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Siau JW, Siddiqui AA, Lau SY, Kannan S, Peter S, Zeng Y, Verma C, Droge P, Ghadessy JF. Expanding the DNA editing toolbox: Novel lambda integrase variants targeting microalgal and human genome sequences. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0292479. [PMID: 38349923 PMCID: PMC10863862 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292479] [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: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Recombinase enzymes are extremely efficient at integrating very large DNA fragments into target genomes. However, intrinsic sequence specificities curtail their use to DNA sequences with sufficient homology to endogenous target motifs. Extensive engineering is therefore required to broaden applicability and robustness. Here, we describe the directed evolution of novel lambda integrase variants capable of editing exogenous target sequences identified in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the algae Nannochloropsis oceanica. These microorganisms hold great promise as conduits for green biomanufacturing and carbon sequestration. The evolved enzyme variants show >1000-fold switch in specificity towards the non-natural target sites when assayed in vitro. A single-copy target motif in the human genome with homology to the Nannochloropsis oceanica site can also be efficiently targeted using an engineered integrase, both in vitro and in human cells. The developed integrase variants represent useful additions to the DNA editing toolbox, with particular application for targeted genomic insertion of large DNA cargos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wei Siau
- Protein and Peptide Engineering Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Asim Azhar Siddiqui
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sze Yi Lau
- Protein and Peptide Engineering Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Sabrina Peter
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yingying Zeng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chandra Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peter Droge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- LambdaGen Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - John F. Ghadessy
- Protein and Peptide Engineering Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
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2
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Siddiqui AA, Peter S, Ngoh EZX, Wang CI, Ng S, Dangerfield JA, Gunzburg WH, Dröge P, Makhija H. A versatile genomic transgenesis platform with enhanced λ integrase for human Expi293F cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1198465. [PMID: 37425360 PMCID: PMC10325659 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1198465] [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: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Reliable cell-based platforms to test and/or produce biologics in a sustainable manner are important for the biotech industry. Utilizing enhanced λ integrase, a sequence-specific DNA recombinase, we developed a novel transgenesis platform involving a fully characterized single genomic locus as an artificial landing pad for transgene insertion in human Expi293F cells. Importantly, transgene instability and variation in expression were not observed in the absence of selection pressure, thus enabling reliable long-term biotherapeutics testing or production. The artificial landing pad for λ integrase can be targeted with multi-transgene constructs and offers future modularity involving additional genome manipulation tools to generate sequential or nearly seamless insertions. We demonstrated broad utility with expression constructs for anti PD-1 monoclonal antibodies and showed that the orientation of heavy and light chain transcription units profoundly affected antibody expression levels. In addition, we demonstrated encapsulation of our PD-1 platform cells into bio-compatible mini-bioreactors and the continued secretion of antibodies, thus providing a basis for future cell-based applications for more effective and affordable therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asim Azhar Siddiqui
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sabrina Peter
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eve Zi Xian Ngoh
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cheng-I. Wang
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shirelle Ng
- Austrianova Singapore Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Walter H. Gunzburg
- Austrianova Singapore Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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3
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Roy S, Peter S, Dröge P. Versatile seamless DNA vector production in E. coli using enhanced phage lambda integrase. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270173. [PMID: 36149906 PMCID: PMC9506625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270173] [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: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Seamless DNA vectors derived from bacterial plasmids are devoid of bacterial genetic elements and represent attractive alternatives for biomedical applications including DNA vaccines. Larger scale production of seamless vectors employs engineered Escherichia coli strains in order to enable tightly regulated expression of site-specific DNA recombinases which precisely delete unwanted sequences from bacterial plasmids. As a novel component of a developing lambda integrase genome editing platform, we describe here strain MG1655-ISC as a means to easily produce different scales of seamless vectors, ranging in size from a few hundred base pairs to more than ten kilo base pairs. Since we employed an engineered lambda integrase that is able to efficiently recombine pairs of DNA crossover sites that differ in sequence, the resulting seamless vectors will be useful for subsequent genome editing in higher eukaryotes to accommodate variations in target site sequences. Future inclusion of single cognate sites for other genome targeting systems could enable modularity. These features, together with the demonstrated simplicity of in vivo seamless vector production, add to their utility in the biomedical space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suki Roy
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sabrina Peter
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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4
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Siau JW, Nonis S, Chee S, Koh LQ, Ferrer FJ, Brown CJ, Ghadessy FJ. Directed co-evolution of interacting protein-peptide pairs by compartmentalized two-hybrid replication (C2HR). Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 48:e128. [PMID: 33104786 PMCID: PMC7736784 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Directed evolution methodologies benefit from read-outs quantitatively linking genotype to phenotype. We therefore devised a method that couples protein–peptide interactions to the dynamic read-out provided by an engineered DNA polymerase. Fusion of a processivity clamp protein to a thermostable nucleic acid polymerase enables polymerase activity and DNA amplification in otherwise prohibitive high-salt buffers. Here, we recapitulate this phenotype by indirectly coupling the Sso7d processivity clamp to Taq DNA polymerase via respective fusion to a high affinity and thermostable interacting protein–peptide pair. Escherichia coli cells co-expressing protein–peptide pairs can directly be used in polymerase chain reactions to determine relative interaction strengths by the measurement of amplicon yields. Conditional polymerase activity is further used to link genotype to phenotype of interacting protein–peptide pairs co-expressed in E. coli using the compartmentalized self-replication directed evolution platform. We validate this approach, termed compartmentalized two-hybrid replication, by selecting for high-affinity peptides that bind two model protein partners: SpyCatcher and the large fragment of NanoLuc luciferase. We further demonstrate directed co-evolution by randomizing both protein and peptide components of the SpyCatcher–SpyTag pair and co-selecting for functionally interacting variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wei Siau
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Samuel Nonis
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Sharon Chee
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Li Quan Koh
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Fernando J Ferrer
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Christopher J Brown
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Farid J Ghadessy
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
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Elias A, Kassis H, Elkader SA, Gritsenko N, Nahmad A, Shir H, Younis L, Shannan A, Aihara H, Prag G, Yagil E, Kolot M. HK022 bacteriophage Integrase mediated RMCE as a potential tool for human gene therapy. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:12804-12816. [PMID: 33270859 PMCID: PMC7736782 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
HK022 coliphage site-specific recombinase Integrase (Int) can catalyze integrative site-specific recombination and recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) reactions in mammalian cell cultures. Owing to the promiscuity of the 7 bp overlap sequence in its att sites, active ‘attB’ sites flanking human deleterious mutations were previously identified that may serve as substrates for RMCE reactions for future potential gene therapy. However, the wild type Int proved inefficient in catalyzing such RMCE reactions. To address this low efficiency, variants of Int were constructed and examined by integrative site-specific recombination and RMCE assays in human cells using native ‘attB’ sites. As a proof of concept, various Int derivatives have demonstrated successful RMCE reactions using a pair of native ‘attB’ sites that were inserted as a substrate into the human genome. Moreover, successful RMCE reactions were demonstrated in native locations of the human CTNS and DMD genes whose mutations are responsible for Cystinosis and Duchene Muscular Dystrophy diseases, respectively. This work provides a steppingstone for potential downstream therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amer Elias
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Hala Kassis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Suha Abd Elkader
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Natasha Gritsenko
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Alessio Nahmad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Hodaya Shir
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Liana Younis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Atheer Shannan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Hideki Aihara
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota TwinCities, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Gali Prag
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ezra Yagil
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Mikhail Kolot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry &Biophysics, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Voziyanova E, Li F, Shah R, Voziyanov Y. Genome targeting by hybrid Flp-TAL recombinases. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17479. [PMID: 33060660 PMCID: PMC7562724 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74474-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome engineering is a rapidly evolving field that benefits from the availability of different tools that can be used to perform genome manipulation tasks. We describe here the development of the Flp-TAL recombinases that can target genomic FRT-like sequences in their native chromosomal locations. Flp-TAL recombinases are hybrid enzymes that are composed of two functional modules: a variant of site-specific tyrosine recombinase Flp, which can have either narrow or broad target specificity, and the DNA-binding domain of the transcription activator-like effector, TAL. In Flp-TAL, the TAL module is responsible for delivering and stabilizing the Flp module onto the desired genomic FRT-like sequence where the Flp module mediates recombination. We demonstrate the functionality of the Flp-TAL recombinases by performing integration and deletion experiments in human HEK-293 cells. In the integration experiments we targeted a vector to three genomic FRT-like sequences located in the β-globin locus. In the deletion experiments we excised ~ 15 kilobases of DNA that contained a fragment of the integrated vector sequence and the neighboring genome sequence. On average, the efficiency of the integration and deletion reactions was about 0.1% and 20%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Voziyanova
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, 1 Adams Blvd., Ruston, LA, 71272, USA
| | - Feng Li
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, 1 Adams Blvd., Ruston, LA, 71272, USA
| | - Riddhi Shah
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Yuri Voziyanov
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, 1 Adams Blvd., Ruston, LA, 71272, USA.
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Chaudhari N, Rickard AM, Roy S, Dröge P, Makhija H. A non-viral genome editing platform for site-specific insertion of large transgenes. Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 11:380. [PMID: 32883366 PMCID: PMC7650303 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01890-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The precise, functional and safe insertion of large DNA payloads into host genomes offers versatility in downstream genetic engineering-associated applications, spanning cell and gene therapies, therapeutic protein production, high-throughput cell-based drug screening and reporter cell lines amongst others. Employing viral- and non-viral-based genome engineering tools to achieve specific insertion of large DNA-despite being successful in E. coli and animal models-still pose challenges in the human system. In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of our lambda integrase-based genome insertion tool for human cell and gene therapy applications that require insertions of large functional genes, as exemplified by the integration of a functional copy of the F8 gene and a Double Homeobox Protein 4 (DUX4)-based reporter cassette for potential hemophilia A gene therapy and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD)-based high-throughput drug screening purposes, respectively. Thus, we present a non-viral genome insertion tool for safe and functional delivery of large seamless DNA cargo into the human genome that can enable novel designer cell-based therapies. METHODS Previously, we have demonstrated the utility of our phage λ-integrase platform to generate seamless vectors and subsequently achieve functional integration of large-sized DNA payloads at defined loci in the human genome. To further explore this tool for therapeutic applications, we used pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to integrate large seamless vectors comprising a 'gene of interest'. Clonal cell populations were screened for the correct integration events and further characterized by southern blotting, gene expression and protein activity assays. In the case of our hemophilia A-related study, clones were differentiated to confirm that the targeted locus is active after differentiation and actively express and secrete Factor VIII. RESULTS The two independent approaches demonstrated specific and functional insertions of a full-length blood clotting F8 expression cassette of ~ 10 kb and of a DUX4 reporter cassette of ~ 7 kb in hESCs. CONCLUSION We present a versatile tool for site-specific human genome engineering with large transgenes for cell/gene therapies and other synthetic biology and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Chaudhari
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Republic of Singapore
| | - Amanda M Rickard
- Genea Biocells, 11099 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 210, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Suki Roy
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Republic of Singapore
| | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Harshyaa Makhija
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Republic of Singapore.
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Raghavan SS, Chee S, Li J, Poschmann J, Nagarajan N, Jia Wei S, Verma CS, Ghadessy FJ. Development and application of a transcriptional sensor for detection of heterologous acrylic acid production in E. coli. Microb Cell Fact 2019; 18:139. [PMID: 31426802 PMCID: PMC6699081 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-019-1185-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acrylic acid (AA) is a widely used commodity chemical derived from non-renewable fossil fuel sources. Alternative microbial-based production methodologies are being developed with the aim of providing “green” acrylic acid. These initiatives will benefit from component sensing tools that facilitate rapid and easy detection of in vivo AA production. Results We developed a novel transcriptional sensor facilitating in vivo detection of acrylic acid (AA). RNAseq analysis of Escherichia coli exposed to sub-lethal doses of acrylic acid identified a selectively responsive promoter (PyhcN) that was cloned upstream of the eGFP gene. In the presence of AA, eGFP expression in E. coli cells harbouring the sensing construct was readily observable by fluorescence read-out. Low concentrations of AA (500 μM) could be detected whilst the closely related lactic and 3-hydroxy propionic acids failed to activate the sensor. We further used the developed AA-biosensor for in vivo FACS-based screening and identification of amidase mutants with improved catalytic properties for deamination of acrylamide to acrylic acid. Conclusions The transcriptional AA sensor developed in this study will benefit strain, enzyme and pathway engineering initiatives targeting the efficient formation of bio-acrylic acid. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-019-1185-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarada S Raghavan
- p53 Laboratory Technology Development Group, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove #06-06 Immunos, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Sharon Chee
- p53 Laboratory Technology Development Group, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove #06-06 Immunos, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Juntao Li
- Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Genome, #02-01, Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Jeremie Poschmann
- Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie, Inserm, CHU-Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Niranjan Nagarajan
- Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Genome, #02-01, Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Siau Jia Wei
- p53 Laboratory Technology Development Group, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove #06-06 Immunos, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Farid J Ghadessy
- p53 Laboratory Technology Development Group, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove #06-06 Immunos, Singapore, 138648, Singapore.
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9
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Makhija H, Roy S, Hoon S, Ghadessy FJ, Wong D, Jaiswal R, Campana D, Dröge P. A novel λ integrase-mediated seamless vector transgenesis platform for therapeutic protein expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:e99. [PMID: 29893931 PMCID: PMC6144826 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in stem cell engineering, gene therapy and molecular medicine often involve genome engineering at a cellular level. However, functionally large or multi transgene cassette insertion into the human genome still remains a challenge. Current practices such as random transgene integration or targeted endonuclease-based genome editing are suboptimal and might pose safety concerns. Taking this into consideration, we previously developed a transgenesis tool derived from phage λ integrase (Int) that precisely recombines large plasmid DNA into an endogenous sequence found in human Long INterspersed Elements-1 (LINE-1). Despite this advancement, biosafety concerns associated with bacterial components of plasmids, enhanced uptake and efficient transgene expression remained problematic. We therefore further improved and herein report a more superior Int-based transgenesis tool. This novel Int platform allows efficient and easy derivation of sufficient amounts of seamless supercoiled transgene vectors from conventional plasmids via intramolecular recombination as well as subsequent intermolecular site-specific genome integration into LINE-1. Furthermore, we identified certain LINE-1 as preferred insertion sites for Int-mediated seamless vector transgenesis, and showed that targeted anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor gene integration achieves high-level sustained transgene expression in human embryonic stem cell clones for potential downstream therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshyaa Makhija
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Suki Roy
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Shawn Hoon
- Molecular Engineering Lab, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673
| | | | - Desmond Wong
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599
| | - Rahul Jaiswal
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Dario Campana
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599
| | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551.,Nanyang Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Experimental Medicine Building (EMB), 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 636921
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10
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Bogdanove AJ, Bohm A, Miller JC, Morgan RD, Stoddard BL. Engineering altered protein-DNA recognition specificity. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:4845-4871. [PMID: 29718463 PMCID: PMC6007267 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein engineering is used to generate novel protein folds and assemblages, to impart new properties and functions onto existing proteins, and to enhance our understanding of principles that govern protein structure. While such approaches can be employed to reprogram protein-protein interactions, modifying protein-DNA interactions is more difficult. This may be related to the structural features of protein-DNA interfaces, which display more charged groups, directional hydrogen bonds, ordered solvent molecules and counterions than comparable protein interfaces. Nevertheless, progress has been made in the redesign of protein-DNA specificity, much of it driven by the development of engineered enzymes for genome modification. Here, we summarize the creation of novel DNA specificities for zinc finger proteins, meganucleases, TAL effectors, recombinases and restriction endonucleases. The ease of re-engineering each system is related both to the modularity of the protein and the extent to which the proteins have evolved to be capable of readily modifying their recognition specificities in response to natural selection. The development of engineered DNA binding proteins that display an ideal combination of activity, specificity, deliverability, and outcomes is not a fully solved problem, however each of the current platforms offers unique advantages, offset by behaviors and properties requiring further study and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Bogdanove
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Andrew Bohm
- Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Miller
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. 501 Canal Blvd., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Richard D Morgan
- New England Biolabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Barry L Stoddard
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98019, USA
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11
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Sana B, Chia KHB, Raghavan SS, Ramalingam B, Nagarajan N, Seayad J, Ghadessy FJ. Development of a genetically programed vanillin-sensing bacterium for high-throughput screening of lignin-degrading enzyme libraries. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2017; 10:32. [PMID: 28174601 PMCID: PMC5291986 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0720-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2016] [Accepted: 01/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lignin is a potential biorefinery feedstock for the production of value-added chemicals including vanillin. A huge amount of lignin is produced as a by-product of the paper industry, while cellulosic components of plant biomass are utilized for the production of paper pulp. In spite of vast potential, lignin remains the least exploited component of plant biomass due to its extremely complex and heterogenous structure. Several enzymes have been reported to have lignin-degrading properties and could be potentially used in lignin biorefining if their catalytic properties could be improved by enzyme engineering. The much needed improvement of lignin-degrading enzymes by high-throughput selection techniques such as directed evolution is currently limited, as robust methods for detecting the conversion of lignin to desired small molecules are not available. RESULTS We identified a vanillin-inducible promoter by RNAseq analysis of Escherichia coli cells treated with a sublethal dose of vanillin and developed a genetically programmed vanillin-sensing cell by placing the 'very green fluorescent protein' gene under the control of this promoter. Fluorescence of the biosensing cell is enhanced significantly when grown in the presence of vanillin and is readily visualized by fluorescence microscopy. The use of fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis further enhances the sensitivity, enabling dose-dependent detection of as low as 200 µM vanillin. The biosensor is highly specific to vanillin and no major response is elicited by the presence of lignin, lignin model compound, DMSO, vanillin analogues or non-specific toxic chemicals. CONCLUSIONS We developed an engineered E. coli cell that can detect vanillin at a concentration as low as 200 µM. The vanillin-sensing cell did not show cross-reactivity towards lignin or major lignin degradation products including vanillin analogues. This engineered E. coli cell could potentially be used as a host cell for screening lignin-degrading enzymes that can convert lignin to vanillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barindra Sana
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science Technology And Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore, 138648 Singapore
| | - Kuan Hui Burton Chia
- Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Genome, #02-01, Singapore, 138672 Singapore
| | - Sarada S. Raghavan
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science Technology And Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore, 138648 Singapore
| | - Balamurugan Ramalingam
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 8 Biomedical Grove, Neuros, #07-01, Singapore, 138665 Singapore
| | - Niranjan Nagarajan
- Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Genome, #02-01, Singapore, 138672 Singapore
| | - Jayasree Seayad
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 8 Biomedical Grove, Neuros, #07-01, Singapore, 138665 Singapore
| | - Farid J. Ghadessy
- p53 Laboratory, Agency for Science Technology And Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-04/05 Neuros/Immunos, Singapore, 138648 Singapore
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Kaltenbach M, Emond S, Hollfelder F, Tokuriki N. Functional Trade-Offs in Promiscuous Enzymes Cannot Be Explained by Intrinsic Mutational Robustness of the Native Activity. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006305. [PMID: 27716796 PMCID: PMC5065130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which an emerging new function trades off with the original function is a key characteristic of the dynamics of enzyme evolution. Various cases of laboratory evolution have unveiled a characteristic trend; a large increase in a new, promiscuous activity is often accompanied by only a mild reduction of the native, original activity. A model that associates weak trade-offs with “evolvability” was put forward, which proposed that enzymes possess mutational robustness in the native activity and plasticity in promiscuous activities. This would enable the acquisition of a new function without compromising the original one, reducing the benefit of early gene duplication and therefore the selection pressure thereon. Yet, to date, no experimental study has examined this hypothesis directly. Here, we investigate the causes of weak trade-offs by systematically characterizing adaptive mutations that occurred in two cases of evolutionary transitions in enzyme function: (1) from phosphotriesterase to arylesterase, and (2) from atrazine chlorohydrolase to melamine deaminase. Mutational analyses in various genetic backgrounds revealed that, in contrast to the prevailing model, the native activity is less robust to mutations than the promiscuous activity. For example, in phosphotriesterase, the deleterious effect of individual mutations on the native phosphotriesterase activity is much larger than their positive effect on the promiscuous arylesterase activity. Our observations suggest a revision of the established model: weak trade-offs are not caused by an intrinsic robustness of the native activity and plasticity of the promiscuous activity. We propose that upon strong adaptive pressure for the new activity without selection against the original one, selected mutations will lead to the largest possible increases in the new function, but whether and to what extent they decrease the old function is irrelevant, creating a bias towards initially weak trade-offs and the emergence of generalist enzymes. Understanding how enzymes evolve is a fundamental question that can help us decipher not only the mechanisms of evolution on a higher level, i.e., whole organisms, but also advances our knowledge of sequence-structure-function relationships as a guide to artificial evolution in the test tube. An important yet unexplained phenomenon occurs during the evolution of a new enzymatic function; it has been observed that new and ancestral functions often trade-off only weakly, meaning the original native activity is initially maintained at a high level despite drastic improvement of the new promiscuous activity. It has previously been proposed that weak trade-offs occur because the native activity is robust to mutations while the promiscuous activity is not. However, the present work contradicts this hypothesis, based on the detailed characterization of mutational effects on both activities in two examples of enzyme evolution. We propose an alternative explanation: the weak activity trade-off is consistent with being a by-product of strong selection for the new activity rather than an intrinsic property of the native activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kaltenbach
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Stephane Emond
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nobuhiko Tokuriki
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Meinke G, Bohm A, Hauber J, Pisabarro MT, Buchholz F. Cre Recombinase and Other Tyrosine Recombinases. Chem Rev 2016; 116:12785-12820. [PMID: 27163859 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Tyrosine-type site-specific recombinases (T-SSRs) have opened new avenues for the predictable modification of genomes as they enable precise genome editing in heterologous hosts. These enzymes are ubiquitous in eubacteria, prevalent in archaea and temperate phages, present in certain yeast strains, but barely found in higher eukaryotes. As tools they find increasing use for the generation and systematic modification of genomes in a plethora of organisms. If applied in host organisms, they enable precise DNA cleavage and ligation without the gain or loss of nucleotides. Criteria directing the choice of the most appropriate T-SSR system for genetic engineering include that, whenever possible, the recombinase should act independent of cofactors and that the target sequences should be long enough to be unique in a given genome. This review is focused on recent advancements in our mechanistic understanding of simple T-SSRs and their application in developmental and synthetic biology, as well as in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen Meinke
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
| | - Andrew Bohm
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
| | - Joachim Hauber
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology , 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Frank Buchholz
- Medical Systems Biology, UCC, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus TU Dresden , 01307 Dresden, Germany
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Vijaya Chandra SH, Makhija H, Peter S, Myint Wai CM, Li J, Zhu J, Ren Z, D'Alcontres MS, Siau JW, Chee S, Ghadessy FJ, Dröge P. Conservative site-specific and single-copy transgenesis in human LINE-1 elements. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:e55. [PMID: 26673710 PMCID: PMC4824084 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome engineering of human cells plays an important role in biotechnology and molecular medicine. In particular, insertions of functional multi-transgene cassettes into suitable endogenous sequences will lead to novel applications. Although several tools have been exploited in this context, safety issues such as cytotoxicity, insertional mutagenesis and off-target cleavage together with limitations in cargo size/expression often compromise utility. Phage λ integrase (Int) is a transgenesis tool that mediates conservative site-specific integration of 48 kb DNA into a safe harbor site of the bacterial genome. Here, we show that an Int variant precisely recombines large episomes into a sequence, term edattH4X, found in 1000 human Long INterspersed Elements-1 (LINE-1). We demonstrate single-copy transgenesis through attH4X-targeting in various cell lines including hESCs, with the flexibility of selecting clones according to transgene performance and downstream applications. This is exemplified with pluripotency reporter cassettes and constitutively expressed payloads that remain functional in LINE1-targeted hESCs and differentiated progenies. Furthermore, LINE-1 targeting does not induce DNA damage-response or chromosomal aberrations, and neither global nor localized endogenous gene expression is substantially affected. Hence, this simple transgene addition tool should become particularly useful for applications that require engineering of the human genome with multi-transgenes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harshyaa Makhija
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Sabrina Peter
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Cho Mar Myint Wai
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Jinming Li
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Tonghe GuangZhou 510515, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Tonghe, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Jindong Zhu
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Tonghe GuangZhou 510515, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Tonghe, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhonglu Ren
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Tonghe GuangZhou 510515, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Tonghe, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Jia Wei Siau
- p53Lab, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore 138673
| | - Sharon Chee
- p53Lab, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore 138673
| | | | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
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