS Here we demonstrate that dSpCas9 and its variants deSpCas9(1.1), dSpCas9-HF1, devoCas9, and dxCas9(3.7) can be used for CRISPR-based live-cell genomic imaging. dSpCas9 had the greatest utility, with a high labeling efficiency of repetitive sequences-including those with a low number of repeats-and good compatibility with target RNA sequences at the MUC4 locus that varied in length from 13 to 23 nucleotides. We combined CRISPR-Tag with the dSpCas9 imaging system to observe the dynamics of the Tet promoter and found that its movement was restricted when it was active. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These novel Cas9 variants provide a new set of tools for investigating the spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression through live imaging of genomic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiying Ye
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research (Ministry of Education), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lian Li
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research (Ministry of Education), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhili Rong
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research (Ministry of Education), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China.,Experimental Education/Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research (Ministry of Education), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Experimental Education/Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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42
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Zhu JJ, Cheng AW. JACKIE: Fast Enumeration of Genome-Wide Single- and Multicopy CRISPR Target Sites and Their Off-Target Numbers. CRISPR J 2022; 5:618-628. [PMID: 35830604 PMCID: PMC9527058 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2022.0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Zinc finger protein-, transcription activator like effector-, and CRISPR-based methods for genome and epigenome editing and imaging have provided powerful tools to investigate functions of genomes. Targeting sequence design is vital to the success of these experiments. Although existing design software mainly focus on designing target sequence for specific elements, we report here the implementation of Jackie and Albert's Comprehensive K-mer Instances Enumerator (JACKIE), a suite of software for enumerating all single- and multicopy sites in the genome that can be incorporated for genome-scale designs as well as loaded onto genome browsers alongside other tracks for convenient web-based graphic-user-interface-enabled design. We also implement fast algorithms to identify sequence neighborhoods or off-target counts of targeting sequences so that designs with low probability of off-target can be identified among millions of design sequences in reasonable time. We demonstrate the application of JACKIE-designed CRISPR site clusters for genome imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Jufen Zhu
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Albert Wu Cheng
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; and University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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43
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Mehra D, Adhikari S, Banerjee C, Puchner EM. Characterizing locus specific chromatin structure and dynamics with correlative conventional and super-resolution imaging in living cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:e78. [PMID: 35524554 PMCID: PMC9303368 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic rearrangement of chromatin is critical for gene regulation, but mapping both the spatial organization of chromatin and its dynamics remains a challenge. Many structural conformations are too small to be resolved via conventional fluorescence microscopy and the long acquisition time of super-resolution photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) precludes the structural characterization of chromatin below the optical diffraction limit in living cells due to chromatin motion. Here we develop a correlative conventional fluorescence and PALM imaging approach to quantitatively map time-averaged chromatin structure and dynamics below the optical diffraction limit in living cells. By assigning localizations to a locus as it moves, we reliably discriminate between bound and unbound dCas9 molecules, whose mobilities overlap. Our approach accounts for changes in DNA mobility and relates local chromatin motion to larger scale domain movement. In our experimental system, we show that compacted telomeres move faster and have a higher density of bound dCas9 molecules, but the relative motion of those molecules is more restricted than in less compacted telomeres. Correlative conventional and PALM imaging therefore improves the ability to analyze the mobility and time-averaged nanoscopic structural features of locus specific chromatin with single molecule sensitivity and yields unprecedented insights across length and time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dushyant Mehra
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, USA
| | - Santosh Adhikari
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - Chiranjib Banerjee
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - Elias M Puchner
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
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44
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Wang Y, Huang C, Zhao W. Recent advances of the biological and biomedical applications of CRISPR/Cas systems. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:7087-7100. [PMID: 35705772 PMCID: PMC9199458 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07519-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease (Cas) system, referred to as CRISPR/Cas system, has attracted significant interest in scientific community due to its great potential in translating into versatile therapeutic tools in biomedical field. For instance, a myriad of studies has demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas system is capable of detecting various types of viruses, killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria, treating inherited genetic diseases, and providing new strategies for cancer therapy. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas systems are also exploited as research tools such as genome engineering tool that allows researchers to interrogate the biological roles of unexplored genes or uncover novel functions of known genes. Additionally, the CRISPR/Cas system has been employed to edit the genome of a wide range of eukaryotic, prokaryotic organisms and experimental models, including but not limited to mammalian cells, mice, zebrafish, plants, yeast, and Escherichia coli. The present review mainly focuses on summarizing recent discoveries regarding the type II CRISPR/Cas9 and type VI CRISPR/Cas13a systems to give researchers a glimpse of their potential applications in the biological and biomedical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaya Wang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Zhonglu, 710054, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Chun Huang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Zhonglu, 710054, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Weiqin Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Zhonglu, 710054, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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45
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Kanafi MM, Tavallaei M. Overview of advances in CRISPR/deadCas9 technology and its applications in human diseases. Gene 2022; 830:146518. [PMID: 35447246 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prokaryotes possess an adaptive immune system using various CRISPR associated (Cas) genes to make an archive of records from invading phages and eliminate them upon re-exposure when specialized Cas proteins cut foreign DNA into small pieces. On the basis of the different types of Cas proteins, CRISPR systems seen in some prokaryotic genomes, are different to each other. It has been proved that CRISPR has a great potential for genome engineering. Studies have also demonstrated that in comparison to the preceding genome engineering tools CRISPR/Cas systems can be harnessed as a flexible tool with easy multiplexing and scaling ability. Recent studies suggest that CRISPR/Cas systems can also be used for non-genome engineering roles. Isolation and identification of new Cas proteins or modification of existing ones are effectively increasing the number of CRISPR applications and helps its development. D10A and H840A mutations at RuvC and HNH endonuclease domains of wild type Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) respectively creates a nuclease, dead Cas9 (dCas9) molecule, that does not cut target DNA but still retains its capability for binding to target DNA based on the gRNA targeting sequence. In this article we review the potentials of this enzyme, dCas9, toward development of the applications of CRISPR/dCas9 technology in fields such as; visualization of genomic loci, disease diagnosis and transcriptional repression and activation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahmood Tavallaei
- Human Genetic Research Centre, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
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46
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Hou Y, Wang D, Lu S, Guo D, Li M, Cui M, Zhang XE. Optogenetic Control of Background Fluorescence Reduction for CRISPR-Based Genome Imaging. Anal Chem 2022; 94:8724-8731. [PMID: 35666940 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR/dCas9 system has become an essential tool for live-cell imaging of genomic loci, but it has limited applications in imaging low-/non-repetitive genomic loci due to the strong nuclear background noise emerging from many untargeted fluorescent modules. Here, we propose an optogenetically controlled background fluorescence reduction strategy that combines the CRISPR-SunTag system with a light-inducible nuclear export tag (LEXY). Utilizing the SunTag system, multiple copies of LEXY-tagged sfGFP were recruited to the C-terminal dCas9, recognizing the target genomic loci. As the nuclear export sequence at the C-terminal LEXY could be exposed to pulsed blue light irradiation, the untargeted nuclear labeling modules were light controllably transferred to the cytoplasm. Consequently, genomic loci containing as few as nine copies of repeats were clearly visualized, and a significant increase in the signal-to-noise ratio was achieved. This simple and controllable method is expected to have a wide range of applications in cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hou
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dianbing Wang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Song Lu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Dongge Guo
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Min Li
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mengmeng Cui
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xian-En Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
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47
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Guo Y, Lee RE. Long-term imaging of individual mRNA molecules in living cells. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100226. [PMID: 35784652 PMCID: PMC9243547 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Single-cell imaging of individual mRNAs has revealed core mechanisms of the central dogma. However, most approaches require cell fixation or have limited sensitivity for live-cell applications. Here, we describe SunRISER (SunTag-based reporter for imaging signal-enriched mRNA), a computationally and experimentally optimized approach for unambiguous detection of single mRNA molecules in living cells. When viewed by epifluorescence microscopy, SunRISER-labeled mRNAs show strong signal to background and resistance to photobleaching, which together enable long-term mRNA imaging studies. SunRISER variants, using 8× and 10× stem-loop arrays, demonstrate effective mRNA detection while significantly reducing alterations to target mRNA sequences. We characterize SunRISER to observe mRNA inheritance during mitosis and find that stressors enhance diversity among post-mitotic sister cells. Taken together, SunRISER enables a glimpse into living cells to observe aspects of the central dogma and the role of mRNAs in rare and dynamical trafficking events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Guo
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Robin E.C. Lee
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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48
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Nollmann M, Bennabi I, Götz M, Gregor T. The Impact of Space and Time on the Functional Output of the Genome. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2022; 14:a040378. [PMID: 34230036 PMCID: PMC8733053 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, it has become clear that the multiscale spatial and temporal organization of the genome has important implications for nuclear function. This review centers on insights gained from recent advances in light microscopy on our understanding of transcription. We discuss spatial and temporal aspects that shape nuclear order and their consequences on regulatory components, focusing on genomic scales most relevant to function. The emerging picture is that spatiotemporal constraints increase the complexity in transcriptional regulation, highlighting new challenges, such as uncertainty about how information travels from molecular factors through the genome and space to generate a functional output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Nollmann
- Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS UMR5048, INSERM U1054, Univ Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Isma Bennabi
- Department of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, CNRS UMR3738, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Markus Götz
- Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS UMR5048, INSERM U1054, Univ Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Thomas Gregor
- Department of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, CNRS UMR3738, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
- Joseph Henry Laboratory of Physics & Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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49
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Liu R, Yang J, Yao J, Zhao Z, He W, Su N, Zhang Z, Zhang C, Zhang Z, Cai H, Zhu L, Zhao Y, Quan S, Chen X, Yang Y. Optogenetic control of RNA function and metabolism using engineered light-switchable RNA-binding proteins. Nat Biotechnol 2022; 40:779-786. [PMID: 34980910 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-01112-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an essential role in regulating the function of RNAs in a cellular context, but our ability to control RBP activity in time and space is limited. Here, we describe the engineering of LicV, a photoswitchable RBP that binds to a specific RNA sequence in response to blue light irradiation. When fused to various RNA effectors, LicV allows for optogenetic control of RNA localization, splicing, translation and stability in cell culture. Furthermore, LicV-assisted CRISPR-Cas systems allow for efficient and tunable photoswitchable regulation of transcription and genomic locus labeling. These data demonstrate that the photoswitchable RBP LicV can serve as a programmable scaffold for the spatiotemporal control of synthetic RNA effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renmei Liu
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Yao
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhou Zhao
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei He
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Ni Su
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zeyi Zhang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenxia Zhang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuo Zhang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibo Cai
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Linyong Zhu
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuzheng Zhao
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Shu Quan
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianjun Chen
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yi Yang
- Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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50
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Xie X, Gan T, Rao B, Zhang W, Panchakshari RA, Yang D, Ji X, Cao Y, Alt FW, Meng FL, Hu J. C-terminal deletion-induced condensation sequesters AID from IgH targets in immunodeficiency. EMBO J 2022; 41:e109324. [PMID: 35471583 PMCID: PMC9156971 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021109324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In activated B cells, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) generates programmed DNA lesions required for antibody class switch recombination (CSR), which may also threaten genome integrity. AID dynamically shuttles between cytoplasm and nucleus, and the majority stays in the cytoplasm due to active nuclear export mediated by its C-terminal peptide. In immunodeficient-patient cells expressing mutant AID lacking its C-terminus, a catalytically active AID-delC protein accumulates in the nucleus but nevertheless fails to support CSR. To resolve this apparent paradox, we dissected the function of AID-delC proteins in the CSR process and found that they cannot efficiently target antibody genes. We demonstrate that AID-delC proteins form condensates both in vivo and in vitro, dependent on its N-terminus and on a surface arginine-rich patch. Co-expression of AID-delC and wild-type AID leads to an unbalanced nuclear AID-delC/AID ratio, with AID-delC proteins able to trap wild-type AID in condensates, resulting in a dominant-negative phenotype that could contribute to immunodeficiency. The co-condensation model of mutant and wild-type proteins could be an alternative explanation for the dominant-negative effect in genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Gan
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Rohit A Panchakshari
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dingpeng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiong Ji
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Frederick W Alt
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fei-Long Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiazhi Hu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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