1
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Lan TH, He L, Huang Y, Zhou Y. Optogenetics for transcriptional programming and genetic engineering. Trends Genet 2022; 38:1253-1270. [PMID: 35738948 PMCID: PMC10484296 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics combines genetics and biophotonics to enable noninvasive control of biological processes with high spatiotemporal precision. When engineered into protein machineries that govern the cellular information flow as depicted in the central dogma, multiple genetically encoded non-opsin photosensory modules have been harnessed to modulate gene transcription, DNA or RNA modifications, DNA recombination, and genome engineering by utilizing photons emitting in the wide range of 200-1000 nm. We present herein generally applicable modular strategies for optogenetic engineering and highlight latest advances in the broad applications of opsin-free optogenetics to program transcriptional outputs and precisely manipulate the mammalian genome, epigenome, and epitranscriptome. We also discuss current challenges and future trends in opsin-free optogenetics, which has been rapidly evolving to meet the growing needs in synthetic biology and genetics research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tien-Hung Lan
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lian He
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yun Huang
- Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Yubin Zhou
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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2
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Figueroa D, Baeza C, Ruiz D, Inzunza C, Romero A, Toro R, Salinas F. Expanding the molecular versatility of an optogenetic switch in yeast. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1029217. [PMID: 36457859 PMCID: PMC9705753 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1029217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the FUN-LOV (FUNgal Light Oxygen and Voltage) optogenetic switch enables high levels of light-activated gene expression in a reversible and tunable fashion. The FUN-LOV components, under identical promoter and terminator sequences, are encoded in two different plasmids, which limits its future applications in wild and industrial yeast strains. In this work, we aim to expand the molecular versatility of the FUN-LOV switch to increase its biotechnological applications. Initially, we generated new variants of this system by replacing the promoter and terminator sequences and by cloning the system in a single plasmid (FUN-LOVSP). In a second step, we included the nourseothricin (Nat) or hygromycin (Hph) antibiotic resistances genes in the new FUN-LOVSP plasmid, generating two new variants (FUN-LOVSP-Nat and FUN-LOVSP-Hph), to allow selection after genome integration. Then, we compared the levels of light-activated expression for each FUN-LOV variants using the luciferase reporter gene in the BY4741 yeast strain. The results indicate that FUN-LOVSP-Nat and FUN-LOVSP-Hph, either episomally or genome integrated, reached higher levels of luciferase expression upon blue-light stimulation compared the original FUN-LOV system. Finally, we demonstrated the functionality of FUN-LOVSP-Hph in the 59A-EC1118 wine yeast strain, showing similar levels of reporter gene induction under blue-light respect to the laboratory strain, and with lower luciferase expression background in darkness condition. Altogether, the new FUN-LOV variants described here are functional in different yeast strains, expanding the biotechnological applications of this optogenetic tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Figueroa
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Camila Baeza
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Diego Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia Inzunza
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrés Romero
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Toro
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Salinas
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
- *Correspondence: Francisco Salinas,
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3
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Optogenetic tools for microbial synthetic biology. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107953. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Abstract
Optogenetics combines light and genetics to enable precise control of living cells, tissues, and organisms with tailored functions. Optogenetics has the advantages of noninvasiveness, rapid responsiveness, tunable reversibility, and superior spatiotemporal resolution. Following the initial discovery of microbial opsins as light-actuated ion channels, a plethora of naturally occurring or engineered photoreceptors or photosensitive domains that respond to light at varying wavelengths has ushered in the next chapter of optogenetics. Through protein engineering and synthetic biology approaches, genetically-encoded photoswitches can be modularly engineered into protein scaffolds or host cells to control a myriad of biological processes, as well as to enable behavioral control and disease intervention in vivo. Here, we summarize these optogenetic tools on the basis of their fundamental photochemical properties to better inform the chemical basis and design principles. We also highlight exemplary applications of opsin-free optogenetics in dissecting cellular physiology (designated "optophysiology"), and describe the current progress, as well as future trends, in wireless optogenetics, which enables remote interrogation of physiological processes with minimal invasiveness. This review is anticipated to spark novel thoughts on engineering next-generation optogenetic tools and devices that promise to accelerate both basic and translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Tan
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States.,Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Lian He
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Yun Huang
- Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Yubin Zhou
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States.,Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
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5
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Tang K, Beyer HM, Zurbriggen MD, Gärtner W. The Red Edge: Bilin-Binding Photoreceptors as Optogenetic Tools and Fluorescence Reporters. Chem Rev 2021; 121:14906-14956. [PMID: 34669383 PMCID: PMC8707292 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
This review adds the bilin-binding phytochromes to the Chemical Reviews thematic issue "Optogenetics and Photopharmacology". The work is structured into two parts. We first outline the photochemistry of the covalently bound tetrapyrrole chromophore and summarize relevant spectroscopic, kinetic, biochemical, and physiological properties of the different families of phytochromes. Based on this knowledge, we then describe the engineering of phytochromes to further improve these chromoproteins as photoswitches and review their employment in an ever-growing number of different optogenetic applications. Most applications rely on the light-controlled complex formation between the plant photoreceptor PhyB and phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) or C-terminal light-regulated domains with enzymatic functions present in many bacterial and algal phytochromes. Phytochrome-based optogenetic tools are currently implemented in bacteria, yeast, plants, and animals to achieve light control of a wide range of biological activities. These cover the regulation of gene expression, protein transport into cell organelles, and the recruitment of phytochrome- or PIF-tagged proteins to membranes and other cellular compartments. This compilation illustrates the intrinsic advantages of phytochromes compared to other photoreceptor classes, e.g., their bidirectional dual-wavelength control enabling instant ON and OFF regulation. In particular, the long wavelength range of absorption and fluorescence within the "transparent window" makes phytochromes attractive for complex applications requiring deep tissue penetration or dual-wavelength control in combination with blue and UV light-sensing photoreceptors. In addition to the wide variability of applications employing natural and engineered phytochromes, we also discuss recent progress in the development of bilin-based fluorescent proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Tang
- Institute
of Synthetic Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University
Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hannes M. Beyer
- Institute
of Synthetic Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University
Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Matias D. Zurbriggen
- Institute
of Synthetic Biology and CEPLAS, Heinrich-Heine-University
Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse
1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Gärtner
- Retired: Max Planck Institute
for Chemical Energy Conversion. At present: Institute for Analytical Chemistry, University
Leipzig, Linnéstrasse
3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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6
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Pérez ALA, Piva LC, Fulber JPC, de Moraes LMP, De Marco JL, Vieira HLA, Coelho CM, Reis VCB, Torres FAG. Optogenetic strategies for the control of gene expression in yeasts. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 54:107839. [PMID: 34592347 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Optogenetics involves the use of light to control cellular functions and has become increasingly popular in various areas of research, especially in the precise control of gene expression. While this technology is already well established in neurobiology and basic research, its use in bioprocess development is still emerging. Some optogenetic switches have been implemented in yeasts for different purposes, taking advantage of a wide repertoire of biological parts and relatively easy genetic manipulation. In this review, we cover the current strategies used for the construction of yeast strains to be used in optogenetically controlled protein or metabolite production, as well as the operational aspects to be considered for the scale-up of this type of process. Finally, we discuss the main applications of optogenetic switches in yeast systems and highlight the main advantages and challenges of bioprocess development considering future directions for this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Laura A Pérez
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Luiza C Piva
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Julia P C Fulber
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Lidia M P de Moraes
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Janice L De Marco
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Hugo L A Vieira
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Cintia M Coelho
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Viviane C B Reis
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Fernando A G Torres
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Bloco K, 1° andar, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil.
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A LexA-based yeast two-hybrid system for studying light-switchable interactions of phytochromes with their interacting partners. ABIOTECH 2021; 2:105-116. [PMID: 36304755 PMCID: PMC9590525 DOI: 10.1007/s42994-021-00034-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Phytochromes are a family of photoreceptors in plants that perceive the red (R) and far-red (FR) components of their light environment. Phytochromes exist in vivo in two forms, the inactive Pr form and the active Pfr form, that are interconvertible by treatments with R or FR light. It is believed that phytochromes transduce light signals by interacting with their signaling partners. A GAL4-based light-switchable yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) system was developed two decades ago and has been successfully employed in many studies to determine phytochrome interactions with their signaling components. However, several pairs of interactions between phytochromes and their interactors, such as the phyA-COP1 and phyA-TZP interactions, were demonstrated by other assay systems but were not detected by this GAL4 Y2H system. Here, we report a modified LexA Y2H system, in which the LexA DNA-binding domain is fused to the C-terminus of a phytochrome protein. The conformational changes of phytochromes in response to R and FR light are achieved in yeast cells by exogenously supplying phycocyanobilin (PCB) extracted from Spirulina. The well-defined interaction pairs, including phyA-FHY1 and phyB-PIFs, are well reproducible in this system. Moreover, we show that our system is successful in detecting the phyA-COP1 and phyA-TZP interactions. Together, our study provides an alternative Y2H system that is highly sensitive and reproducible for detecting light-switchable interactions of phytochromes with their interacting partners. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42994-021-00034-5.
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8
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Figueroa D, Rojas V, Romero A, Larrondo LF, Salinas F. The rise and shine of yeast optogenetics. Yeast 2020; 38:131-146. [PMID: 33119964 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Optogenetics refers to the control of biological processes with light. The activation of cellular phenomena by defined wavelengths has several advantages compared with traditional chemically inducible systems, such as spatiotemporal resolution, dose-response regulation, low cost, and moderate toxic effects. Optogenetics has been successfully implemented in yeast, a remarkable biological platform that is not only a model organism for cellular and molecular biology studies, but also a microorganism with diverse biotechnological applications. In this review, we summarize the main optogenetic systems implemented in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which allow orthogonal control (by light) of gene expression, protein subcellular localization, reconstitution of protein activity, and protein sequestration by oligomerization. Furthermore, we review the application of optogenetic systems in the control of metabolic pathways, heterologous protein production and flocculation. We then revise an example of a previously described yeast optogenetic switch, named FUN-LOV, which allows precise and strong activation of the target gene. Finally, we describe optogenetic systems that have not yet been implemented in yeast, which could therefore be used to expand the panel of available tools in this biological chassis. In conclusion, a wide repertoire of optogenetic systems can be used to address fundamental biological questions and broaden the biotechnological toolkit in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Figueroa
- Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.,ANID - Millennium Science Initiative - Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Rojas
- ANID - Millennium Science Initiative - Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andres Romero
- ANID - Millennium Science Initiative - Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis F Larrondo
- ANID - Millennium Science Initiative - Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Salinas
- Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.,ANID - Millennium Science Initiative - Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago, Chile
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9
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Hu W, Li Q, Li B, Ma K, Zhang C, Fu X. Optogenetics sheds new light on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Biomaterials 2019; 227:119546. [PMID: 31655444 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics has demonstrated great potential in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, from basic research to clinical applications. Spatiotemporal encoding during individual development has been widely identified and is considered a novel strategy for regeneration. A as a noninvasive method with high spatiotemporal resolution, optogenetics are suitable for this strategy. In this review, we discuss roles of dynamic signal coding in cell physiology and embryonic development. Several optogenetic systems are introduced as ideal optogenetic tools, and their features are compared. In addition, potential applications of optogenetics for tissue engineering are discussed, including light-controlled genetic engineering and regulation of signaling pathways. Furthermore, we present how emerging biomaterials and photoelectric technologies have greatly promoted the clinical application of optogenetics and inspired new concepts for optically controlled therapies. Our summation of currently available data conclusively demonstrates that optogenetic tools are a promising method for elucidating and simulating developmental processes, thus providing vast prospects for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhi Hu
- Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medicine Science, College of Life Science, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China
| | - Qiankun Li
- Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medicine Science, College of Life Science, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China
| | - Bingmin Li
- Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medicine Science, College of Life Science, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China
| | - Kui Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China
| | - Cuiping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Xiaobing Fu
- Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medicine Science, College of Life Science, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration of PLA and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Fourth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100048, Beijing, PR China.
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Xu X, Du Z, Liu R, Li T, Zhao Y, Chen X, Yang Y. A Single-Component Optogenetic System Allows Stringent Switch of Gene Expression in Yeast Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:2045-2053. [PMID: 30157641 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Light is a highly attractive actuator that allows spatiotemporal control of diverse cellular activities. In this study, we developed a single-component light-switchable gene expression system for yeast cells, termed yLightOn system. The yLightOn system is independent of exogenous cofactors, and exhibits more than a 500-fold ON/OFF ratio, extremely low leakage, fast expression kinetics, and high spatial resolution. We demonstrated the usefulness of the yLightOn system in regulating cell growth and cell cycle by stringently controlling the expression of His3 and ΔN Sic1 genes, respectively. Furthermore, we engineered a bidirectional expression module that allows the simultaneous control of the expression of two genes by light. With ClpX and ClpP as the reporters, the fast, quantitative, and spatially specific degradation of ssrA-tagged protein was observed. We suggest that this single-component optogenetic system will be immensely helpful in understanding cellular gene regulatory networks and in the design of robust genetic circuits for synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopei Xu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Zhaoxia Du
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Renmei Liu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Ting Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Yuzheng Zhao
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Xianjun Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
| | - Yi Yang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200031 , China
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11
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Fungal Light-Oxygen-Voltage Domains for Optogenetic Control of Gene Expression and Flocculation in Yeast. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.00626-18. [PMID: 30065085 PMCID: PMC6069114 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00626-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Optogenetic switches permit accurate control of gene expression upon light stimulation. These synthetic switches have become a powerful tool for gene regulation, allowing modulation of customized phenotypes, overcoming the obstacles of chemical inducers, and replacing their use by an inexpensive resource: light. In this work, we implemented FUN-LOV, an optogenetic switch based on the photon-regulated interaction of WC-1 and VVD, two LOV (light-oxygen-voltage) blue-light photoreceptors from the fungus Neurospora crassa. When tested in yeast, FUN-LOV yields light-controlled gene expression with exquisite temporal resolution and a broad dynamic range of over 1,300-fold, as measured by a luciferase reporter. We also tested the FUN-LOV switch for heterologous protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where Western blot analysis confirmed strong induction upon light stimulation, surpassing by 2.5 times the levels achieved with a classic GAL4/galactose chemical-inducible system. Additionally, we utilized FUN-LOV to control the ability of yeast cells to flocculate. Light-controlled expression of the flocculin-encoding gene FLO1, by the FUN-LOV switch, yielded flocculation in light (FIL), whereas the light-controlled expression of the corepressor TUP1 provided flocculation in darkness (FID). Altogether, the results reveal the potential of the FUN-LOV optogenetic switch to control two biotechnologically relevant phenotypes such as heterologous protein expression and flocculation, paving the road for the engineering of new yeast strains for industrial applications. Importantly, FUN-LOV’s ability to accurately manipulate gene expression, with a high temporal dynamic range, can be exploited in the analysis of diverse biological processes in various organisms. Optogenetic switches are molecular devices which allow the control of different cellular processes by light, such as gene expression, providing a versatile alternative to chemical inducers. Here, we report a novel optogenetic switch (FUN-LOV) based on the LOV domain interaction of two blue-light photoreceptors (WC-1 and VVD) from the fungus N. crassa. In yeast cells, FUN-LOV allowed tight regulation of gene expression, with low background in darkness and a highly dynamic and potent control by light. We used FUN-LOV to optogenetically manipulate, in yeast, two biotechnologically relevant phenotypes, heterologous protein expression and flocculation, resulting in strains with potential industrial applications. Importantly, FUN-LOV can be implemented in diverse biological platforms to orthogonally control a multitude of cellular processes.
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12
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Synthetic biology toolkits and applications in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:1870-1881. [PMID: 30031049 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic biologists construct biological components and systems to look into biological phenomena and drive a myriad of practical applications that aim to tackle current global challenges in energy, healthcare and the environment. While most tools have been established in bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli, recent years have seen parallel developments in the model yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most well-understood eukaryotic biological system. Here, we outline the latest advances in yeast synthetic biology tools based on a framework of abstraction hierarchies of parts, circuits and genomes. In brief, the creation and characterization of biological parts are explored at the transcriptional, translational and post-translational levels. Using characterized parts as building block units, the designing of functional circuits is elaborated with examples. In addition, the status and potential applications of synthetic genomes as a genome level platform for biological system construction are also discussed. In addition to the development of a toolkit, we describe how those tools have been applied in the areas of drug production and screening, study of disease mechanisms, pollutant sensing and bioremediation. Finally, we provide a future outlook of yeast as a workhorse of eukaryotic genetics and a chosen chassis in this field.
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Noda N, Ozawa T. Light‐controllable Transcription System by Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of a Truncated Phytochrome B. Photochem Photobiol 2018; 94:1071-1076. [DOI: 10.1111/php.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natsumi Noda
- Department of Chemistry School of Science The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
| | - Takeaki Ozawa
- Department of Chemistry School of Science The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
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Hochrein L, Machens F, Messerschmidt K, Mueller-Roeber B. PhiReX: a programmable and red light-regulated protein expression switch for yeast. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:9193-9205. [PMID: 28911120 PMCID: PMC5587811 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly regulated induction systems enabling dose-dependent and reversible fine-tuning of protein expression output are beneficial for engineering complex biosynthetic pathways. To address this, we developed PhiReX, a novel red/far-red light-regulated protein expression system for use in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PhiReX is based on the combination of a customizable synTALE DNA-binding domain, the VP64 activation domain and the light-sensitive dimerization of the photoreceptor PhyB and its interacting partner PIF3 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Robust gene expression and high protein levels are achieved by combining genome integrated red light-sensing components with an episomal high-copy reporter construct. The gene of interest as well as the synTALE DNA-binding domain can be easily exchanged, allowing the flexible regulation of any desired gene by targeting endogenous or heterologous promoter regions. To allow low-cost induction of gene expression for industrial fermentation processes, we engineered yeast to endogenously produce the chromophore required for the effective dimerization of PhyB and PIF3. Time course experiments demonstrate high-level induction over a period of at least 48 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Hochrein
- University of Potsdam, Cell2Fab Research Unit, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Fabian Machens
- University of Potsdam, Cell2Fab Research Unit, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Katrin Messerschmidt
- University of Potsdam, Cell2Fab Research Unit, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bernd Mueller-Roeber
- University of Potsdam, Department of Molecular Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.,Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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15
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Salinas F, Rojas V, Delgado V, Agosin E, Larrondo LF. Optogenetic switches for light-controlled gene expression in yeast. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 101:2629-2640. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8178-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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16
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Tang S, Xi W, Cheng Z, Yin L, Li R, Wu G, Liu W, Xu J, Xiang S, Zheng Y, Ge Q, Ning K, Yan Y, Zhan Y. A Living Eukaryotic Autocementation Kit from Surface Display of Silica Binding Peptides on Yarrowia lipolytica. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:1466-1474. [PMID: 27461158 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
With the development of civil engineering, the demand for suitable cementation materials is increasing rapidly. However, traditional cementation methods are not eco-friendly enough and more sustainable approach such as biobased cementation is required. To meet such demand, Euk.cement, a living eukaryotic cell-based biological autocementation kit, was created in this work. Through the surface display of different silica binding peptides on the fungus Yarrowia lipolytica, Euk.cement cells can immobilize onto any particles with a silica containing surface with variable binding intensity. Meanwhile, recombinant MCFP3 released from the cells will slowly consolidate this binding of cells to particles. The metabolism of immobilized living cells will finally complete the carbonate sedimentation and tightly stick the particles together. The system is designed to be initiated by blue light, making it controllable. This autocementation kit can be utilized for industrial and environmental applications that fit our concerns on making the cementation process eco-friendly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Shuaiying Xiang
- Bei
Shizhang Advanced Class of Life Science Research, co-founded by Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, P. R. China
| | | | - Qian Ge
- Bei
Shizhang Advanced Class of Life Science Research, co-founded by Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, P. R. China
| | | | | | - Yi Zhan
- Bei
Shizhang Advanced Class of Life Science Research, co-founded by Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, P. R. China
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Baek K, Lee Y, Nam O, Park S, Sim SJ, Jin E. Introducing Dunaliella LIP promoter containing light-inducible motifs improves transgenic expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Biotechnol J 2016; 11:384-92. [PMID: 26773277 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201500269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Promoter of the light-inducible protein gene (LIP) of Dunaliella was recently isolated in our laboratory. The aim of this work is to find the light-inducible motif in the Dunaliella LIP promoter and verify its regulatory motif with a Gaussia luciferase reporter gene transformed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. 400 bp upstream to the translational start site of the Dunaliella LIP gene was gradually truncated and analyzed for the luciferase expression. Furthermore, this promoter comprising duplicated or triplicated light-responsive motifs was tested for its augmentation of light response. Two putative light-responsive motifs, GT-1 binding motif and sequences over-represented in light-repressed promoters (SORLIP) located in the 200 bp LIP promoter fragment were analyzed for their light responsibility. It is turned out that SORLIP was responsible for the light-inducible activity. With the copy number of SORLIP up to three showed stronger high light response compared with the native LIP promoter fragment. Therefore, we found a light-responsive DNA motif operating in Chlamydomonas and confirm a synthetic promoter including this motif displayed light inducibility in heterologously transformed green algae for the first time. This light-inducible expression system will be applied to various area of algal research including algal biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwangryul Baek
- Department of Life Science and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yew Lee
- Department of Life Science and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Onyou Nam
- Department of Life Science and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seunghye Park
- Department of Life Science and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sang Jun Sim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - EonSeon Jin
- Department of Life Science and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
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18
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Kusen PM, Wandrey G, Probst C, Grünberger A, Holz M, Meyer zu Berstenhorst S, Kohlheyer D, Büchs J, Pietruszka J. Optogenetic Regulation of Tunable Gene Expression in Yeast Using Photo-Labile Caged Methionine. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:2915-2922. [PMID: 27570879 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Light-mediated gene expression enables the noninvasive regulation of cellular functions. Apart from their classical application of regulating single cells with high spatiotemporal resolution, we highlight the potential of light-mediated gene expression for biotechnological issues. Here, we demonstrate the first light-mediated gene regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the repressible pMET17 promoter and the photolabile NVOC methionine that releases methionine upon irradiation with UVA light. In this system, the expression can be repressed upon irradiation and is reactivated due to consumption of methionine. The photolytic release allows precise control over the methionine concentration and therefore over the repression duration. Using this light regulation mechanism, we were able to apply an in-house constructed 48-well cultivation system which allows parallelized and automated irradiation programs as well as online detection of fluorescence and growth. This system enables screening of multiple combinations of several repression/derepression intervals to realize complex expression programs (e.g., a stepwise increase of temporally constant expression levels, linear expression rates with variable slopes, and accurate control over the expression induction, although we used a repressible promoter.) Thus, we were able to control all general parameters of a gene expression experiment precisely, namely start, pause, and stop at desired time points, as well as the ongoing expression rate. Furthermore, we gained detailed insights into single-cell expression dynamics with spatiotemporal resolution by applying microfluidics cultivation technology combined with fluorescence time-lapse microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M. Kusen
- Institute
for Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Georg Wandrey
- AVT
− Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Worringer
Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Christopher Probst
- Institute
of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1: Biotechnology), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Alexander Grünberger
- Institute
of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1: Biotechnology), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Martina Holz
- Institute
for Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Sonja Meyer zu Berstenhorst
- Institute
for Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Dietrich Kohlheyer
- Institute
of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1: Biotechnology), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52426 Jülich, Germany
| | - Jochen Büchs
- AVT
− Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Worringer
Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Jörg Pietruszka
- Institute
for Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52426 Jülich, Germany
- Institute
of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1: Biotechnology), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52426 Jülich, Germany
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Nemhauser JL, Torii KU. Plant synthetic biology for molecular engineering of signalling and development. NATURE PLANTS 2016; 2:16010. [PMID: 27249346 PMCID: PMC5164986 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2016.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Molecular genetic studies of model plants in the past few decades have identified many key genes and pathways controlling development, metabolism and environmental responses. Recent technological and informatics advances have led to unprecedented volumes of data that may uncover underlying principles of plants as biological systems. The newly emerged discipline of synthetic biology and related molecular engineering approaches is built on this strong foundation. Today, plant regulatory pathways can be reconstituted in heterologous organisms to identify and manipulate parameters influencing signalling outputs. Moreover, regulatory circuits that include receptors, ligands, signal transduction components, epigenetic machinery and molecular motors can be engineered and introduced into plants to create novel traits in a predictive manner. Here, we provide a brief history of plant synthetic biology and significant recent examples of this approach, focusing on how knowledge generated by the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana has contributed to the rapid rise of this new discipline, and discuss potential future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Keiko U Torii
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
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20
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Sineshchekov V, Sudnitsin A, Ádám É, Schäfer E, Viczián A. phyA-GFP is spectroscopically and photochemically similar to phyA and comprises both its native types, phyA’ and phyA”. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2014; 13:1671-1679. [DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1039/c4pp00220b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
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21
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Sineshchekov V, Sudnitsin A, Ádám É, Schäfer E, Viczián A. phyA-GFP is spectroscopically and photochemically similar to phyA and comprises both its native types, phyA' and phyA''. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2014; 13:1671-9. [PMID: 25297540 DOI: 10.1039/c4pp00220b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2023]
Abstract
Low-temperature fluorescence investigations of phyA-GFP used in experiments on its nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning were carried out. In etiolated hypocotyls of phyA-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana expressing phyA-GFP, it was found that it is similar to phyA in spectroscopic parameters with both its native types, phyA' and phyA'', present and their ratio shifted towards phyA'. In transgenic tobacco hypocotyls, native phyA and rice phyA-GFP were also identical to phyA in the wild type whereas phyA-GFP belonged primarily to the phyA' type. Finally, truncated oat Δ6-12 phyA-GFP expressed in phyA-deficient Arabidopsis was represented by the phyA' type in contrast to full-length oat phyA-GFP with an approximately equal proportion of the two phyA types. This correlates with a previous observation that Δ6-12 phyA-GFP can form only numerous tiny subnuclear speckles while its wild-type counterpart can also localize into bigger and fewer subnuclear protein complexes. Thus, phyA-GFP is spectroscopically and photochemically similar or identical to the native phyA, suggesting that the GFP tag does not affect the chromophore. phyA-GFP comprises phyA'-GFP and phyA''-GFP, suggesting that both of them are potential participants in nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning, which may contribute to its complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Sineshchekov
- Biology Department, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia.
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Photo-sensitive degron variants for tuning protein stability by light. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2014; 8:128. [PMID: 25403319 PMCID: PMC4236813 DOI: 10.1186/s12918-014-0128-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background Regulated proteolysis by the proteasome is one of the fundamental mechanisms used in eukaryotic cells to control cellular behavior. Efficient tools to regulate protein stability offer synthetic influence on molecular level on a selected biological process. Optogenetic control of protein stability has been achieved with the photo-sensitive degron (psd) module. This engineered tool consists of the photoreceptor domain light oxygen voltage 2 (LOV2) from Arabidopsis thaliana phototropin1 fused to a sequence that induces direct proteasomal degradation, which was derived from the carboxy-terminal degron of murine ornithine decarboxylase. The abundance of target proteins tagged with the psd module can be regulated by blue light if the degradation tag is exposed to the cytoplasm or the nucleus. Results We used the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae to generate psd module variants with increased and decreased stabilities in darkness or when exposed to blue light using site-specific and random mutagenesis. The variants were characterized as fusions to fluorescent reporter proteins and showed half-lives between 6 and 75 minutes in cells exposed to blue light and 14 to 187 minutes in darkness. In blue light, ten variants showed accelerated degradation and four variants increased stability compared to the original psd module. Measuring the dark/light ratio of selected constructs in yeast cells showed that two variants were obtained with ratios twice as high as in the wild type psd module. In silico modeling of photoreceptor variant characteristics suggested that for most cases alterations in behavior were induced by changes in the light-response of the LOV2 domain. Conclusions In total, the mutational analysis resulted in psd module variants, which provide tuning of protein stability over a broad range by blue light. Two variants showed characteristics that are profoundly improved compared to the original construct. The modular usage of the LOV2 domain in optogenetic tools allows the usage of the mutants in the context of other applications in synthetic and systems biology as well. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-014-0128-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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A LOV2 Domain-Based Optogenetic Tool to Control Protein Degradation and Cellular Function. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 20:619-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2013.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2012] [Revised: 02/26/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Müller K, Weber W. Optogenetic tools for mammalian systems. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2013; 9:596-608. [DOI: 10.1039/c3mb25590e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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25
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Viczián A, Ádám É, Wolf I, Bindics J, Kircher S, Heijde M, Ulm R, Schäfer E, Nagy F. A short amino-terminal part of Arabidopsis phytochrome A induces constitutive photomorphogenic response. MOLECULAR PLANT 2012; 5:629-641. [PMID: 22498774 DOI: 10.1093/mp/sss035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Phytochrome A (phyA) is the dominant photoreceptor of far-red light sensing in Arabidopsis thaliana. phyA accumulates at high levels in the cytoplasm of etiolated seedlings, and light-induced phyA signaling is mediated by a complex regulatory network. This includes light- and FHY1/FHL protein-dependent translocation of native phyA into the nucleus in vivo. It has also been shown that a short N-terminal fragment of phyA (PHYA406) is sufficient to phenocopy this highly regulated cellular process in vitro. To test the biological activity of this N-terminal fragment of phyA in planta, we produced transgenic phyA-201 plants expressing the PHYA406-YFP (YELLOW FLUORESCENT PROTEIN)-DD, PHYA406-YFP-DD-NLS (nuclear localization signal), and PHYA406-YFP-DD-NES (nuclear export signal) fusion proteins. Here, we report that PHYA406-YFP-DD is imported into the nucleus and this process is partially light-dependent whereas PHYA406-YFP-DD-NLS and PHYA406-YFP-DD-NES display the expected constitutive localization patterns. Our results show that these truncated phyA proteins are light-stable, they trigger a constitutive photomorphogenic-like response when localized in the nuclei, and neither of them induces proper phyA signaling. We demonstrate that in vitro and in vivo PHYA406 Pfr and Pr bind COP1, a general repressor of photomorphogenesis, and co-localize with it in nuclear bodies. Thus, we conclude that, in planta, the truncated PHYA406 proteins inactivate COP1 in the nuclei in a light-independent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- András Viczián
- Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Temesvári krt. 62., H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
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Interaction with plant transcription factors can mediate nuclear import of phytochrome B. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:5892-7. [PMID: 22451940 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120764109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Phytochromes (phy) are red/far-red-absorbing photoreceptors that regulate the adaption of plant growth and development to changes in ambient light conditions. The nuclear transport of the phytochromes upon light activation is regarded as a key step in phytochrome signaling. Although nuclear import of phyA is regulated by the transport facilitators far red elongated hypocotyl 1 (FHY1) and fhy1-like, an intrinsic nuclear localization signal was proposed to be involved in the nuclear accumulation of phyB. We recently showed that nuclear import of phytochromes can be analyzed in a cell-free system consisting of isolated nuclei of the unicellular green algae Acetabularia acetabulum. We now show that this system is also versatile to elucidate the mechanism of the nuclear transport of phyB. We tested the nuclear transport characteristics of full-length phyB as well as N- and C-terminal phyB fragments in vitro and showed that the nuclear import of phyB can be facilitated by phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (PIF3). In vivo measurements of phyB nuclear accumulation in the absence of PIF1, -3, -4, and -5 indicate that these PIFs are the major transport facilitators during the first hours of deetiolation. Under prolonged irradiations additional factors might be responsible for phyB nuclear transport in the plant.
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27
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Blount BA, Weenink T, Vasylechko S, Ellis T. Rational diversification of a promoter providing fine-tuned expression and orthogonal regulation for synthetic biology. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33279. [PMID: 22442681 PMCID: PMC3307721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 02/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Yeast is an ideal organism for the development and application of synthetic biology, yet there remain relatively few well-characterised biological parts suitable for precise engineering of this chassis. In order to address this current need, we present here a strategy that takes a single biological part, a promoter, and re-engineers it to produce a fine-graded output range promoter library and new regulated promoters desirable for orthogonal synthetic biology applications. A highly constitutive Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoter, PFY1p, was identified by bioinformatic approaches, characterised in vivo and diversified at its core sequence to create a 36-member promoter library. TetR regulation was introduced into PFY1p to create a synthetic inducible promoter (iPFY1p) that functions in an inverter device. Orthogonal and scalable regulation of synthetic promoters was then demonstrated for the first time using customisable Transcription Activator-Like Effectors (TALEs) modified and designed to act as orthogonal repressors for specific PFY1-based promoters. The ability to diversify a promoter at its core sequences and then independently target Transcription Activator-Like Orthogonal Repressors (TALORs) to virtually any of these sequences shows great promise toward the design and construction of future synthetic gene networks that encode complex "multi-wire" logic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Blount
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Weenink
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Serge Vasylechko
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Ellis
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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28
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Abstract
An important basic requirement of synthetic genetic networks is the option of external control of gene expression. Although several chemically inducible systems are available, all of these suffer from the common problem: the chemical inducers are difficult to remove so that to terminate the response. We have described a regulatory expression system for yeast, which employs light as inducer. This light switch translates light-controlled protein-protein interactions into the transcription of selected genes in a dose-dependent and reversible manner.
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29
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In silico feedback for in vivo regulation of a gene expression circuit. Nat Biotechnol 2011; 29:1114-6. [PMID: 22057053 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Accepted: 09/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
We show that difficulties in regulating cellular behavior with synthetic biological circuits may be circumvented using in silico feedback control. By tracking a circuit's output in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in real time, we precisely control its behavior using an in silico feedback algorithm to compute regulatory inputs implemented through a genetically encoded light-responsive module. Moving control functions outside the cell should enable more sophisticated manipulation of cellular processes whenever real-time measurements of cellular variables are possible.
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30
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Rausenberger J, Tscheuschler A, Nordmeier W, Wüst F, Timmer J, Schäfer E, Fleck C, Hiltbrunner A. Photoconversion and Nuclear Trafficking Cycles Determine Phytochrome A's Response Profile to Far-Red Light. Cell 2011; 146:813-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Revised: 06/10/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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31
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Camsund D, Lindblad P, Jaramillo A. Genetically engineered light sensors for control of bacterial gene expression. Biotechnol J 2011; 6:826-36. [PMID: 21648094 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201100091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2011] [Revised: 04/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Light of different wavelengths can serve as a transient, noninvasive means of regulating gene expression for biotechnological purposes. Implementation of advanced gene regulatory circuits will require orthogonal transcriptional systems that can be simultaneously controlled and that can produce several different control states. Fully genetically encoded light sensors take advantage of the favorable characteristics of light, do not need the supplementation of any chemical inducers or co-factors, and have been demonstrated to control gene expression in Escherichia coli. Herein, we review engineered light-sensor systems with potential for in vivo regulation of gene expression in bacteria, and highlight different means of extending the range of available light input and transcriptional output signals. Furthermore, we discuss advances in multiplexing different light sensors for achieving multichromatic control of gene expression and indicate developments that could facilitate the construction of efficient systems for light-regulated, multistate control of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Camsund
- Department of Photochemistry and Molecular Science, Uppsala University, Ångström Laboratories, Uppsala, Sweden
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32
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Drepper T, Krauss U, Meyer zu Berstenhorst S, Pietruszka J, Jaeger KE. Lights on and action! Controlling microbial gene expression by light. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2011; 90:23-40. [PMID: 21336931 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-011-3141-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 01/05/2011] [Accepted: 01/05/2011] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Light-mediated control of gene expression and thus of any protein function and metabolic process in living microbes is a rapidly developing field of research in the areas of functional genomics, systems biology, and biotechnology. The unique physical properties of the environmental factor light allow for an independent photocontrol of various microbial processes in a noninvasive and spatiotemporal fashion. This mini review describes recently developed strategies to generate photo-sensitive expression systems in bacteria and yeast. Naturally occurring and artificial photoswitches consisting of light-sensitive input domains derived from different photoreceptors and regulatory output domains are presented and individual properties of light-controlled expression systems are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Drepper
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Stetternicher Forst, 52426, Jülich, Germany.
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Na D, Kim TY, Lee SY. Construction and optimization of synthetic pathways in metabolic engineering. Curr Opin Microbiol 2010; 13:363-70. [PMID: 20219419 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering has enabled us to develop strains suitable for their use as microbial factories of chemicals and materials from renewable sources. It has recently become more powerful with the advanced in synthetic biology, which is allowing us to create novel and fine-controlled metabolic and regulatory circuits maximizing metabolic fluxes to the desired products in the strain being developed. This enables us to engineer host microorganisms to enhance their innate metabolic capabilities or to gain new capabilities in the production of target compounds. Here we review recently constructed synthetic pathways that have been successfully applied for producing non-innate chemicals and also discuss recent approaches developed to increase the efficiency of synthetic pathways for achieving higher productivities of desired bioproducts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dokyun Na
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Program), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea
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