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Li J, Wu S, Zhang K, Sun X, Lin W, Wang C, Lin S. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat/CRISPR-Associated Protein and Its Utility All at Sea: Status, Challenges, and Prospects. Microorganisms 2024; 12:118. [PMID: 38257946 PMCID: PMC10820777 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010118] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Initially discovered over 35 years ago in the bacterium Escherichia coli as a defense system against invasion of viral (or other exogenous) DNA into the genome, CRISPR/Cas has ushered in a new era of functional genetics and served as a versatile genetic tool in all branches of life science. CRISPR/Cas has revolutionized the methodology of gene knockout with simplicity and rapidity, but it is also powerful for gene knock-in and gene modification. In the field of marine biology and ecology, this tool has been instrumental in the functional characterization of 'dark' genes and the documentation of the functional differentiation of gene paralogs. Powerful as it is, challenges exist that have hindered the advances in functional genetics in some important lineages. This review examines the status of applications of CRISPR/Cas in marine research and assesses the prospect of quickly expanding the deployment of this powerful tool to address the myriad fundamental marine biology and biological oceanography questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiashun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
| | - Shuaishuai Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
| | - Kaidian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570203, China
| | - Xueqiong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
| | - Wenwen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
| | - Cong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
| | - Senjie Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361101, China
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT 06340, USA
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Zhao F, Ding X, Liu Z, Yan X, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Chen S, Wang Y, Kang T, Xie C, He M, Zheng J. Application of CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing in ecotoxicology. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 336:122458. [PMID: 37633433 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Chemicals are widely used and released into the environment, and their degradation, accumulation, migration, and transformation processes in the environment can pose a threat to the ecosystem. The advancement in analytical methods with high-throughput screening of biomolecules has revolutionized the way toxicologists used to explore the effects of chemicals on organisms. CRISPR/Cas is a newly developed tool, widely used in the exploration of basic science and biologically engineered products given its high efficiency and low cost. For example, it can edit target genes efficiently, and save loss of the crop yield caused by environmental pollution as well as gain a better understanding of the toxicity mechanisms from various chemicals. This review briefly introduces the development history of CRISPR/Cas and summarizes the current application of CRISPR/Cas in ecotoxicology, including its application on improving crop yield and drug resistance towards agricultural pollution, antibiotic pollution and other threats. The benefits by applying the CRISPR/Cas9 system in conventional toxicity mechanism studies are fully demonstrated here together with its foreseeable expansions in other area of ecotoxicology. Finally, the prospects and disadvantages of CRISPR/Cas system in the field of ecotoxicology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zhao
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China; State Environmental Protection Key laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences. Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou, China; School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, China
| | - Xiaofan Ding
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Zimeng Liu
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao Yan
- State Environmental Protection Key laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences. Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanzhen Chen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Yaxin Jiang
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shunjie Chen
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuanfang Wang
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Tingting Kang
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chun Xie
- School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, China
| | - Mian He
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Jing Zheng
- State Environmental Protection Key laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences. Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou, China
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Zhong C, Wang L, Ning K. Pan-genome study of Thermococcales reveals extensive genetic diversity and genetic evidence of thermophilic adaption. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:3599-3613. [PMID: 32939951 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Thermococcales has a strong adaptability to extreme environments, which is of profound interest in explaining how complex life forms emerge on earth. However, their gene composition, thermal stability and evolution in hyperthermal environments are still little known. Here, we characterized the pan-genome architecture of 30 Thermococcales species to gain insight into their genetic properties, evolutionary patterns and specific metabolisms adapted to niches. We revealed an open pan-genome of Thermococcales comprising 6070 gene families that tend to increase with the availability of additional genomes. The genome contents of Thermococcales were flexible, with a series of genes experienced gene duplication, progressive divergence, or gene gain and loss events exhibiting distinct functional features. These archaea had concise types of heat shock proteins, such as HSP20, HSP60 and prefoldin, which were constrained by strong purifying selection that governed their conservative evolution. Furthermore, purifying selection forced genes involved in enzyme, motility, secretion system, defence system and chaperones to differ in functional constraints and their disparity in the rate of evolution may be related to adaptation to specific niche. These results deepened our understanding of genetic diversity and adaptation patterns of Thermococcales, and provided valuable research models for studying the metabolic traits of early life forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaofang Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-imaging, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lusheng Wang
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kang Ning
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-imaging, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
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Grainy J, Garrett S, Graveley BR, P Terns M. CRISPR repeat sequences and relative spacing specify DNA integration by Pyrococcus furiosus Cas1 and Cas2. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:7518-7531. [PMID: 31219587 PMCID: PMC6698737 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquiring foreign spacer DNA into the CRISPR locus is an essential primary step of the CRISPR-Cas pathway in prokaryotes for developing host immunity to mobile genetic elements. Here, we investigate spacer integration in vitro using proteins from Pyrococcus furiosus and demonstrate that Cas1 and Cas2 are sufficient to accurately integrate spacers into a minimal CRISPR locus. Using high-throughput sequencing, we identified high frequency spacer integration occurring at the same CRISPR repeat border sites utilized in vivo, as well as at several non-CRISPR plasmid sequences which share features with repeats. Analysis of non-CRISPR integration sites revealed that Cas1 and Cas2 are directed to catalyze full-site spacer integration at specific DNA stretches where guanines and/or cytosines are 30 base pairs apart and the intervening sequence harbors several positionally conserved bases. Moreover, assaying a series of CRISPR repeat mutations, followed by sequencing of the integration products, revealed that the specificity of integration is primarily directed by sequences at the leader-repeat junction as well as an adenine-rich sequence block in the mid-repeat. Together, our results indicate that P. furiosus Cas1 and Cas2 recognize multiple sequence features distributed over a 30 base pair DNA region for accurate spacer integration at the CRISPR repeat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Grainy
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sandra Garrett
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Stem Cell Institute, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Brenton R Graveley
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Stem Cell Institute, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Michael P Terns
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Shmakov S, Abudayyeh OO, Makarova KS, Wolf YI, Gootenberg JS, Semenova E, Minakhin L, Joung J, Konermann S, Severinov K, Zhang F, Koonin EV. Discovery and Functional Characterization of Diverse Class 2 CRISPR-Cas Systems. Mol Cell 2015; 60:385-97. [PMID: 26593719 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 781] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microbial CRISPR-Cas systems are divided into Class 1, with multisubunit effector complexes, and Class 2, with single protein effectors. Currently, only two Class 2 effectors, Cas9 and Cpf1, are known. We describe here three distinct Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems. The effectors of two of the identified systems, C2c1 and C2c3, contain RuvC-like endonuclease domains distantly related to Cpf1. The third system, C2c2, contains an effector with two predicted HEPN RNase domains. Whereas production of mature CRISPR RNA (crRNA) by C2c1 depends on tracrRNA, C2c2 crRNA maturation is tracrRNA independent. We found that C2c1 systems can mediate DNA interference in a 5'-PAM-dependent fashion analogous to Cpf1. However, unlike Cpf1, which is a single-RNA-guided nuclease, C2c1 depends on both crRNA and tracrRNA for DNA cleavage. Finally, comparative analysis indicates that Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems evolved on multiple occasions through recombination of Class 1 adaptation modules with effector proteins acquired from distinct mobile elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Shmakov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, 143025, Russia; NCBI, NLM, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Omar O Abudayyeh
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | | | - Jonathan S Gootenberg
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ekaterina Semenova
- Waksman Institute for Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Leonid Minakhin
- Waksman Institute for Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Julia Joung
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Silvana Konermann
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, 143025, Russia; Waksman Institute for Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 123182, Russia
| | - Feng Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Wade M. High-Throughput Silencing Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System: A Review of the Benefits and Challenges. JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR SCREENING 2015; 20:1027-39. [PMID: 26001564 DOI: 10.1177/1087057115587916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas system has been seized upon with a fervor enjoyed previously by small interfering RNA (siRNA) and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) technologies and has enormous potential for high-throughput functional genomics studies. The decision to use this approach must be balanced with respect to adoption of existing platforms versus awaiting the development of more "mature" next-generation systems. Here, experience from siRNA and shRNA screening plays an important role, as issues such as targeting efficiency, pooling strategies, and off-target effects with those technologies are already framing debates in the CRISPR field. CRISPR/Cas can be exploited not only to knockout genes but also to up- or down-regulate gene transcription-in some cases in a multiplex fashion. This provides a powerful tool for studying the interaction among multiple signaling cascades in the same genetic background. Furthermore, the documented success of CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene correction (or the corollary, introduction of disease-specific mutations) provides proof of concept for the rapid generation of isogenic cell lines for high-throughput screening. In this review, the advantages and limitations of CRISPR/Cas are discussed and current and future applications are highlighted. It is envisaged that complementarities between CRISPR, siRNA, and shRNA will ensure that all three technologies remain critical to the success of future functional genomics projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Wade
- Screening Unit, Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Milan, Italy
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Wei Y, Chesne MT, Terns RM, Terns MP. Sequences spanning the leader-repeat junction mediate CRISPR adaptation to phage in Streptococcus thermophilus. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:1749-58. [PMID: 25589547 PMCID: PMC4330368 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku1407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Revised: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are RNA-based immune systems that protect prokaryotes from invaders such as phages and plasmids. In adaptation, the initial phase of the immune response, short foreign DNA fragments are captured and integrated into host CRISPR loci to provide heritable defense against encountered foreign nucleic acids. Each CRISPR contains a ∼100-500 bp leader element that typically includes a transcription promoter, followed by an array of captured ∼35 bp sequences (spacers) sandwiched between copies of an identical ∼35 bp direct repeat sequence. New spacers are added immediately downstream of the leader. Here, we have analyzed adaptation to phage infection in Streptococcus thermophilus at the CRISPR1 locus to identify cis-acting elements essential for the process. We show that the leader and a single repeat of the CRISPR locus are sufficient for adaptation in this system. Moreover, we identified a leader sequence element capable of stimulating adaptation at a dormant repeat. We found that sequences within 10 bp of the site of integration, in both the leader and repeat of the CRISPR, are required for the process. Our results indicate that information at the CRISPR leader-repeat junction is critical for adaptation in this Type II-A system and likely other CRISPR-Cas systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzhou Wei
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Megan T. Chesne
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Rebecca M. Terns
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael P. Terns
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA
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The RNA- and DNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas immune systems of Pyrococcus furiosus. Biochem Soc Trans 2014; 41:1416-21. [PMID: 24256230 DOI: 10.1042/bst20130056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Using the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus, we have delineated several key steps in CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) invader defence pathways. P. furiosus has seven transcriptionally active CRISPR loci that together encode a total of 200 crRNAs (CRISPR RNAs). The 27 Cas proteins in this organism represent three distinct pathways and are primarily encoded in two large gene clusters. The Cas6 protein dices CRISPR locus transcripts to generate individual invader-targeting crRNAs. The mature crRNAs include a signature sequence element (the 5' tag) derived from the CRISPR locus repeat sequence that is important for function. crRNAs are tailored into distinct species and integrated into three distinct crRNA-Cas protein complexes that are all candidate effector complexes. The complex formed by the Cmr [Cas module RAMP (repeat-associated mysterious proteins)] (subtype III-B) proteins cleaves complementary target RNAs and can be programmed to cleave novel target RNAs in a prokaryotic RNAi-like manner. Evidence suggests that the other two CRISPR-Cas systems in P. furiosus, Csa (Cas subtype Apern) (subtype I-A) and Cst (Cas subtype Tneap) (subtype I-B), target invaders at the DNA level. Studies of the CRISPR-Cas systems from P. furiosus are yielding fundamental knowledge of mechanisms of crRNA biogenesis and silencing for three of the diverse CRISPR-Cas pathways, and reveal that organisms such as P. furiosus possess an arsenal of multiple RNA-guided mechanisms to resist diverse invaders. Our knowledge of the fascinating CRISPR-Cas pathways is leading in turn to our ability to co-opt these systems for exciting new biomedical and biotechnological applications.
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