1
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Patra S, Chatterjee D, Basak S, Sen S, Mandal A. CRISPR/Cas9 opens new horizon of crop improvement under stress condition. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2024; 1868:130685. [PMID: 39079650 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Abstract
Plants are exposed to a myriad of stresses, stemming from abiotic and biotic sources, significantly threatening agricultural productivity. The low crop yield, coupled with the global burden of population has resulted in the scarcity of quality food, exacerbating socio-economic issues like poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Conventional breeding methods for the generation of stress-tolerant plants are time-consuming, limit genetic diversity, and are not sustainable for the consistent production of high-yielding crops. In recent years, the use of high-throughput, genome editing (GE) technique has revolutionized the crop-improvement paradigm, ushering greater prospects for agricultural progress. Among these tools, the Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR), and its associated nuclease protein Cas9, have appeared as a ground-breaking technology, allowing precise knockout (KO), upregulation, and downregulation of target gene expression. Apart from its high efficacy and speed, this programmable nuclease offers exceptional specificity with minimal off-target effects. Here in, we aim to review the latest findings on the application of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool for generating resilience in plants against environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjib Patra
- Department of Genetics, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge circular road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Debdatta Chatterjee
- Department of Genetics, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge circular road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Shrabani Basak
- Department of Biological sciences, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700091, West Bengal, India
| | - Susmi Sen
- Department of Genetics, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge circular road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Arunava Mandal
- Department of Genetics, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge circular road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India.
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2
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Kang H, Park D, Kim J. Logical regulation of endogenous gene expression using programmable, multi-input processing CRISPR guide RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:8595-8608. [PMID: 38943344 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae549] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas system provides a versatile RNA-guided approach for a broad range of applications. Thanks to advances in RNA synthetic biology, the engineering of guide RNAs (gRNAs) has enabled the conditional control of the CRISPR-Cas system. However, achieving precise regulation of the CRISPR-Cas system for efficient modulation of internal metabolic processes remains challenging. In this work, we developed a robust dCas9 regulator with engineered conditional gRNAs to enable tight control of endogenous genes. Our conditional gRNAs in Escherichia coli can control gene expression upon specific interaction with trigger RNAs with a dynamic range as high as 130-fold, evaluating up to a three-input logic A OR (B AND C). The conditional gRNA-mediated targeting of endogenous metabolic genes, lacZ, malT and poxB, caused differential regulation of growth in Escherichia coli via metabolic flux control. Further, conditional gRNAs could regulate essential cytoskeleton genes, ftsZ and mreB, to control cell filamentation and division. Finally, three types of two-input logic gates could be applied for the conditional control of ftsZ regulation, resulting in morphological changes. The successful operation and application of conditional gRNAs based on programmable RNA interactions suggests that our system could be compatible with other Cas-effectors and implemented in other host organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansol Kang
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea
| | - Dongwon Park
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea
| | - Jongmin Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea
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3
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Hsiao S, Chen S, Jiang Y, Wang Q, Yang Y, Lai Y, Zhong T, Liao J, Wu Y. Library-Assisted Evolution in Eukaryotic Cells Yield Adenine Base Editors with Enhanced Editing Specificity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2309004. [PMID: 38874509 PMCID: PMC11321652 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309004] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The current-generation adenine base editor (ABE) ABE8e, which has evolved from the prokaryotic evolution system, exhibits high efficiency in mediating A-to-G conversion and is presumed to be promising for gene therapy. However, its much wider editing window and substantially higher off-target editing activity restricted its applications in precise base editing for therapeutic use. This study uses a library-assisted protein evolution approach using eukaryotic cells to generate ABE variants with improved specificity and reduced off-target editing while maintaining high activity in human cells. The study generated an expanded set of ABEs with efficient editing activities and chose four evolved variants that offered either similar or modestly higher efficiency within a narrower editing window of protospacer position ≈4-7 compared to that of ABE8e in human cells, which would enable minimized bystander editing. Moreover, these variants resulted in reduced off-target editing events when delivered as plasmid or mRNA into human cells. Finally, these variants can install both disease-suppressing mutations and disease-correcting mutations efficiently with minimal undesired bystander editing making them promising approaches for specific therapeutic edits. In summary, the work establishes a mutant-library-assisted protein evolution method in eukaryotic cells and generates alternative ABE variants as efficient tools for precise human genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenlin Hsiao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
| | - Shuanghong Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
| | - Yanhong Jiang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
| | - Qiudao Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical UniversityNanningGuangxi530021China
| | - Yongrong Lai
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical UniversityNanningGuangxi530021China
| | - Tao Zhong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
| | - Jiaoyang Liao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
- YolTech TherapeuticsShanghai201199China
| | - Yuxuan Wu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell TherapyShanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory BiologyInstitute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghai200241China
- YolTech TherapeuticsShanghai201199China
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4
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Feng Q, Li Q, Zhou H, Wang Z, Lin C, Jiang Z, Liu T, Wang D. CRISPR technology in human diseases. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e672. [PMID: 39081515 PMCID: PMC11286548 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.672] [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: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene editing is a growing gene engineering technique that allows accurate editing of a broad spectrum of gene-regulated diseases to achieve curative treatment and also has the potential to be used as an adjunct to the conventional treatment of diseases. Gene editing technology, mainly based on clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein systems, which is capable of generating genetic modifications in somatic cells, provides a promising new strategy for gene therapy for a wide range of human diseases. Currently, gene editing technology shows great application prospects in a variety of human diseases, not only in therapeutic potential but also in the construction of animal models of human diseases. This paper describes the application of gene editing technology in hematological diseases, solid tumors, immune disorders, ophthalmological diseases, and metabolic diseases; focuses on the therapeutic strategies of gene editing technology in sickle cell disease; provides an overview of the role of gene editing technology in the construction of animal models of human diseases; and discusses the limitations of gene editing technology in the treatment of diseases, which is intended to provide an important reference for the applications of gene editing technology in the human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Feng
- Laboratory Animal CenterCollege of Animal ScienceJilin UniversityChangchunChina
- Research and Development CentreBaicheng Medical CollegeBaichengChina
| | - Qirong Li
- Laboratory Animal CenterCollege of Animal ScienceJilin UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Hengzong Zhou
- Laboratory Animal CenterCollege of Animal ScienceJilin UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Zhan Wang
- Laboratory Animal CenterCollege of Animal ScienceJilin UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Chao Lin
- School of Grain Science and TechnologyJilin Business and Technology CollegeChangchunChina
| | - Ziping Jiang
- Department of Hand and Foot SurgeryThe First Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Tianjia Liu
- Research and Development CentreBaicheng Medical CollegeBaichengChina
| | - Dongxu Wang
- Laboratory Animal CenterCollege of Animal ScienceJilin UniversityChangchunChina
- Department of Hand and Foot SurgeryThe First Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchunChina
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5
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Li YJ, Chien SH, Huang R, Herrmann A, Zhao Q, Li PC, Zhang C, Martincuks A, Santiago NL, Zong K, Swiderski P, Okimoto RA, Song M, Rodriguez L, Forman SJ, Wang X, Yu H. A platform to deliver single and bi-specific Cas9/guide RNA to perturb genes in vitro and in vivo. Mol Ther 2024:S1525-0016(24)00480-5. [PMID: 39091030 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Although CRISPR-Cas9 technology is poised to revolutionize the treatment of diseases with underlying genetic mutations, it faces some significant issues limiting clinical entry. They include low-efficiency in vivo systemic delivery and undesired off-target effects. Here, we demonstrate, by modifying Cas9 with phosphorothioate-DNA oligos (PSs), that one can efficiently deliver single and bi-specific CRISPR-Cas9/guide RNA (gRNA) dimers in vitro and in vivo with reduced off-target effects. We show that PS-Cas9/gRNA-mediated gene knockout preserves chimeric antigen receptor T cell viability and expansion in vitro and in vivo. PS-Cas9/gRNA mediates gene perturbation in patient-derived tumor organoids and mouse xenograft tumors, leading to potent tumor antitumor effects. Further, HER2 antibody-PS-Cas9/gRNA conjugate selectively perturbs targeted genes in HER2+ ovarian cancer xenografts in vivo. Moreover, we created bi-specific PS-Cas9 with two gRNAs to target two adjacent sequences of the same gene, leading to efficient targeted gene disruption ex vivo and in vivo with markedly reduced unintended gene perturbation. Thus, the cell-penetrating PS-Cas9/gRNA can achieve efficient systemic delivery and precision in gene disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Jia Li
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| | - Sheng-Hsuan Chien
- Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11201, Taiwan
| | - Rui Huang
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Andreas Herrmann
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Qianqian Zhao
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Pei-Chuan Li
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Chunyan Zhang
- Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Antons Martincuks
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Nicole Lugo Santiago
- Department of Surgery, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Katherine Zong
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Piotr Swiderski
- DNA/RNA Synthesis Laboratory, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ross A Okimoto
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Mihae Song
- Department of Surgery, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Lorna Rodriguez
- Department of Surgery, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Stephen J Forman
- Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Hua Yu
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
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6
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Yan H, Tang W. Programmed RNA editing with an evolved bacterial adenosine deaminase. Nat Chem Biol 2024:10.1038/s41589-024-01661-x. [PMID: 38969862 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01661-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Programmed RNA editing presents an attractive therapeutic strategy for genetic disease. In this study, we developed bacterial deaminase-enabled recoding of RNA (DECOR), which employs an evolved Escherichia coli transfer RNA adenosine deaminase, TadA8e, to deposit adenosine-to-inosine editing to CRISPR-specified sites in the human transcriptome. DECOR functions in a variety of cell types, including human lung fibroblasts, and delivers on-target activity similar to ADAR-overexpressing RNA-editing platforms with 88% lower off-target effects. High-fidelity DECOR further reduces off-target effects to basal level. We demonstrate the clinical potential of DECOR by targeting Van der Woude syndrome-causing interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) insufficiency. DECOR-mediated RNA editing removes a pathogenic upstream open reading frame (uORF) from the 5' untranslated region of IRF6 and rescues primary ORF expression from 12.3% to 36.5%, relative to healthy transcripts. DECOR expands the current portfolio of effector proteins and opens new territory in programmed RNA editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Weixin Tang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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7
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Liang Z, Huang C, Xia Y, Ye Z, Fan S, Zeng J, Guo S, Ma X, Sun L, Huo YX. Identification of functional sgRNA mutants lacking canonical secondary structure using high-throughput FACS screening. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114290. [PMID: 38823012 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114290] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Coexpressing multiple identical single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) in CRISPR-dependent engineering triggers genetic instability and phenotype loss. To provide sgRNA derivatives for efficient DNA digestion, we design a high-throughput digestion-activity-dependent positive screening strategy and astonishingly obtain functional nonrepetitive sgRNA mutants with up to 48 out of the 61 nucleotides mutated, and these nonrepetitive mutants completely lose canonical secondary sgRNA structure in simulation. Cas9-sgRNA complexes containing these noncanonical sgRNAs maintain wild-type level of digestion activities in vivo, indicating that the Cas9 protein is compatible with or is able to adjust the secondary structure of sgRNAs. Using these noncanonical sgRNAs, we achieve multiplex genetic engineering for gene knockout and base editing in microbial cell factories. Libraries of strains with rewired metabolism are constructed, and overproducers of isobutanol or 1,3-propanediol are identified by biosensor-based fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). This work sheds light on the remarkable flexibility of the secondary structure of functional sgRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Liang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chaoyong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhaojin Ye
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Shunhua Fan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Junwei Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Shuyuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xiaoyan Ma
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Beijing Institute of Technology (Tangshan) Translational Research Center, Hebei 063611, China
| | - Lichao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Beijing Institute of Technology (Tangshan) Translational Research Center, Hebei 063611, China
| | - Yi-Xin Huo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Aerospace Center Hospital, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Beijing Institute of Technology (Tangshan) Translational Research Center, Hebei 063611, China.
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8
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Fan T, Cheng Y, Wu Y, Liu S, Tang X, He Y, Liao S, Zheng X, Zhang T, Qi Y, Zhang Y. High performance TadA-8e derived cytosine and dual base editors with undetectable off-target effects in plants. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5103. [PMID: 38877035 PMCID: PMC11178825 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49473-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: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cytosine base editors (CBEs) and adenine base editors (ABEs) enable precise C-to-T and A-to-G edits. Recently, ABE8e, derived from TadA-8e, enhances A-to-G edits in mammalian cells and plants. Interestingly, TadA-8e can also be evolved to confer C-to-T editing. This study compares engineered CBEs derived from TadA-8e in rice and tomato cells, identifying TadCBEa, TadCBEd, and TadCBEd_V106W as efficient CBEs with high purity and a narrow editing window. A dual base editor, TadDE, promotes simultaneous C-to-T and A-to-G editing. Multiplexed base editing with TadCBEa and TadDE is demonstrated in transgenic rice, with no off-target effects detected by whole genome and transcriptome sequencing, indicating high specificity. Finally, two crop engineering applications using TadDE are shown: introducing herbicide resistance alleles in OsALS and creating synonymous mutations in OsSPL14 to resist OsMIR156-mediated degradation. Together, this study presents TadA-8e derived CBEs and a dual base editor as valuable additions to the plant editing toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Fan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yanhao Cheng
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, ML, 20742, USA
| | - Yuechao Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Shishi Liu
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China
| | - Xu Tang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yao He
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China
| | - Shanyue Liao
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China
| | - Xuelian Zheng
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
| | - Yiping Qi
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, ML, 20742, USA.
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, ML, 20850, USA.
| | - Yong Zhang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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9
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Zhu H, Wang L, Wang Y, Jiang X, Qin Q, Song M, Huang Q. Directed-evolution mutations enhance DNA-binding affinity and protein stability of the adenine base editor ABE8e. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:257. [PMID: 38874784 PMCID: PMC11335294 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05263-7] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Adenine base editors (ABEs), consisting of CRISPR Cas nickase and deaminase, can chemically convert the A:T base pair to G:C. ABE8e, an evolved variant of the base editor ABE7.10, contains eight directed evolution mutations in its deaminase TadA8e that significantly increase its base editing activity. However, the functional implications of these mutations remain unclear. Here, we combined molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and experimental measurements to investigate the role of the directed-evolution mutations in the base editing catalysis. MD simulations showed that the DNA-binding affinity of TadA8e is higher than that of the original deaminase TadA7.10 in ABE7.10 and is mainly driven by electrostatic interactions. The directed-evolution mutations increase the positive charge density in the DNA-binding region, thereby enhancing the electrostatic attraction of TadA8e to DNA. We identified R111, N119 and N167 as the key mutations for the enhanced DNA binding and confirmed them by microscale thermophoresis (MST) and in vivo reversion mutation experiments. Unexpectedly, we also found that the directed mutations improved the thermal stability of TadA8e by ~ 12 °C (Tm, melting temperature) and that of ABE8e by ~ 9 °C, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the directed-evolution mutations improve the substrate-binding ability and protein stability of ABE8e, thus providing a rational basis for further editing optimisation of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xinyi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Qin Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Menghua Song
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Multiscale Research Institute of Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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10
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Tang X, Ren Q, Yan X, Zhang R, Liu L, Han Q, Zheng X, Qi Y, Song H, Zhang Y. Boosting genome editing in plants with single transcript unit surrogate reporter systems. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:100921. [PMID: 38616491 PMCID: PMC11211634 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100921] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas-based genome editing holds immense promise for advancing plant genomics and crop enhancement. However, the challenge of low editing activity complicates the identification of editing events. In this study, we introduce multiple single transcript unit surrogate reporter (STU-SR) systems to enhance the selection of genome-edited plants. These systems use the same single guide RNAs designed for endogenous genes to edit reporter genes, establishing a direct link between reporter gene editing activity and that of endogenous genes. Various strategies are used to restore functional reporter genes after genome editing, including efficient single-strand annealing (SSA) for homologous recombination in STU-SR-SSA systems. STU-SR-base editor systems leverage base editing to reinstate the start codon, enriching C-to-T and A-to-G base editing events. Our results showcase the effectiveness of these STU-SR systems in enhancing genome editing events in the monocot rice, encompassing Cas9 nuclease-based targeted mutagenesis, cytosine base editing, and adenine base editing. The systems exhibit compatibility with Cas9 variants, such as the PAM-less SpRY, and are shown to boost genome editing in Brassica oleracea, a dicot vegetable crop. In summary, we have developed highly efficient and versatile STU-SR systems for enrichment of genome-edited plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Tang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Qiurong Ren
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; School of Synbiology, School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Xiaodan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Qinqin Han
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Xuelian Zheng
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Yiping Qi
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
| | - Hongyuan Song
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
| | - Yong Zhang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China.
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11
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Jin L, Liyanage R, Duan D, Chen SJ. Machine learning-inferred and energy landscape-guided analyses reveal kinetic determinants of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.30.591525. [PMID: 38746227 PMCID: PMC11092603 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.30.591525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas nucleases system is widely considered the most important tool in genome engineering. However, current methods for predicting on/off-target effects and designing guide RNA (gRNA) rely on purely data-driven approaches or focus solely on the system's thermal equilibrium properties. Nonetheless, experimental evidence suggests that the process is kinetically controlled rather than being in equilibrium. In this study, we utilized a vast amount of available data and combined random forest, a supervised ensemble learning algorithm, and free energy landscape analysis to investigate the kinetic pathways of R-loop formation in the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the intricate molecular interactions between DNA and the Cas9 RuvC and HNH domains. The study revealed (a) a novel three-state kinetic mechanism, (b) the unfolding of the activation state of the R-loop being the most crucial kinetic determinant and the key predictor for on- and off-target cleavage efficiencies, and (c) the nucleotides from positions +13 to +16 being the kinetically critical nucleotides. The results provide a biophysical rationale for the design of a kinetic strategy for enhancing CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing accuracy and efficiency.
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12
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Eghbalsaied S, Lawler C, Petersen B, Hajiyev RA, Bischoff SR, Frankenberg S. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated base editors and their prospects for mitochondrial genome engineering. Gene Ther 2024; 31:209-223. [PMID: 38177342 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-023-00434-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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Base editors are a type of double-stranded break (DSB)-free gene editing technology that has opened up new possibilities for precise manipulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This includes cytosine and adenosine base editors and more recently guanosine base editors. Because of having low off-target and indel rates, there is a growing interest in developing and evolving this research field. Here, we provide a detailed update on DNA base editors. While base editing has widely been used for nuclear genome engineering, the growing interest in applying this technology to mitochondrial DNA has been faced with several challenges. While Cas9 protein has been shown to enter mitochondria, use of smaller Cas proteins, such as Cas12a, has higher import efficiency. However, sgRNA transfer into mitochondria is the most challenging step. sgRNA structure and ratio of Cas protein to sgRNA are both important factors for efficient sgRNA entry into mitochondria. In conclusion, while there are still several challenges to be addressed, ongoing research in this field holds the potential for new treatments and therapies for mitochondrial disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Eghbalsaied
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Animal Science, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Isfahan, Iran.
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Clancy Lawler
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Björn Petersen
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI), Mariensee, Germany
- eGenesis, 2706 HWY E, 53572, Mount Horeb, WI, USA
| | - Raul A Hajiyev
- Department of Genome Engineering, NovoHelix, Miami, FL, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Steve R Bischoff
- Department of Genome Engineering, NovoHelix, Miami, FL, USA
- Foundry for Genome Engineering & Reproductive Medicine (FGERM), Miami, FL, USA
| | - Stephen Frankenberg
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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13
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Zhang D, Boch J. Development of TALE-adenine base editors in plants. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2024; 22:1067-1077. [PMID: 37997697 PMCID: PMC11022790 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14246] [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: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Base editors enable precise nucleotide changes at targeted genomic loci without requiring double-stranded DNA breaks or repair templates. TALE-adenine base editors (TALE-ABEs) are genome editing tools, composed of a DNA-binding domain from transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), an engineered adenosine deaminase (TadA8e), and a cytosine deaminase domain (DddA), that allow A•T-to-G•C editing in human mitochondrial DNA. However, the editing ability of TALE-ABEs in plants apart from chloroplast DNA has not been described, so far, and the functional role how DddA enhances TadA8e is still unclear. We tested a series of TALE-ABEs with different deaminase fusion architectures in Nicotiana benthamiana and rice. The results indicate that the double-stranded DNA-specific cytosine deaminase DddA can boost the activities of single-stranded DNA-specific deaminases (TadA8e or APOBEC3A) on double-stranded DNA. We analysed A•T-to-G•C editing efficiencies in a β-glucuronidase reporter system and showed precise adenine editing in genomic regions with high product purity in rice protoplasts. Furthermore, we have successfully regenerated rice plants with A•T-to-G•C mutations in the chloroplast genome using TALE-ABE. Consequently, TALE-adenine base editors provide alternatives for crop improvement and gene therapy by editing nuclear or organellar genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingbo Zhang
- Institute of Plant GeneticsLeibniz Universität HannoverHannoverGermany
| | - Jens Boch
- Institute of Plant GeneticsLeibniz Universität HannoverHannoverGermany
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14
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Yang ZC, Zhao LX, Sang YQ, Huang X, Lin XC, Yu ZM. Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens: A New Possibility for Efficient Visualization of RNA in Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:743. [PMID: 38475589 DOI: 10.3390/plants13050743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
RNAs play important roles in regulating biological growth and development. Advancements in RNA-imaging techniques are expanding our understanding of their function. Several common RNA-labeling methods in plants have pros and cons. Simultaneously, plants' spontaneously fluorescent substances interfere with the effectiveness of RNA bioimaging. New technologies need to be introduced into plant RNA luminescence. Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens), due to their luminescent properties, tunable molecular size, high fluorescence intensity, good photostability, and low cell toxicity, have been widely applied in the animal and medical fields. The application of this technology in plants is still at an early stage. The development of AIEgens provides more options for RNA labeling. Click chemistry provides ideas for modifying AIEgens into RNA molecules. The CRISPR/Cas13a-mediated targeting system provides a guarantee of precise RNA modification. The liquid-liquid phase separation in plant cells creates conditions for the enrichment and luminescence of AIEgens. The only thing that needs to be looked for is a specific enzyme that uses AIEgens as a substrate and modifies AIEgens onto target RNA via a click chemical reaction. With the development and progress of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, it may soon be possible to artificially synthesize or discover such an enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Chao Yang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Li-Xiang Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yu-Qi Sang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xin Huang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xuan-Chen Lin
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Zhi-Ming Yu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
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15
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Wang G, Wang F, Xu Z, Wang Y, Zhang C, Zhou Y, Hui F, Yang X, Nie X, Zhang X, Jin S. Precise fine-turning of GhTFL1 by base editing tools defines ideal cotton plant architecture. Genome Biol 2024; 25:59. [PMID: 38409014 PMCID: PMC10895741 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03189-8] [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: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CRISPR/Cas-derived base editor enables precise editing of target sites and has been widely used for basic research and crop genetic improvement. However, the editing efficiency of base editors at different targets varies greatly. RESULTS Here, we develop a set of highly efficient base editors in cotton plants. GhABE8e, which is fused to conventional nCas9, exhibits 99.9% editing efficiency, compared to GhABE7.10 with 64.9%, and no off-target editing is detected. We further replace nCas9 with dCpf1, which recognizes TTTV PAM sequences, to broaden the range of the target site. To explore the functional divergence of TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1), we edit the non-coding and coding regions of GhTFL1 with 26 targets to generate a comprehensive allelic population including 300 independent lines in cotton. This allows hidden pleiotropic roles for GhTFL1 to be revealed and allows us to rapidly achieve directed domestication of cotton and create ideotype germplasm with moderate height, shortened fruiting branches, compact plant, and early-flowering. Further, by exploring the molecular mechanism of the GhTFL1L86P and GhTFL1K53G+S78G mutations, we find that the GhTFL1L86P mutation weakens the binding strength of the GhTFL1 to other proteins but does not lead to a complete loss of GhTFL1 function. CONCLUSIONS This strategy provides an important technical platform and genetic information for the study and creation of ideal plant architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanying Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Fuqiu Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Zhongping Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Ying Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Can Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Fengjiao Hui
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Xiyan Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Xinhui Nie
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology Agricultural of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Agricultural College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China.
| | - Xianlong Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
| | - Shuangxia Jin
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
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16
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Zhang E, Neugebauer ME, Krasnow NA, Liu DR. Phage-assisted evolution of highly active cytosine base editors with enhanced selectivity and minimal sequence context preference. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1697. [PMID: 38402281 PMCID: PMC10894238 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45969-7] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
TadA-derived cytosine base editors (TadCBEs) enable programmable C•G-to-T•A editing while retaining the small size, high on-target activity, and low off-target activity of TadA deaminases. Existing TadCBEs, however, exhibit residual A•T-to-G•C editing at certain positions and lower editing efficiencies at some sequence contexts and with non-SpCas9 targeting domains. To address these limitations, we use phage-assisted evolution to evolve CBE6s from a TadA-mediated dual cytosine and adenine base editor, discovering mutations at N46 and Y73 in TadA that prevent A•T-to-G•C editing and improve C•G-to-T•A editing with expanded sequence-context compatibility, respectively. In E. coli, CBE6 variants offer high C•G-to-T•A editing and no detected A•T-to-G•C editing in any sequence context. In human cells, CBE6 variants exhibit broad Cas domain compatibility and retain low off-target editing despite exceeding BE4max and previous TadCBEs in on-target editing efficiency. Finally, we show that the high selectivity of CBE6 variants is well-suited for therapeutically relevant stop codon installation without creating unwanted missense mutations from residual A•T-to-G•C editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Zhang
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Monica E Neugebauer
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas A Krasnow
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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17
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Liang Y, Gao S, Qi X, Valentovich LN, An Y. Progress in Gene Editing and Metabolic Regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with CRISPR/Cas9 Tools. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:428-448. [PMID: 38326929 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00685] [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: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas9 systems have been developed as tools for genetic engineering and metabolic engineering in various organisms. In this review, various aspects of CRISPR/Cas9 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, from basic principles to practical applications, have been summarized. First, a comprehensive review has been conducted on the history of CRISPR/Cas9, successful cases of gene disruptions, and efficiencies of multiple DNA fragment insertions. Such advanced systems have accelerated the development of microbial engineering by reducing time and labor, and have enhanced the understanding of molecular genetics. Furthermore, the research progress of the CRISPR/Cas9-based systems in the production of high-value-added chemicals and the improvement of stress tolerance in S. cerevisiae have been summarized, which should have an important reference value for genetic and synthetic biology studies based on S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaokun Liang
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
| | - Song Gao
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
| | - Xianghui Qi
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangdong 511370, China
| | - Leonid N Valentovich
- Institute of Microbiology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk 220072, Belarus
| | - Yingfeng An
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
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18
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Liu S, Liu H, Wang X, Shi L. The immune system of prokaryotes: potential applications and implications for gene editing. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300352. [PMID: 38403433 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300352] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Gene therapy has revolutionized the treatment of genetic diseases. Spearheading this revolution are sophisticated genome editing methods such as TALENs, ZFNs, and CRISPR-Cas, which trace their origins back to prokaryotic immune systems. Prokaryotes have developed various antiviral defense systems to combat viral attacks and the invasion of genetic elements. The comprehension of these defense mechanisms has paved the way for the development of indispensable tools in molecular biology. Among them, restriction endonuclease originates from the innate immune system of bacteria. The CRISPR-Cas system, a widely applied genome editing technology, is derived from the prokaryotic adaptive immune system. Single-base editing is a precise editing tool based on CRISPR-Cas system that involves deamination of target base. It is worth noting that prokaryotes possess deamination enzymes as part of their defense arsenal over foreign genetic material. Furthermore, prokaryotic Argonauts (pAgo) proteins, also function in anti-phage defense, play an important role in complementing the CRISPR-Cas system by addressing certain limitations it may have. Recent studies have also shed light on the significance of Retron, a reverse transcription transposon previously showed potential in genome editing, has also come to light in the realm of prokaryotic immunity. These noteworthy findings highlight the importance of studying prokaryotic immune system for advancing genome editing techniques. Here, both the origin of prokaryotic immunity underlying aforementioned genome editing tools, and potential applications of deaminase, pAgo protein and reverse transcriptase in genome editing among prokaryotes were introduced, thus emphasizing the fundamental mechanism and significance of prokaryotic immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hongling Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xue Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lei Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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19
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Sun Y, Chen Q, Cheng Y, Wang X, Deng Z, Zhou F, Sun Y. Design and Engineering of Light-Induced Base Editors Facilitating Genome Editing with Enhanced Fidelity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2305311. [PMID: 38039441 PMCID: PMC10837352 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202305311] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Base editors, which enable targeted locus nucleotide conversion in genomic DNA without double-stranded breaks, have been engineered as powerful tools for biotechnological and clinical applications. However, the application of base editors is limited by their off-target effects. Continuously expressed deaminases used for gene editing may lead to unwanted base alterations at unpredictable genomic locations. In the present study, blue-light-activated base editors (BLBEs) are engineered based on the distinct photoswitches magnets that can switch from a monomer to dimerization state in response to blue light. By fusing the N- and C-termini of split DNA deaminases with photoswitches Magnets, efficient A-to-G and C-to-T base editing is achieved in response to blue light in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, the results showed that BLBEs can realize precise blue light-induced gene editing across broad genomic loci with low off-target activity at the DNA- and RNA-level. Collectively, these findings suggest that the optogenetic utilization of base editing and optical base editors may provide powerful tools to promote the development of optogenetic genome engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangning Sun
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Qi Chen
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Yanbing Cheng
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Xi Wang
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Zixin Deng
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Fuling Zhou
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
| | - Yuhui Sun
- Department of HematologyZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversitySchool of Pharmaceutical SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education)Wuhan UniversityWuhan430071China
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20
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Cho SI, Lim K, Hong S, Lee J, Kim A, Lim CJ, Ryou S, Lee JM, Mok YG, Chung E, Kim S, Han S, Cho SM, Kim J, Kim EK, Nam KH, Oh Y, Choi M, An TH, Oh KJ, Lee S, Lee H, Kim JS. Engineering TALE-linked deaminases to facilitate precision adenine base editing in mitochondrial DNA. Cell 2024; 187:95-109.e26. [PMID: 38181745 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.035] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
DddA-derived cytosine base editors (DdCBEs) and transcription activator-like effector (TALE)-linked deaminases (TALEDs) catalyze targeted base editing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in eukaryotic cells, a method useful for modeling of mitochondrial genetic disorders and developing novel therapeutic modalities. Here, we report that A-to-G-editing TALEDs but not C-to-T-editing DdCBEs induce tens of thousands of transcriptome-wide off-target edits in human cells. To avoid these unwanted RNA edits, we engineered the substrate-binding site in TadA8e, the deoxy-adenine deaminase in TALEDs, and created TALED variants with fine-tuned deaminase activity. Our engineered TALED variants not only reduced RNA off-target edits by >99% but also minimized off-target mtDNA mutations and bystander edits at a target site. Unlike wild-type versions, our TALED variants were not cytotoxic and did not cause developmental arrest of mouse embryos. As a result, we obtained mice with pathogenic mtDNA mutations, associated with Leigh syndrome, which showed reduced heart rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Ik Cho
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; Department of Pharmacology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Kayeong Lim
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongho Hong
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02708, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaesuk Lee
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Annie Kim
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Ji Min Lee
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Geun Mok
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; GreenGene Inc., Seoul 08790, Republic of Korea
| | - Eugene Chung
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghun Kim
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea; College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Seunghun Han
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea; Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Mi Cho
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Kim
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02708, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Kyoung Kim
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Hoan Nam
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeji Oh
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Minkyung Choi
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Hyeon An
- Metabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung-Jin Oh
- Metabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seonghyun Lee
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Edgene, Inc., Seoul 08790, Republic of Korea; Department of MetaBioHealth, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyunji Lee
- Laboratory Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju 28116, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02708, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jin-Soo Kim
- Edgene, Inc., Seoul 08790, Republic of Korea; NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical & Technological Innovation (SynCTI) and Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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21
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Xiao YL, Wu Y, Tang W. An adenine base editor variant expands context compatibility. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-023-01994-3. [PMID: 38168987 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01994-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Adenine base editors (ABEs) are precise gene-editing agents that convert A:T pairs into G:C through a deoxyinosine intermediate. Existing ABEs function most effectively when the target A is in a TA context. Here we evolve the Escherichia coli transfer RNA-specific adenosine deaminase (TadA) to generate TadA8r, which extends potent deoxyadenosine deamination to RA (R = A or G) and is faster in processing GA than TadA8.20 and TadA8e, the two most active TadA variants reported so far. ABE8r, comprising TadA8r and a Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 nickase, expands the editing window at the protospacer adjacent motif-distal end and outperforms ABE7.10, ABE8.20 and ABE8e in correcting disease-associated G:C-to-A:T transitions in the human genome, with a controlled off-target profile. We show ABE8r-mediated editing of clinically relevant sites that are poorly accessed by existing editors, including sites in PCSK9, whose disruption reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ABCA4-p.Gly1961Glu, the most frequent mutation in Stargardt disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lan Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yuan Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Weixin Tang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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22
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Xiang J, Xu W, Wu J, Luo Y, Yang B, Chen J. Nucleoside deaminases: the key players in base editing toolkit. BIOPHYSICS REPORTS 2023; 9:325-337. [PMID: 38524700 PMCID: PMC10960570 DOI: 10.52601/bpr.2023.230029] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of nucleoside deaminase-containing base editors realized targeted single base change with high efficiency and precision. Such nucleoside deaminases include adenosine and cytidine deaminases, which can catalyze adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) and cytidine-to-uridine (C-to-U) conversion respectively. These nucleoside deaminases are under the spotlight because of their vast application potential in gene editing. Recent advances in the engineering of current nucleoside deaminases and the discovery of new nucleoside deaminases greatly broaden the application scope and improve the editing specificity of base editors. In this review, we cover current knowledge about the deaminases used in base editors, including their key structural features, working mechanisms, optimization, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangchao Xiang
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Wenchao Xu
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yaxin Luo
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Bei Yang
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jia Chen
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China
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23
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Xiong X, Liu K, Li Z, Xia FN, Ruan XM, He X, Li JF. Split complementation of base editors to minimize off-target edits. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1832-1847. [PMID: 37845337 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01540-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Base editors (BEs) empower the efficient installation of beneficial or corrective point mutations in crop and human genomes. However, conventional BEs can induce unpredictable guide RNA (gRNA)-independent off-target edits in the genome and transcriptome due to spurious activities of BE-enclosing deaminases, and current improvements mostly rely on deaminase-specific mutagenesis or exogenous regulators. Here we developed a split deaminase for safe editing (SAFE) system applicable to BEs containing distinct cytidine or adenosine deaminases, with no need of external regulators. In SAFE, a BE was properly split at a deaminase domain embedded inside a Cas9 nickase, simultaneously fragmenting and deactivating both the deaminase and the Cas9 nickase. The gRNA-conditioned BE reassembly conferred robust on-target editing in plant, human and yeast cells, while minimizing both gRNA-independent and gRNA-dependent off-target DNA/RNA edits. SAFE also substantially increased product purity by eliminating indels. Altogether, SAFE provides a generalizable solution for BEs to suppress off-target editing and improve on-target performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kehui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Zhenxiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fan-Nv Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xue-Ming Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xionglei He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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24
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Zhao L, Koseki SRT, Silverstein RA, Amrani N, Peng C, Kramme C, Savic N, Pacesa M, Rodríguez TC, Stan T, Tysinger E, Hong L, Yudistyra V, Ponnapati MR, Jacobson JM, Church GM, Jakimo N, Truant R, Jinek M, Kleinstiver BP, Sontheimer EJ, Chatterjee P. PAM-flexible genome editing with an engineered chimeric Cas9. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6175. [PMID: 37794046 PMCID: PMC10550912 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41829-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR enzymes require a defined protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) flanking a guide RNA-programmed target site, limiting their sequence accessibility for robust genome editing applications. In this study, we recombine the PAM-interacting domain of SpRY, a broad-targeting Cas9 possessing an NRN > NYN (R = A or G, Y = C or T) PAM preference, with the N-terminus of Sc + +, a Cas9 with simultaneously broad, efficient, and accurate NNG editing capabilities, to generate a chimeric enzyme with highly flexible PAM preference: SpRYc. We demonstrate that SpRYc leverages properties of both enzymes to specifically edit diverse PAMs and disease-related loci for potential therapeutic applications. In total, the approaches to generate SpRYc, coupled with its robust flexibility, highlight the power of integrative protein design for Cas9 engineering and motivate downstream editing applications that require precise genomic positioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Rachel A Silverstein
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nadia Amrani
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Cambridge, USA
| | - Christina Peng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Christian Kramme
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Natasha Savic
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Martin Pacesa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tomás C Rodríguez
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Cambridge, USA
| | - Teodora Stan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emma Tysinger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lauren Hong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vivian Yudistyra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Joseph M Jacobson
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - George M Church
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Noah Jakimo
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ray Truant
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Martin Jinek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin P Kleinstiver
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erik J Sontheimer
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Cambridge, USA
| | - Pranam Chatterjee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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25
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Cui Y, Cao Q, Li Y, He M, Liu X. Advances in cis-element- and natural variation-mediated transcriptional regulation and applications in gene editing of major crops. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:5441-5457. [PMID: 37402253 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad248] [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: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation is crucial to control of gene expression. Both spatio-temporal expression patterns and expression levels of genes are determined by the interaction between cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. Numerous studies have focused on the trans-acting factors that mediate transcriptional regulatory networks. However, cis-acting elements, such as enhancers, silencers, transposons, and natural variations in the genome, are also vital for gene expression regulation and could be utilized by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing to improve crop quality and yield. In this review, we discuss current understanding of cis-element-mediated transcriptional regulation in major crops, including rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and maize (Zea mays), as well as the latest advancements in gene editing techniques and their applications in crops to highlight prospective strategies for crop breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Cui
- College of Teacher Education, Molecular and Cellular Postdoctoral Research Station, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Qiao Cao
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050041, China
| | - Yongpeng Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Mingqi He
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050041, China
| | - Xigang Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
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26
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Dubey AK, Mostafavi E. Biomaterials-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 delivery: recent challenges and opportunities in gene therapy. Front Chem 2023; 11:1259435. [PMID: 37841202 PMCID: PMC10568484 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1259435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of biomaterials in delivering CRISPR/Cas9 for gene therapy in infectious diseases holds tremendous potential. This innovative approach combines the advantages of CRISPR/Cas9 with the protective properties of biomaterials, enabling accurate and efficient gene editing while enhancing safety. Biomaterials play a vital role in shielding CRISPR/Cas9 components, such as lipid nanoparticles or viral vectors, from immunological processes and degradation, extending their effectiveness. By utilizing the flexibility of biomaterials, tailored systems can be designed to address specific genetic diseases, paving the way for personalized therapeutics. Furthermore, this delivery method offers promising avenues in combating viral illnesses by precisely modifying pathogen genomes, and reducing their pathogenicity. Biomaterials facilitate site-specific gene modifications, ensuring effective delivery to infected cells while minimizing off-target effects. However, challenges remain, including optimizing delivery efficiency, reducing off-target effects, ensuring long-term safety, and establishing scalable production techniques. Thorough research, pre-clinical investigations, and rigorous safety evaluations are imperative for successful translation from the laboratory to clinical applications. In this review, we discussed how CRISPR/Cas9 delivery using biomaterials revolutionizes gene therapy and infectious disease treatment, offering precise and safe editing capabilities with the potential to significantly improve human health and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Kumar Dubey
- Global Research and Publishing Foundation, New Delhi, India
- Institute of Scholars, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Ebrahim Mostafavi
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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27
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Ma CJ, Li G, Shao WX, Min YH, Wang P, Ding JH, Xie NB, Wang M, Tang F, Feng YQ, Ci W, Wang Y, Yuan BF. Single-Nucleotide Resolution Mapping of N6-Methyladenine in Genomic DNA. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:1799-1809. [PMID: 37780356 PMCID: PMC10540296 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
N6-Methyladenine (6mA) is a naturally occurring DNA modification in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Herein, we developed a deaminase-mediated sequencing (DM-seq) method for genome-wide mapping of 6mA at single-nucleotide resolution. The method capitalizes on the selective deamination of adenine, but not 6mA, in DNA mediated by an evolved adenine deaminase, ABE8e. By employing this method, we achieved genome-wide mapping of 6mA in Escherichia coli and in mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) at single-nucleotide resolution. We found that the 6mA sites are mainly located in the GATC motif in the E. coli genome. We also identified 17 6mA sites in mtDNA of HepG2 cells, where all of the 6mA sites are distributed in the heavy strand of mtDNA. We envision that DM-seq will be a valuable tool for uncovering new functions of 6mA in DNA and for exploring its potential roles in mitochondria-related human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Jie Ma
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
| | - Gaojie Li
- Key
Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, and China National
Center for Bioinformation, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University
of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wen-Xuan Shao
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yi-Hao Min
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Key
Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, and China National
Center for Bioinformation, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University
of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiang-Hui Ding
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Neng-Bin Xie
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Min Wang
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Feng Tang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
| | - Yu-Qi Feng
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Weimin Ci
- Key
Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, and China National
Center for Bioinformation, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University
of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yinsheng Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
| | - Bi-Feng Yuan
- School
of Public Health, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan
Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Sauvage
Center for Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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28
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Li X, Liao F, Gao J, Song G, Zhang C, Ji N, Wang X, Wen J, He J, Wei Y, Zhang H, Li Z, Yu G, Yin H. Inhibitory mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9 by AcrIIC4. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:9442-9451. [PMID: 37587688 PMCID: PMC10516666 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad669] [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: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems act as the adaptive immune systems of bacteria and archaea, targeting and destroying invading foreign mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as phages. MGEs have also evolved anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins to inactivate the CRISPR-Cas systems. Recently, AcrIIC4, identified from Haemophilus parainfluenzae phage, has been reported to inhibit the endonuclease activity of Cas9 from Neisseria meningitidis (NmeCas9), but the inhibition mechanism is not clear. Here, we biochemically and structurally investigated the anti-CRISPR activity of AcrIIC4. AcrIIC4 folds into a helix bundle composed of three helices, which associates with the REC lobe of NmeCas9 and sgRNA. The REC2 domain of NmeCas9 is locked by AcrIIC4, perturbing the conformational dynamics required for the target DNA binding and cleavage. Furthermore, mutation of the key residues in the AcrIIC4-NmeCas9 and AcrIIC4-sgRNA interfaces largely abolishes the inhibitory effects of AcrIIC4. Our study offers new insights into the mechanism of AcrIIC4-mediated suppression of NmeCas9 and provides guidelines for the design of regulatory tools for Cas9-based gene editing applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuzichao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Fumeng Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Jiaqi Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Guangyong Song
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Chendi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Nan Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Xiaoshen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Jing Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Jia He
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yong Wei
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Zhuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Guimei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Hang Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
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29
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Zeng H, Yuan Q, Peng F, Ma D, Lingineni A, Chee K, Gilberd P, Osikpa EC, Sun Z, Gao X. A split and inducible adenine base editor for precise in vivo base editing. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5573. [PMID: 37696818 PMCID: PMC10495389 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41331-5] [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: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA base editors use deaminases fused to a programmable DNA-binding protein for targeted nucleotide conversion. However, the most widely used TadA deaminases lack post-translational control in living cells. Here, we present a split adenine base editor (sABE) that utilizes chemically induced dimerization (CID) to control the catalytic activity of the deoxyadenosine deaminase TadA-8e. sABE shows high on-target editing activity comparable to the original ABE with TadA-8e (ABE8e) upon rapamycin induction while maintaining low background activity without induction. Importantly, sABE exhibits a narrower activity window on DNA and higher precision than ABE8e, with an improved single-to-double ratio of adenine editing and reduced genomic and transcriptomic off-target effects. sABE can achieve gene knockout through multiplex splice donor disruption in human cells. Furthermore, when delivered via dual adeno-associated virus vectors, sABE can efficiently convert a single A•T base pair to a G•C base pair on the PCSK9 gene in mouse liver, demonstrating in vivo CID-controlled DNA base editing. Thus, sABE enables precise control of base editing, which will have broad implications for basic research and in vivo therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhi Zeng
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Qichen Yuan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Fei Peng
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Dacheng Ma
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Ananya Lingineni
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Kelly Chee
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Peretz Gilberd
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Emmanuel C Osikpa
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Zheng Sun
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Xue Gao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
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30
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Whitley JA, Cai H. Engineering extracellular vesicles to deliver CRISPR ribonucleoprotein for gene editing. J Extracell Vesicles 2023; 12:e12343. [PMID: 37723839 PMCID: PMC10507228 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12343] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a gene editing tool with tremendous therapeutic potential. Recently, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex-based CRISPR systems have gained momentum due to their reduction of off-target editing. This has coincided with the emergence of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a therapeutic delivery vehicle due to its low immunogenicity and high capacity for manipulation. EVs are cell-derived membranous nanoparticles which mediate the intercellular transfer of molecular components. Current technologies achieve CRISPR RNP encapsulation into EVs through EVs biogenesis, thereby avoiding unnecessary physical, chemical or biological manipulations to the vesicles directly. Herein, we identify sixteen EVs-based CRISPR RNP encapsulation strategies, each with distinct genetic features to encapsulate CRISPR RNP. According to the molecular mechanism facilitating the encapsulation process, there are six strategies of encapsulating Cas9 RNP into virus-like particles based on genetic fusion, seven into EVs based on protein tethering, and three based on sgRNA-coupled encapsulation. Additionally, the incorporation of a targeting moiety to the EVs membrane surface through EVs biogenesis confers tropism and increases delivery efficiency to specific cell types. The targeting moieties include viral envelope proteins, recombinant proteins containing a ligand peptide, single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies, and integrins. However, current strategies still have a number of limitations which prevent their use in clinical trials. Among those, the incorporation of viral proteins for encapsulation of Cas9 RNP have raised issues of biocompatibility due to host immune response. Future studies should focus on genetically engineering the EVs without viral proteins, enhancing EVs delivery specificity, and promoting EVs-based homology directed repair. Nevertheless, the integration of CRISPR RNP encapsulation and tropism technologies will provide strategies for the EVs-based delivery of CRISPR RNP in gene therapy and disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Andrew Whitley
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical SciencesCollege of PharmacyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Houjian Cai
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical SciencesCollege of PharmacyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
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31
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Wang D, Chen Y, Zhu T, Wang J, Liu M, Tian S, Wang J, Yuan L. Developing a highly efficient CGBE base editor in watermelon. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad155. [PMID: 37719272 PMCID: PMC10500149 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Cytosine and adenosine base editors (CBEs and ABEs) are novel genome-editing tools that have been widely utilized in molecular breeding to precisely modify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) critical for plant agronomic traits and species evolution. However, conventional BE editors are limited to achieve C-to-T and A-to-G substitutions, respectively. To enhance the applicability of base editing technology in watermelon, we developed an efficient CGBE editor (SCGBE2.0) by removing the uracil glycosylase inhibitor (UGI) unit from the commonly used hA3A-CBE and incorporating the uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) component. Seven specific guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting five watermelon genes were designed to assess the editing efficiency of SCGBE. The results obtained from stably transformed watermelon plants demonstrated that SCGBE2.0 could efficiently induce C-to-G mutations at positions C5-C9 in 43.2% transgenic plants (with a maximum base conversion efficiency of 46.1%) and C-to-A mutation at position C4 in 23.5% transgenic plants (with a maximum base conversion efficiency of 45.9%). These findings highlight the capability of our integrated SCGBE2.0 editor to achieve C-to-G/A mutations in a site-preferred manner, thus providing an efficient base editing tool for precise base modification and site-directed saturated mutagenesis in watermelon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yani Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Man Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shujuan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiafa Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li Yuan
- Corresponding author. E-mail:
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32
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Doman JL, Pandey S, Neugebauer ME, An M, Davis JR, Randolph PB, McElroy A, Gao XD, Raguram A, Richter MF, Everette KA, Banskota S, Tian K, Tao YA, Tolar J, Osborn MJ, Liu DR. Phage-assisted evolution and protein engineering yield compact, efficient prime editors. Cell 2023; 186:3983-4002.e26. [PMID: 37657419 PMCID: PMC10482982 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Prime editing enables a wide variety of precise genome edits in living cells. Here we use protein evolution and engineering to generate prime editors with reduced size and improved efficiency. Using phage-assisted evolution, we improved editing efficiencies of compact reverse transcriptases by up to 22-fold and generated prime editors that are 516-810 base pairs smaller than the current-generation editor PEmax. We discovered that different reverse transcriptases specialize in different types of edits and used this insight to generate reverse transcriptases that outperform PEmax and PEmaxΔRNaseH, the truncated editor used in dual-AAV delivery systems. Finally, we generated Cas9 domains that improve prime editing. These resulting editors (PE6a-g) enhance therapeutically relevant editing in patient-derived fibroblasts and primary human T-cells. PE6 variants also enable longer insertions to be installed in vivo following dual-AAV delivery, achieving 40% loxP insertion in the cortex of the murine brain, a 24-fold improvement compared to previous state-of-the-art prime editors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan L Doman
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Smriti Pandey
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Monica E Neugebauer
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Meirui An
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jessie R Davis
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peyton B Randolph
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amber McElroy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Xin D Gao
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aditya Raguram
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michelle F Richter
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kelcee A Everette
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samagya Banskota
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn Tian
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Y Allen Tao
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jakub Tolar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mark J Osborn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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33
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Chen X, McAndrew MJ, Lapinaite A. Unlocking the secrets of ABEs: the molecular mechanism behind their specificity. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:1635-1646. [PMID: 37526140 PMCID: PMC10586758 DOI: 10.1042/bst20221508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas, the bacterial immune systems, have transformed the field of genome editing by providing efficient, easily programmable, and accessible tools for targeted genome editing. DNA base editors (BE) are state-of-the-art CRISPR-based technology, allowing for targeted modifications of individual nucleobases within the genome. Among the BEs, adenine base editors (ABEs) have shown great potential due to their ability to convert A-to-G with high efficiency. However, current ABEs have limitations in terms of their specificity and targeting range. In this review, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanism of ABEs, with a focus on the mechanism of deoxyadenosine deamination by evolved tRNA-specific adenosine deaminase (TadA). We discuss how mutations and adjustments introduced via both directed evolution as well as rational design have improved ABE efficiency and specificity. This review offers insights into the molecular mechanism of ABEs, providing a roadmap for future developments in the precision genome editing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Chen
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
| | | | - Audrone Lapinaite
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
- Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
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34
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Ranzau BL, Rallapalli KL, Evanoff M, Paesani F, Komor AC. The Wild-Type tRNA Adenosine Deaminase Enzyme TadA Is Capable of Sequence-Specific DNA Base Editing. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202200788. [PMID: 36947856 PMCID: PMC10514239 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Base editors are genome editing tools that enable site-specific base conversions through the chemical modification of nucleobases in DNA. Adenine base editors (ABEs) convert A ⋅ T to G ⋅ C base pairs in DNA by using an adenosine deaminase enzyme to modify target adenosines to inosine intermediates. Due to the lack of a naturally occurring adenosine deaminase that can modify DNA, ABEs were evolved from a tRNA-deaminating enzyme, TadA. Previous experiments with an ABE comprising a wild-type (wt) TadA showed no detectable activity on DNA, and directed evolution was therefore required to enable this enzyme to accept DNA as a substrate. Here we show that wtTadA can perform base editing in DNA in both bacterial and mammalian cells, with a strict sequence motif requirement of TAC. We leveraged this discovery to optimize a reporter assay to detect base editing levels as low as 0.01 %. Finally, we used this assay along with molecular dynamics simulations of full ABE:DNA complexes to better understand how the sequence recognition of mutant TadA variants change as they accumulate mutations to better edit DNA substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brodie L. Ranzau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kartik L. Rallapalli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mallory Evanoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Francesco Paesani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
- San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Alexis C. Komor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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35
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Wei CT, Popp NA, Peleg O, Powell RL, Borenstein E, Maly DJ, Fowler DM. A chemically controlled Cas9 switch enables temporal modulation of diverse effectors. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:981-991. [PMID: 36879061 PMCID: PMC10480357 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01278-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9 has yielded a plethora of effectors, including targeted transcriptional activators, base editors and prime editors. Current approaches for inducibly modulating Cas9 activity lack temporal precision and require extensive screening and optimization. We describe a versatile, chemically controlled and rapidly activated single-component DNA-binding Cas9 switch, ciCas9, which we use to confer temporal control over seven Cas9 effectors, including two cytidine base editors, two adenine base editors, a dual base editor, a prime editor and a transcriptional activator. Using these temporally controlled effectors, we analyze base editing kinetics, showing that editing occurs within hours and that rapid early editing of nucleotides predicts eventual editing magnitude. We also reveal that editing at preferred nucleotides within target sites increases the frequency of bystander edits. Thus, the ciCas9 switch offers a simple, versatile approach to generating chemically controlled Cas9 effectors, informing future effector engineering and enabling precise temporal effector control for kinetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy T Wei
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas A Popp
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Omri Peleg
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel L Powell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Elhanan Borenstein
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Dustin J Maly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Douglas M Fowler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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36
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Gao Z, Jiang W, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Yi M, Wang H, Ma Z, Qu B, Ji X, Long H, Zhang S. Amphioxus adenosine-to-inosine tRNA-editing enzyme that can perform C-to-U and A-to-I deamination of DNA. Commun Biol 2023; 6:744. [PMID: 37464027 PMCID: PMC10354150 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05134-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenosine-to-inosine tRNA-editing enzyme has been identified for more than two decades, but the study on its DNA editing activity is rather scarce. We show that amphioxus (Branchiostoma japonicum) ADAT2 (BjADAT2) contains the active site 'HxE-PCxxC' and the key residues for target-base-binding, and amphioxus ADAT3 (BjADAT3) harbors both the N-terminal positively charged region and the C-terminal pseudo-catalytic domain important for recognition of substrates. The sequencing of BjADAT2-transformed Escherichia coli genome suggests that BjADAT2 has the potential to target E. coli DNA and can deaminate at TCG and GAA sites in the E. coli genome. Biochemical analyses further demonstrate that BjADAT2, in complex with BjADAT3, can perform A-to-I editing of tRNA and convert C-to-U and A-to-I deamination of DNA. We also show that BjADAT2 preferentially deaminates adenosines and cytidines in the loop of DNA hairpin structures of substrates, and BjADAT3 also affects the type of DNA substrate targeted by BjADAT2. Finally, we find that C89, N113, C148 and Y156 play critical roles in the DNA editing activity of BjADAT2. Collectively, our study indicates that BjADAT2/3 is the sole naturally occurring deaminase with both tRNA and DNA editing capacity identified so far in Metazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan Gao
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China.
| | - Wanyue Jiang
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Liping Zhang
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Mengmeng Yi
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Haitao Wang
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Zengyu Ma
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Baozhen Qu
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaohan Ji
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
| | - Hongan Long
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, 266237, Qingdao, China
| | - Shicui Zhang
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 266003, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, 266237, Qingdao, China.
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37
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Duan Y, Tan Y, Chen X, Pei X, Li M. Modular and Flexible Molecular Device for Simultaneous Cytosine and Adenine Base Editing at Random Genomic Loci in Filamentous Fungi. ACS Synth Biol 2023. [PMID: 37428865 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Random base editing is regarded as a fundamental method for accelerating the genomic evolution in both scientific research and industrial applications. In this study, we designed a modular interaction-based dual base editor (MIDBE) that assembled a DNA helicase and various base editors through dockerin/cohesin-mediated protein-protein interactions, resulting in a self-assembled MIDBE complex capable of editing bases at any locus in the genome. The base editing type of MIDBE can be readily controlled by the induction of cytidine or/and adenine deaminase gene expression. MIDBE exhibited the highest editing efficiency 2.3 × 103 times greater than the native genomic mutation rate. To evaluate the potential of MIDBE in genomic evolution, we developed a removable plasmid-based MIDBE tool, which led to a remarkable 977.1% increase of lovastatin production in Monascus purpureus HJ11. MIDBE represents the first biological tool for generating and accumulating base mutations in Monascus chromosome and also offers a bottom-up strategy for designing the base editor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Duan
- Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
| | - Yingao Tan
- Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
| | - Xizhu Chen
- Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
| | - Xiaolin Pei
- College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Mu Li
- Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, China
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38
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Shao WX, Min YH, Chen W, Xiong J, Guo X, Xie NB, Zhang S, Yu SY, Xie C, Feng YQ, Yuan BF. Single-Base Resolution Detection of N6-Methyladenosine in RNA by Adenosine Deamination Sequencing. Anal Chem 2023. [PMID: 37402148 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most abundant and prevalent natural modifications occurring in diverse RNA species. m6A plays a wide range of roles in physiological and pathological processes. Revealing the functions of m6A relies on the faithful detection of individual m6A sites in RNA. However, developing a simple method for the single-base resolution detection of m6A is still a challenging task. Herein, we report an adenosine deamination sequencing (AD-seq) technique for the facile detection of m6A in RNA at single-base resolution. The AD-seq approach capitalizes on the selective deamination of adenosine, but not m6A, by the evolved tRNA adenosine deaminase (TadA) variant of TadA8e or the dimer protein of TadA-TadA8e. In AD-seq, adenosine is deaminated by TadA8e or TadA-TadA8e to form inosine, which pairs with cytidine and is read as guanosine in sequencing. m6A resists deamination due to the interference of the methyl group at the N6 position of adenosine. Thus, the m6A base pairs with thymine and is still read as adenosine in sequencing. The differential readouts from A and m6A in sequencing can achieve the single-base resolution detection of m6A in RNA. Application of the proposed AD-seq successfully identified individual m6A sites in Escherichia coli 23S rRNA. Taken together, the proposed AD-seq allows simple and cost-effective detection of m6A at single-base resolution in RNA, which provides a valuable tool to decipher the functions of m6A in RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Xuan Shao
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- School of Public Health, Research Center of Public Health, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yi-Hao Min
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Jun Xiong
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xia Guo
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Neng-Bin Xie
- School of Public Health, Research Center of Public Health, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Shan Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Si-Yu Yu
- School of Public Health, Research Center of Public Health, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Conghua Xie
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Cancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Cancer, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yu-Qi Feng
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- School of Public Health, Research Center of Public Health, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Bi-Feng Yuan
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- School of Public Health, Research Center of Public Health, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
- Cancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Cancer, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
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Vardanyan VH, Wang Q, Kolomeisky AB. Dynamics of single-base editing: Theoretical analysis. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:245101. [PMID: 37347132 PMCID: PMC10908558 DOI: 10.1063/5.0157193] [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: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent experimental advances led to the development of DNA base editors (BEs) with single-nucleotide precision, which is critical for future progress in various scientific and technological fields. The molecular mechanisms of single-base discrimination, however, remain poorly understood. Using a recently developed stochastic approach, we theoretically investigated the dynamics of single-base editing. More specifically, transient and mean times to edit "TC" motifs by cytosine BEs are explicitly evaluated for correct (target) and incorrect (bystander) locations on DNA. In addition, the effect of mutations on the dynamics of the single-base edition is also analyzed. It is found that for most ranges of parameters, it is possible to temporarily separate target and bystander products of base editing, supporting the idea of dynamic selectivity as a method of improving the precision of single-base editing. We conclude that to improve the efficiency of single-base editing, selecting the probability or selecting the time requires different strategies. Physical-chemical arguments to explain the observed dynamic properties are presented. The theoretical analysis clarifies some important aspects of the molecular mechanisms of selective base editing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qian Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
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40
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Zeng T, Yin J, Liu Z, Li Z, Zhang Y, Lv Y, Lu ML, Luo M, Chen M, Xiao Y. Mechanistic insights into transposon cleavage and integration by TnsB of ShCAST system. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112698. [PMID: 37379212 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The type V-K CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) allow RNA-guided DNA integration and have great potential as a programmable site-specific gene insertion tool. Although all core components have been independently characterized structurally, the mechanism of how the transposase TnsB associates with AAA+ ATPase TnsC and catalyzes donor DNA cleavage and integration remains ambiguous. In this study, we demonstrate that TniQ-dCas9 fusion can direct site-specific transposition by TnsB/TnsC in ShCAST. TnsB is a 3'-5' exonuclease that specifically cleaves donor DNA at the end of the terminal repeats and integrates the left end prior to the right end. The nucleotide preference and the cleavage site of TnsB are markedly different from those of the well-documented MuA. We also find that TnsB/TnsC association is enhanced in a half-integration state. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the mechanism and application expansion of CRISPR-mediated site-specific transposition by TnsB/TnsC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jie Yin
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ziwen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zhaoxing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Mei-Ling Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Min Luo
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Meirong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Yibei Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China.
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41
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Abstract
DNA-editing enzymes perform chemical reactions on DNA nucleobases. These reactions can change the genetic identity of the modified base or modulate gene expression. Interest in DNA-editing enzymes has burgeoned in recent years due to the advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems, which can be used to direct their DNA-editing activity to specific genomic loci of interest. In this review, we showcase DNA-editing enzymes that have been repurposed or redesigned and developed into programmable base editors. These include deaminases, glycosylases, methyltransferases, and demethylases. We highlight the astounding degree to which these enzymes have been redesigned, evolved, and refined and present these collective engineering efforts as a paragon for future efforts to repurpose and engineer other families of enzymes. Collectively, base editors derived from these DNA-editing enzymes facilitate programmable point mutation introduction and gene expression modulation by targeted chemical modification of nucleobases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kartik L Rallapalli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Alexis C Komor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
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42
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Wang T, Zhang J, Wei L, Zhao D, Bi C, Liu Q, Xu N, Liu J. Developing a PAM-Flexible CRISPR-Mediated Dual-Deaminase Base Editor to Regulate Extracellular Electron Transport in Shewanella oneidensis. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1727-1738. [PMID: 37212667 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a promising electroactive microorganism in environmental bioremediation, bioenergy generation, and bioproduct synthesis. Accelerating the extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathway that enables efficient electron exchange between microbes and extracellular substances is critical for improving its electrochemical properties. However, the potential genomic engineering strategies for enhancing EET capabilities are still limited. Here, we developed a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-mediated dual-deaminase base editing system, named in situ protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM)-flexible dual base editing regulatory system (iSpider), for precise and high-throughput genomic manipulation. The iSpider enabled simultaneous C-to-T and A-to-G conversions with high diversity and efficiency in S. oneidensis. By weakening DNA glycosylase-based repair pathway and tethering two copies of adenosine deaminase, the A-to-G editing efficiency was obviously improved. As a proof-of-concept study, the iSpider was adapted to achieve multiplexed base editing for the regulation of the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway, and the optimized strain showed an approximately three-fold increase in riboflavin production. Moreover, the iSpider was also applied to evolve the performance of an inner membrane component CymA implicated in EET, and one beneficial mutant facilitating electron transfer could be rapidly identified. Taken together, our study demonstrates that the iSpider allows efficient base editing in a PAM-flexible manner, providing insights into the design of novel genomic tools for Shewanella engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tailin Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jiwei Zhang
- School of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China
| | - Liang Wei
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Dongdong Zhao
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Changhao Bi
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Qingdai Liu
- School of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China
| | - Ning Xu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Jun Liu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
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43
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Cui JQ, He ZQ, Ntakirutimana S, Liu ZH, Li BZ, Yuan YJ. Artificial mixed microbial system for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1207196. [PMID: 37396390 PMCID: PMC10309208 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1207196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants with major risks to human health. Biological degradation is environmentally friendly and the most appealing remediation method for a wide range of persistent pollutants. Meanwhile, due to the large microbial strain collection and multiple metabolic pathways, PAH degradation via an artificial mixed microbial system (MMS) has emerged and is regarded as a promising bioremediation approach. The artificial MMS construction by simplifying the community structure, clarifying the labor division, and streamlining the metabolic flux has shown tremendous efficiency. This review describes the construction principles, influencing factors, and enhancement strategies of artificial MMS for PAH degradation. In addition, we identify the challenges and future opportunities for the development of MMS toward new or upgraded high-performance applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Qi Cui
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang He
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Samuel Ntakirutimana
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Liu
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Bing-Zhi Li
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying-Jin Yuan
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems, Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin, China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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44
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Liu B, Zhang C, Zhao H, Gao J, Hu J. Chitosan Hydrogel-Delivered ABE8e Corrects PAX9 Mutant in Dental Pulp Stem Cells. Gels 2023; 9:436. [PMID: 37367107 DOI: 10.3390/gels9060436] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypodontia (dental agenesis) is a genetic disorder, and it has been identified that the mutation C175T in PAX9 could lead to hypodontia. Cas9 nickase (nCas9)-mediated homology-directed repair (HDR) and base editing were used for the correction of this mutated point. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HDR and the base editor ABE8e in editing PAX9 mutant. It was found that the chitosan hydrogel was efficient in delivering naked DNA into dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). To explore the influence of the C175T mutation in PAX9 on the proliferation of DPSCs, hydrogel was employed to deliver PAX9 mutant vector into DPSCs, finding that the PAX9-containing C175T mutation failed to promote the proliferation of DPSCs. Firstly, DPSCs stably carrying PAX9 mutant were constructed. Either an HDR or ABE8e system was delivered into the above-mentioned stable DPSCs, and then the correction efficiency using Sanger sequencing and Western blotting was determined. Meanwhile, the ABE8e presented significantly higher efficiency in correcting C175T compared with HDR. Furthermore, the corrected PAX9 presented enhanced viability and differentiation capacity for osteogenic and neurogenic lineages; the corrected PAX9 even possessed extremely enhanced transcriptional activation ability. In summary, this study has powerful implications for studies into base editors, chitosan hydrogel, and DPSCs in treating hypodontia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Liu
- Outpatient Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Tian Tan Xi Li No. 4, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Chenjiao Zhang
- Department of General, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Tian Tan Xi Li No. 4, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Han Zhao
- Multi-Disciplinary Treatment Center, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Tian Tan Xi Li No. 4, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Jian Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Jingchao Hu
- Department of Periodontics, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Tian Tan Xi Li No. 4, Beijing 100050, China
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45
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Vardanyan VH, Wang Q, Kolomeisky AB. Dynamics of Single-Base Editing: Theoretical Analysis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.08.539865. [PMID: 37215008 PMCID: PMC10197563 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.08.539865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Recent experimental advances led to the development of DNA base editors (BEs) with a single-nucleotide precision that is critical for future progress in various scientific and technological fields. The molecular mechanisms of single-base discrimination, however, remain not well understood. Using a recently developed stochastic approach, we theoretically investigated the dynamics of single-base editing. More specifically, transient and mean times to edit "TC" motifs by cytosine BEs are explicitly evaluated for correct (target) and incorrect (bystander) locations on DNA. In addition, the effect of mutations on the dynamics of the single-base edition is also analyzed. It is found that for most ranges of parameters, it is possible to temporarily separate target and bystander products of base editing, supporting the idea of dynamic selectivity as a method of improving the precision of single-base editing. We conclude that to improve the efficiency of single-base editing, selecting the probability or selecting the time requires different strategies. Physical-chemical arguments to explain the observed dynamic properties are presented. The theoretical analysis clarifies some important aspects of molecular mechanisms of selective base editing.
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46
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Lam DK, Feliciano PR, Arif A, Bohnuud T, Fernandez TP, Gehrke JM, Grayson P, Lee KD, Ortega MA, Sawyer C, Schwaegerle ND, Peraro L, Young L, Lee SJ, Ciaramella G, Gaudelli NM. Improved cytosine base editors generated from TadA variants. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:686-697. [PMID: 36624149 PMCID: PMC10188367 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01611-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Cytosine base editors (CBEs) enable programmable genomic C·G-to-T·A transition mutations and typically comprise a modified CRISPR-Cas enzyme, a naturally occurring cytidine deaminase, and an inhibitor of uracil repair. Previous studies have shown that CBEs utilizing naturally occurring cytidine deaminases may cause unguided, genome-wide cytosine deamination. While improved CBEs that decrease stochastic genome-wide off-targets have subsequently been reported, these editors can suffer from suboptimal on-target performance. Here, we report the generation and characterization of CBEs that use engineered variants of TadA (CBE-T) that enable high on-target C·G to T·A across a sequence-diverse set of genomic loci, demonstrate robust activity in primary cells and cause no detectable elevation in genome-wide mutation. Additionally, we report cytosine and adenine base editors (CABEs) catalyzing both A-to-I and C-to-U editing (CABE-Ts). Together with ABEs, CBE-Ts and CABE-Ts enable the programmable installation of all transition mutations using laboratory-evolved TadA variants with improved properties relative to previously reported CBEs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kin D Lee
- Beam Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
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47
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Neugebauer ME, Hsu A, Arbab M, Krasnow NA, McElroy AN, Pandey S, Doman JL, Huang TP, Raguram A, Banskota S, Newby GA, Tolar J, Osborn MJ, Liu DR. Evolution of an adenine base editor into a small, efficient cytosine base editor with low off-target activity. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:673-685. [PMID: 36357719 PMCID: PMC10188366 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01533-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Cytosine base editors (CBEs) are larger and can suffer from higher off-target activity or lower on-target editing efficiency than current adenine base editors (ABEs). To develop a CBE that retains the small size, low off-target activity and high on-target activity of current ABEs, we evolved the highly active deoxyadenosine deaminase TadA-8e to perform cytidine deamination using phage-assisted continuous evolution. Evolved TadA cytidine deaminases contain mutations at DNA-binding residues that alter enzyme selectivity to strongly favor deoxycytidine over deoxyadenosine deamination. Compared to commonly used CBEs, TadA-derived cytosine base editors (TadCBEs) offer similar or higher on-target activity, smaller size and substantially lower Cas-independent DNA and RNA off-target editing activity. We also identified a TadA dual base editor (TadDE) that performs equally efficient cytosine and adenine base editing. TadCBEs support single or multiplexed base editing at therapeutically relevant genomic loci in primary human T cells and primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. TadCBEs expand the utility of CBEs for precision gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica E Neugebauer
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alvin Hsu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mandana Arbab
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas A Krasnow
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amber N McElroy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Smriti Pandey
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jordan L Doman
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tony P Huang
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aditya Raguram
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samagya Banskota
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jakub Tolar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mark J Osborn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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48
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Chen L, Zhu B, Ru G, Meng H, Yan Y, Hong M, Zhang D, Luan C, Zhang S, Wu H, Gao H, Bai S, Li C, Ding R, Xue N, Lei Z, Chen Y, Guan Y, Siwko S, Cheng Y, Song G, Wang L, Yi C, Liu M, Li D. Re-engineering the adenine deaminase TadA-8e for efficient and specific CRISPR-based cytosine base editing. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:663-672. [PMID: 36357717 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01532-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Cytosine base editors (CBEs) efficiently generate precise C·G-to-T·A base conversions, but the activation-induced cytidine deaminase/apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like (AID/APOBEC) protein family deaminase component induces considerable off-target effects and indels. To explore unnatural cytosine deaminases, we repurpose the adenine deaminase TadA-8e for cytosine conversion. The introduction of an N46L variant in TadA-8e eliminates its adenine deaminase activity and results in a TadA-8e-derived C-to-G base editor (Td-CGBE) capable of highly efficient and precise C·G-to-G·C editing. Through fusion with uracil glycosylase inhibitors and further introduction of additional variants, a series of Td-CBEs was obtained either with a high activity similar to that of BE4max or with higher precision compared to other reported accurate CBEs. Td-CGBE/Td-CBEs show very low indel effects and a background level of Cas9-dependent or Cas9-independent DNA/RNA off-target editing. Moreover, Td-CGBE/Td-CBEs are more efficient in generating accurate edits in homopolymeric cytosine sites in cells or mouse embryos, suggesting their accuracy and safety for gene therapy and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Biyun Zhu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gaomeng Ru
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haowei Meng
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongchang Yan
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mengjia Hong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Changming Luan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyi Gao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sijia Bai
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Changqing Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruoyi Ding
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Niannian Xue
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhixin Lei
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuting Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Genome Engineering and Therapy, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuting Guan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Stefan Siwko
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yiyun Cheng
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gaojie Song
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liren Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chengqi Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Mingyao Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- BRL Medicine, Inc., Shanghai, China.
| | - Dali Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
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49
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Arbab M, Matuszek Z, Kray KM, Du A, Newby GA, Blatnik AJ, Raguram A, Richter MF, Zhao KT, Levy JM, Shen MW, Arnold WD, Wang D, Xie J, Gao G, Burghes AHM, Liu DR. Base editing rescue of spinal muscular atrophy in cells and in mice. Science 2023; 380:eadg6518. [PMID: 36996170 PMCID: PMC10270003 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg6518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic cause of infant mortality, arises from survival motor neuron (SMN) protein insufficiency resulting from SMN1 loss. Approved therapies circumvent endogenous SMN regulation and require repeated dosing or may wane. We describe genome editing of SMN2, an insufficient copy of SMN1 harboring a C6>T mutation, to permanently restore SMN protein levels and rescue SMA phenotypes. We used nucleases or base editors to modify five SMN2 regulatory regions. Base editing converted SMN2 T6>C, restoring SMN protein levels to wild type. Adeno-associated virus serotype 9-mediated base editor delivery in Δ7SMA mice yielded 87% average T6>C conversion, improved motor function, and extended average life span, which was enhanced by one-time base editor and nusinersen coadministration (111 versus 17 days untreated). These findings demonstrate the potential of a one-time base editing treatment for SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandana Arbab
- Department of Neurology, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Zaneta Matuszek
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M. Kray
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1060 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Ailing Du
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Gregory A. Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Anton J. Blatnik
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1060 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Aditya Raguram
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michelle F. Richter
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kevin T. Zhao
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Levy
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Max W. Shen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - W. David Arnold
- Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1060 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- NextGen Precision Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Dan Wang
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Horae Gene Therapy Center and RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jun Xie
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Guangping Gao
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts, Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Arthur H. M. Burghes
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1060 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - David R. Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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50
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Adeyinka OS, Tabassum B, Koloko BL, Ogungbe IV. Enhancing the quality of staple food crops through CRISPR/Cas-mediated site-directed mutagenesis. PLANTA 2023; 257:78. [PMID: 36913066 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04110-6] [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: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The enhancement of CRISPR-Cas gene editing with robust nuclease activity promotes genetic modification of desirable agronomic traits, such as resistance to pathogens, drought tolerance, nutritional value, and yield-related traits in crops. The genetic diversity of food crops has reduced tremendously over the past twelve millennia due to plant domestication. This reduction presents significant challenges for the future especially considering the risks posed by global climate change to food production. While crops with improved phenotypes have been generated through crossbreeding, mutation breeding, and transgenic breeding over the years, improving phenotypic traits through precise genetic diversification has been challenging. The challenges are broadly associated with the randomness of genetic recombination and conventional mutagenesis. This review highlights how emerging gene-editing technologies reduce the burden and time necessary for developing desired traits in plants. Our focus is to provide readers with an overview of the advances in CRISPR-Cas-based genome editing for crop improvement. The use of CRISPR-Cas systems in generating genetic diversity to enhance the quality and nutritional value of staple food crops is discussed. We also outlined recent applications of CRISPR-Cas in developing pest-resistant crops and removing unwanted traits, such as allergenicity from crops. Genome editing tools continue to evolve and present unprecedented opportunities to enhance crop germplasm via precise mutations at the desired loci of the plant genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olawale Samuel Adeyinka
- Department of Chemistry, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, 39217, USA.
| | - Bushra Tabassum
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Ifedayo Victor Ogungbe
- Department of Chemistry, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, 39217, USA
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