1
|
Zirin J, Jusiak B, Lopes R, Ewen-Campen B, Bosch JA, Risbeck A, Forman C, Villalta C, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Expanding the Drosophila toolkit for dual control of gene expression. eLife 2024; 12:RP94073. [PMID: 38569007 PMCID: PMC10990484 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to independently control gene expression in two different tissues in the same animal is emerging as a major need, especially in the context of inter-organ communication studies. This type of study is made possible by technologies combining the GAL4/UAS and a second binary expression system such as the LexA system or QF system. Here, we describe a resource of reagents that facilitate combined use of the GAL4/UAS and a second binary system in various Drosophila tissues. Focusing on genes with well-characterized GAL4 expression patterns, we generated a set of more than 40 LexA-GAD and QF2 insertions by CRISPR knock-in and verified their tissue specificity in larvae. We also built constructs that encode QF2 and LexA-GAD transcription factors in a single vector. Following successful integration of this construct into the fly genome, FLP/FRT recombination is used to isolate fly lines that express only QF2 or LexA-GAD. Finally, using new compatible shRNA vectors, we evaluated both LexA and QF systems for in vivo gene knockdown and are generating a library of such RNAi fly lines as a community resource. Together, these LexA and QF system vectors and fly lines will provide a new set of tools for researchers who need to activate or repress two different genes in an orthogonal manner in the same animal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Barbara Jusiak
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, IrvineIrvineUnited States
| | - Raphael Lopes
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Justin A Bosch
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Corey Forman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBostonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zirin J, Jusiak B, Lopes R, Ewen-Campen B, Bosch JA, Risbeck A, Forman C, Villalta C, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Expanding the Drosophila toolkit for dual control of gene expression. bioRxiv 2024:2023.08.15.553399. [PMID: 37645802 PMCID: PMC10461983 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.15.553399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The ability to independently control gene expression in two different tissues in the same animal is emerging as a major need, especially in the context of inter-organ communication studies. This type of study is made possible by technologies combining the GAL4/UAS and a second binary expression system such as the LexA-system or QF-system. Here, we describe a resource of reagents that facilitate combined use of the GAL4/UAS and a second binary system in various Drosophila tissues. Focusing on genes with well-characterizsed GAL4 expression patterns, we generated a set of more than 40 LexA-GAD and QF2 insertions by CRISPR knock-in and verified their tissue-specificity in larvae. We also built constructs that encode QF2 and LexA-GAD transcription factors in a single vector. Following successful integration of this construct into the fly genome, FLP/FRT recombination is used to isolate fly lines that express only QF2 or LexA-GAD. Finally, using new compatible shRNA vectors, we evaluated both LexA and QF systems for in vivo gene knockdown and are generating a library of such RNAi fly lines as a community resource. Together, these LexA and QF system vectors and fly lines will provide a new set of tools for researchers who need to activate or repress two different genes in an orthogonal manner in the same animal.
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Nanobodies have emerged as powerful protein-binding tools to uncover protein functions. Using functionalized protein binders, proteins of interest can be visualized, degraded, delocalized, or post-translationally modified in vivo. We recently reported the use of two short peptide tags, 10-aa 127D01 and 14-aa VHH05, and their corresponding nanobodies, Nb127D01 and NbVHH05, for both in vitro and in vivo studies in Drosophila. Here, we provide detailed protocols for nanobody production and for visualization of proteins of interest in either fixed or live samples. In addition, we include protocols for endogenous protein tagging using CRISPR-mediated genome engineering. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Nanobody production in S2 cells Basic Protocol 2: Nanobody expression and purification in bacterial cells Basic Protocol 3: Immunostaining with nanobodies Basic Protocol 4: Immunoblotting with nanobodies Basic Protocol 5: Immunoprecipitation with nanobodies prepared from S2 cells Basic Protocol 6: Immunoprecipitation with nanobodies prepared from bacteria Basic Protocol 7: NbVHH05 and Nb127D01 used as chromobodies Basic Protocol 8: NanoTag trap as a method to alter protein localization Support Protocol: CRISPR-mediated tagging of endogenous genes with NanoTags.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ah-Ram Kim
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Ross Cheloha
- Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hidde L Ploegh
- Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kanca O, Zirin J, Hu Y, Tepe B, Dutta D, Lin WW, Ma L, Ge M, Zuo Z, Liu LP, Levis RW, Perrimon N, Bellen HJ. An expanded toolkit for Drosophila gene tagging using synthesized homology donor constructs for CRISPR-mediated homologous recombination. eLife 2022; 11:e76077. [PMID: 35723254 PMCID: PMC9239680 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, we described a large collection of Drosophila strains that each carry an artificial exon containing a T2AGAL4 cassette inserted in an intron of a target gene based on CRISPR-mediated homologous recombination. These alleles permit numerous applications and have proven to be very useful. Initially, the homologous recombination-based donor constructs had long homology arms (>500 bps) to promote precise integration of large constructs (>5 kb). Recently, we showed that in vivo linearization of the donor constructs enables insertion of large artificial exons in introns using short homology arms (100-200 bps). Shorter homology arms make it feasible to commercially synthesize homology donors and minimize the cloning steps for donor construct generation. Unfortunately, about 58% of Drosophila genes lack a suitable coding intron for integration of artificial exons in all of the annotated isoforms. Here, we report the development of new set of constructs that allow the replacement of the coding region of genes that lack suitable introns with a KozakGAL4 cassette, generating a knock-out/knock-in allele that expresses GAL4 similarly as the targeted gene. We also developed custom vector backbones to further facilitate and improve transgenesis. Synthesis of homology donor constructs in custom plasmid backbones that contain the target gene sgRNA obviates the need to inject a separate sgRNA plasmid and significantly increases the transgenesis efficiency. These upgrades will enable the targeting of nearly every fly gene, regardless of exon-intron structure, with a 70-80% success rate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Burak Tepe
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Debdeep Dutta
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Wen-Wen Lin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Liwen Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Ming Ge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Zhongyuan Zuo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Lu-Ping Liu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Robert W Levis
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for ScienceBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Xu J, Kim AR, Cheloha RW, Fischer FA, Li JSS, Feng Y, Stoneburner E, Binari R, Mohr SE, Zirin J, Ploegh HL, Perrimon N. Protein visualization and manipulation in Drosophila through the use of epitope tags recognized by nanobodies. eLife 2022; 11:74326. [PMID: 35076390 PMCID: PMC8853664 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Expansion of the available repertoire of reagents for visualization and manipulation of proteins will help understand their function. Short epitope tags linked to proteins of interest and recognized by existing binders such as nanobodies facilitate protein studies by obviating the need to isolate new antibodies directed against them. Nanobodies have several advantages over conventional antibodies, as they can be expressed and used as tools for visualization and manipulation of proteins in vivo. Here, we characterize two short (<15aa) NanoTag epitopes, 127D01 and VHH05, and their corresponding high-affinity nanobodies. We demonstrate their use in Drosophila for in vivo protein detection and re-localization, direct and indirect immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, and immunoprecipitation. We further show that CRISPR-mediated gene targeting provides a straightforward approach to tagging endogenous proteins with the NanoTags. Single copies of the NanoTags, regardless of their location, suffice for detection. This versatile and validated toolbox of tags and nanobodies will serve as a resource for a wide array of applications, including functional studies in Drosophila and beyond.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Xu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
| | - Ah-Ram Kim
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | | | - Yuan Feng
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zirin J, Bosch J, Viswanatha R, Mohr SE, Perrimon N. State-of-the-art CRISPR for in vivo and cell-based studies in Drosophila. Trends Genet 2021; 38:437-453. [PMID: 34933779 PMCID: PMC9007876 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
For more than 100 years, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has served as a powerful model organism for biological and biomedical research due to its many genetic and physiological similarities to humans and the availability of sophisticated technologies used to manipulate its genome and genes. The Drosophila research community quickly adopted CRISPR technologies and, in the 8 years since the first clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) publications in flies, has explored and innovated methods for mutagenesis, precise genome engineering, and beyond. Moreover, the short lifespan and ease of genetics have made Drosophila an ideal testing ground for in vivo applications and refinements of the rapidly evolving set of CRISPR-associated (CRISPR-Cas) tools. Here, we review innovations in delivery of CRISPR reagents, increased efficiency of cutting and homology-directed repair (HDR), and alternatives to standard Cas9-based approaches. While the focus is primarily on in vivo systems, we also describe the role of Drosophila cultured cells as both an indispensable first step in the process of assessing new CRISPR technologies and a platform for genome-wide CRISPR pooled screens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Justin Bosch
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Raghuvir Viswanatha
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ravenscroft TA, Phillips JB, Fieg E, Bajikar SS, Peirce J, Wegner J, Luna AA, Fox EJ, Yan YL, Rosenfeld JA, Zirin J, Kanca O, Benke PJ, Cameron ES, Strehlow V, Platzer K, Jamra RA, Klöckner C, Osmond M, Licata T, Rojas S, Dyment D, Chong JSC, Lincoln S, Stoler JM, Postlethwait JH, Wangler MF, Yamamoto S, Krier J, Westerfield M, Bellen HJ. Heterozygous loss-of-function variants significantly expand the phenotypes associated with loss of GDF11. Genet Med 2021; 23:1889-1900. [PMID: 34113007 PMCID: PMC8487929 DOI: 10.1038/s41436-021-01216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a key signaling protein required for proper development of many organ systems. Only one prior study has associated an inherited GDF11 variant with a dominant human disease in a family with variable craniofacial and vertebral abnormalities. Here, we expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with GDF11 variants and document the nature of the variants. METHODS We present a cohort of six probands with de novo and inherited nonsense/frameshift (4/6 patients) and missense (2/6) variants in GDF11. We generated gdf11 mutant zebrafish to model loss of gdf11 phenotypes and used an overexpression screen in Drosophila to test variant functionality. RESULTS Patients with variants in GDF11 presented with craniofacial (5/6), vertebral (5/6), neurological (6/6), visual (4/6), cardiac (3/6), auditory (3/6), and connective tissue abnormalities (3/6). gdf11 mutant zebrafish show craniofacial abnormalities and body segmentation defects that match some patient phenotypes. Expression of the patients' variants in the fly showed that one nonsense variant in GDF11 is a severe loss-of-function (LOF) allele whereas the missense variants in our cohort are partial LOF variants. CONCLUSION GDF11 is needed for human development, particularly neuronal development, and LOF GDF11 alleles can affect the development of numerous organs and tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ravenscroft
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Sameer S Bajikar
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Judy Peirce
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Jeremy Wegner
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Alia A Luna
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Eric J Fox
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Yi-Lin Yan
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Jill A Rosenfeld
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul J Benke
- Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Hollywood, FL, USA
| | | | - Vincent Strehlow
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Konrad Platzer
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rami Abou Jamra
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chiara Klöckner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew Osmond
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas Licata
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Samantha Rojas
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Dyment
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Josephine S C Chong
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong-Baylor College of Medicine Joint Center of Medical Genetics, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | - Michael F Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joel Krier
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mohr SE, Tattikota SG, Xu J, Zirin J, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Methods and tools for spatial mapping of single-cell RNAseq clusters in Drosophila. Genetics 2021; 217:6156631. [PMID: 33713129 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) experiments provide a powerful means to identify clusters of cells that share common gene expression signatures. A major challenge in scRNAseq studies is to map the clusters to specific anatomical regions along the body and within tissues. Existing data, such as information obtained from large-scale in situ RNA hybridization studies, cell type specific transcriptomics, gene expression reporters, antibody stainings, and fluorescent tagged proteins, can help to map clusters to anatomy. However, in many cases, additional validation is needed to precisely map the spatial location of cells in clusters. Several approaches are available for spatial resolution in Drosophila, including mining of existing datasets, and use of existing or new tools for direct or indirect detection of RNA, or direct detection of proteins. Here, we review available resources and emerging technologies that will facilitate spatial mapping of scRNAseq clusters at high resolution in Drosophila. Importantly, we discuss the need, available approaches, and reagents for multiplexing gene expression detection in situ, as in most cases scRNAseq clusters are defined by the unique coexpression of sets of genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sudhir Gopal Tattikota
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hu Y, Comjean A, Rodiger J, Liu Y, Gao Y, Chung V, Zirin J, Perrimon N, Mohr SE. FlyRNAi.org-the database of the Drosophila RNAi screening center and transgenic RNAi project: 2021 update. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:D908-D915. [PMID: 33104800 PMCID: PMC7778949 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The FlyRNAi database at the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project (DRSC/TRiP) provides a suite of online resources that facilitate functional genomics studies with a special emphasis on Drosophila melanogaster. Currently, the database provides: gene-centric resources that facilitate ortholog mapping and mining of information about orthologs in common genetic model species; reagent-centric resources that help researchers identify RNAi and CRISPR sgRNA reagents or designs; and data-centric resources that facilitate visualization and mining of transcriptomics data, protein modification data, protein interactions, and more. Here, we discuss updated and new features that help biological and biomedical researchers efficiently identify, visualize, analyze, and integrate information and data for Drosophila and other species. Together, these resources facilitate multiple steps in functional genomics workflows, from building gene and reagent lists to management, analysis, and integration of data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aram Comjean
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Rodiger
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yifang Liu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yue Gao
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Verena Chung
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Xia B, Amador G, Viswanatha R, Zirin J, Mohr SE, Perrimon N. CRISPR-based engineering of gene knockout cells by homology-directed insertion in polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cells. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:3478-3498. [PMID: 32958931 PMCID: PMC7961850 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0383-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Precise and efficient genome modifications provide powerful tools for biological studies. Previous CRISPR gene knockout methods in cell lines have relied on frameshifts caused by stochastic insertion/deletion in all alleles. However, this method is inefficient for genes with high copy number due to polyploidy or gene amplification because frameshifts in all alleles can be difficult to generate and detect. Here we describe a homology-directed insertion method to knockout genes in the polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cell line. This protocol allows generation of homozygous mutant cell lines using an insertion cassette which autocatalytically generates insertion mutations in all alleles. Knockout cells generated using this method can be directly identified by PCR without a need for DNA sequencing. This protocol takes 2-3 months and can be applied to other polyploid cell lines or high-copy-number genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel Amador
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bosch JA, Knight S, Kanca O, Zirin J, Yang-Zhou D, Hu Y, Rodiger J, Amador G, Bellen HJ, Perrimon N, Mohr SE. Use of the CRISPR-Cas9 System in Drosophila Cultured Cells to Introduce Fluorescent Tags into Endogenous Genes. Curr Protoc Mol Biol 2020; 130:e112. [PMID: 31869524 PMCID: PMC7213786 DOI: 10.1002/cpmb.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas9 system makes it possible to cause double-strand breaks in specific regions, inducing repair. In the presence of a donor construct, repair can involve insertion or 'knock-in' of an exogenous cassette. One common application of knock-in technology is to generate cell lines expressing fluorescently tagged endogenous proteins. The standard approach relies on production of a donor plasmid with ∼500 to 1000 bp of homology on either side of an insertion cassette that contains the fluorescent protein open reading frame (ORF). We present two alternative methods for knock-in of fluorescent protein ORFs into Cas9-expressing Drosophila S2R+ cultured cells, the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) Drop-In method and the CRISPaint universal donor method. Both methods eliminate the need to clone a large plasmid donor for each target. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the standard, ssDNA Drop-In, and CRISPaint methods for fluorescent protein tagging in Drosophila cultured cells. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Basic Protocol 1: Knock-in into Cas9-positive S2R+ cells using the ssDNA Drop-In approach Basic Protocol 2: Knock-in into Cas9-positive S2R+ cells by homology-independent insertion of universal donor plasmids that provide mNeonGreen (CRISPaint method) Support Protocol 1: sgRNA design and cloning Support Protocol 2: ssDNA donor synthesis Support Protocol 3: Transfection using Effectene Support Protocol 4: Electroporation of S2R+-MT::Cas9 Drosophila cells Support Protocol 5: Single-cell isolation of fluorescent cells using FACS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Bosch
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Shannon Knight
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Donghui Yang-Zhou
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan Rodiger
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gabriel Amador
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bosch JA, Colbeth R, Zirin J, Perrimon N. Gene Knock-Ins in Drosophila Using Homology-Independent Insertion of Universal Donor Plasmids. Genetics 2020; 214:75-89. [PMID: 31685521 PMCID: PMC6944404 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted genomic knock-ins are a valuable tool to probe gene function. However, knock-in methods involving homology-directed repair (HDR) can be laborious. Here, we adapt the mammalian CRISPaint [clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-assisted insertion tagging] homology-independent knock-in method for Drosophila melanogaster, which uses CRISPR/Cas9 and nonhomologous end joining to insert "universal" donor plasmids into the genome. Using this method in cultured S2R+ cells, we efficiently tagged four endogenous proteins with the bright fluorescent protein mNeonGreen, thereby demonstrating that an existing collection of CRISPaint universal donor plasmids is compatible with insect cells. In addition, we inserted the transgenesis marker 3xP3-red fluorescent protein into seven genes in the fly germ line, producing heritable loss-of-function alleles that were isolated by simple fluorescence screening. Unlike in cultured cells, insertions/deletions always occurred at the genomic insertion site, which prevents predictably matching the insert coding frame to the target gene. Despite this effect, we were able to isolate T2A-Gal4 insertions in four genes that serve as in vivo expression reporters. Therefore, homology-independent insertion in Drosophila is a fast and simple alternative to HDR that will enable researchers to dissect gene function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Bosch
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Ryan Colbeth
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Kanca O, Zirin J, Garcia-Marques J, Knight SM, Yang-Zhou D, Amador G, Chung H, Zuo Z, Ma L, He Y, Lin WW, Fang Y, Ge M, Yamamoto S, Schulze KL, Hu Y, Spradling AC, Mohr SE, Perrimon N, Bellen HJ. An efficient CRISPR-based strategy to insert small and large fragments of DNA using short homology arms. eLife 2019; 8:e51539. [PMID: 31674908 PMCID: PMC6855806 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported a CRISPR-mediated knock-in strategy into introns of Drosophila genes, generating an attP-FRT-SA-T2A-GAL4-polyA-3XP3-EGFP-FRT-attP transgenic library for multiple uses (Lee et al., 2018a). The method relied on double stranded DNA (dsDNA) homology donors with ~1 kb homology arms. Here, we describe three new simpler ways to edit genes in flies. We create single stranded DNA (ssDNA) donors using PCR and add 100 nt of homology on each side of an integration cassette, followed by enzymatic removal of one strand. Using this method, we generated GFP-tagged proteins that mark organelles in S2 cells. We then describe two dsDNA methods using cheap synthesized donors flanked by 100 nt homology arms and gRNA target sites cloned into a plasmid. Upon injection, donor DNA (1 to 5 kb) is released from the plasmid by Cas9. The cassette integrates efficiently and precisely in vivo. The approach is fast, cheap, and scalable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Shannon Marie Knight
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Donghui Yang-Zhou
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Gabriel Amador
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Hyunglok Chung
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Zhongyuan Zuo
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Liwen Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Yuchun He
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Wen-Wen Lin
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Ying Fang
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Ming Ge
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Program in Developmental BiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of NeuroscienceBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Karen L Schulze
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Allan C Spradling
- Department of EmbryologyHoward Hughes Medical Institute, Carnegie Institution for ScienceBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Program in Developmental BiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of NeuroscienceBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zirin J, Ni X, Sack LM, Yang-Zhou D, Hu Y, Brathwaite R, Bulyk ML, Elledge SJ, Perrimon N. Interspecies analysis of MYC targets identifies tRNA synthetases as mediators of growth and survival in MYC-overexpressing cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14614-14619. [PMID: 31262815 PMCID: PMC6642371 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1821863116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant MYC oncogene activation is one of the most prevalent characteristics of cancer. By overlapping datasets of Drosophila genes that are insulin-responsive and also regulate nucleolus size, we enriched for Myc target genes required for cellular biosynthesis. Among these, we identified the aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) as essential mediators of Myc growth control in Drosophila and found that their pharmacologic inhibition is sufficient to kill MYC-overexpressing human cells, indicating that aaRS inhibitors might be used to selectively target MYC-driven cancers. We suggest a general principle in which oncogenic increases in cellular biosynthesis sensitize cells to disruption of protein homeostasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Xiaochun Ni
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Laura M Sack
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - Martha L Bulyk
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Stephen J Elledge
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Escobedo SE, Zirin J, Weake VM. TRiP stocks contain a previously uncharacterized loss-of-function sevenless allele. MicroPubl Biol 2019; 2019:10.17912/micropub.biology.000097. [PMID: 32550423 PMCID: PMC7252292 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Spencer E Escobedo
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907
| | | | - Vikki M Weake
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907,
Correspondence to: Vikki M Weake ()
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tang HW, Hu Y, Chen CL, Xia B, Zirin J, Yuan M, Asara JM, Rabinow L, Perrimon N. The TORC1-Regulated CPA Complex Rewires an RNA Processing Network to Drive Autophagy and Metabolic Reprogramming. Cell Metab 2018; 27:1040-1054.e8. [PMID: 29606597 PMCID: PMC6100782 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Nutrient deprivation induces autophagy through inhibiting TORC1 activity. We describe a novel mechanism in Drosophila by which TORC1 regulates RNA processing of Atg transcripts and alters ATG protein levels and activities via the cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) complex. We show that TORC1 signaling inhibits CDK8 and DOA kinases, which directly phosphorylate CPSF6, a component of the CPA complex. These phosphorylation events regulate CPSF6 localization, RNA binding, and starvation-induced alternative RNA processing of transcripts involved in autophagy, nutrient, and energy metabolism, thereby controlling autophagosome formation and metabolism. Similarly, we find that mammalian CDK8 and CLK2, a DOA ortholog, phosphorylate CPSF6 to regulate autophagy and metabolic changes upon starvation, revealing an evolutionarily conserved mechanism linking TORC1 signaling with RNA processing, autophagy, and metabolism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wen Tang
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Chiao-Lin Chen
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Min Yuan
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Signal Transduction, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John M Asara
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Signal Transduction, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Leonard Rabinow
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lee PT, Zirin J, Kanca O, Lin WW, Schulze KL, Li-Kroeger D, Tao R, Devereaux C, Hu Y, Chung V, Fang Y, He Y, Pan H, Ge M, Zuo Z, Housden BE, Mohr SE, Yamamoto S, Levis RW, Spradling AC, Perrimon N, Bellen HJ. A gene-specific T2A-GAL4 library for Drosophila. eLife 2018; 7:35574. [PMID: 29565247 PMCID: PMC5898912 DOI: 10.7554/elife.35574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We generated a library of ~1000 Drosophila stocks in which we inserted a construct in the intron of genes allowing expression of GAL4 under control of endogenous promoters while arresting transcription with a polyadenylation signal 3’ of the GAL4. This allows numerous applications. First, ~90% of insertions in essential genes cause a severe loss-of-function phenotype, an effective way to mutagenize genes. Interestingly, 12/14 chromosomes engineered through CRISPR do not carry second-site lethal mutations. Second, 26/36 (70%) of lethal insertions tested are rescued with a single UAS-cDNA construct. Third, loss-of-function phenotypes associated with many GAL4 insertions can be reverted by excision with UAS-flippase. Fourth, GAL4 driven UAS-GFP/RFP reports tissue and cell-type specificity of gene expression with high sensitivity. We report the expression of hundreds of genes not previously reported. Finally, inserted cassettes can be replaced with GFP or any DNA. These stocks comprise a powerful resource for assessing gene function. Determining what role newly discovered genes play in the body is an important part of genetics. This task requires a lot of extra information about each gene, such as the specific cells where the gene is active, or what happens when the gene is deleted. To answer these questions, researchers need tools and methods to manipulate genes within a living organism. The fruit fly Drosophila is useful for such experiments because a toolbox of genetic techniques is already available. Gene editing in fruit flies allows small pieces of genetic information to be removed from or added to anywhere in the animal’s DNA. Another tool, known as GAL4-UAS, is a two-part system used to study gene activity. The GAL4 component is a protein that switches on genes. GAL4 alone does very little in Drosophila cells because it only recognizes a DNA sequence called UAS. However, if a GAL4-producing cell is also engineered to contain a UAS-controlled gene, GAL4 will switch the gene on. Lee et al. used gene editing to insert a small piece of DNA, containing the GAL4 sequence followed by a ‘stop’ signal, into many different fly genes. The insertion made the cells where each gene was normally active produce GAL4, but – thanks to the stop signal – rendered the rest of the original gene non-functional. This effectively deleted the proteins encoded by each gene, giving information about the biological processes they normally control. Lee et al. went on to use their insertion approach to make a Drosophila genetic library. This is a collection of around 1,000 different strains of fly, each carrying the GAL4/stop combination in a single gene. The library allows any gene in the collection to be studied in detail simply by combining the GAL4 with different UAS-controlled genetic tools. For example, introducing a UAS-controlled marker would pinpoint where in the body the original gene was active. Alternatively, adding UAS-controlled human versions of the gene would create humanized flies, which are a valuable tool to study potential disease-causing genes in humans. This Drosophila library is a resource that contributes new experimental tools to fly genetics. Insights gained from flies can also be applied to more complex animals like humans, especially since around 65% of genes are similar across humans and Drosophila. As such, Lee et al. hope that this resource will help other researchers shed new light on the role of many different genes in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Tseng Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Wen-Wen Lin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Karen L Schulze
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - David Li-Kroeger
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Rong Tao
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Colby Devereaux
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Verena Chung
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Ying Fang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Yuchun He
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Hongling Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Ming Ge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Zhongyuan Zuo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | | | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Robert W Levis
- Department of Embryology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, United States
| | - Allan C Spradling
- Department of Embryology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, United States
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Mohr SE, Rudd K, Hu Y, Song WR, Gilly Q, Buckner M, Housden BE, Kelley C, Zirin J, Tao R, Amador G, Sierzputowska K, Comjean A, Perrimon N. Zinc Detoxification: A Functional Genomics and Transcriptomics Analysis in Drosophila melanogaster Cultured Cells. G3 (Bethesda) 2018; 8:631-641. [PMID: 29223976 PMCID: PMC5919732 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.300447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cells require some metals, such as zinc and manganese, but excess levels of these metals can be toxic. As a result, cells have evolved complex mechanisms for maintaining metal homeostasis and surviving metal intoxication. Here, we present the results of a large-scale functional genomic screen in Drosophila cultured cells for modifiers of zinc chloride toxicity, together with transcriptomics data for wild-type or genetically zinc-sensitized cells challenged with mild zinc chloride supplementation. Altogether, we identified 47 genes for which knockdown conferred sensitivity or resistance to toxic zinc or manganese chloride treatment, and >1800 putative zinc-responsive genes. Analysis of the 'omics data points to the relevance of ion transporters, glutathione (GSH)-related factors, and conserved disease-associated genes in zinc detoxification. Specific genes identified in the zinc screen include orthologs of human disease-associated genes CTNS, PTPRN (also known as IA-2), and ATP13A2 (also known as PARK9). We show that knockdown of red dog mine (rdog; CG11897), a candidate zinc detoxification gene encoding an ABCC-type transporter family protein related to yeast cadmium factor (YCF1), confers sensitivity to zinc intoxication in cultured cells, and that rdog is transcriptionally upregulated in response to zinc stress. As there are many links between the biology of zinc and other metals and human health, the 'omics data sets presented here provide a resource that will allow researchers to explore metal biology in the context of diverse health-relevant processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie E Mohr
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Kirstin Rudd
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Wei Roc Song
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Quentin Gilly
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Michael Buckner
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Benjamin E Housden
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Colleen Kelley
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Rong Tao
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Gabriel Amador
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Katarzyna Sierzputowska
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Aram Comjean
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hu Y, Comjean A, Roesel C, Vinayagam A, Flockhart I, Zirin J, Perkins L, Perrimon N, Mohr SE. FlyRNAi.org-the database of the Drosophila RNAi screening center and transgenic RNAi project: 2017 update. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 45:D672-D678. [PMID: 27924039 PMCID: PMC5210654 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The FlyRNAi database of the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center (DRSC) and Transgenic RNAi Project (TRiP) at Harvard Medical School and associated DRSC/TRiP Functional Genomics Resources website (http://fgr.hms.harvard.edu) serve as a reagent production tracking system, screen data repository, and portal to the community. Through this portal, we make available protocols, online tools, and other resources useful to researchers at all stages of high-throughput functional genomics screening, from assay design and reagent identification to data analysis and interpretation. In this update, we describe recent changes and additions to our website, database and suite of online tools. Recent changes reflect a shift in our focus from a single technology (RNAi) and model species (Drosophila) to the application of additional technologies (e.g. CRISPR) and support of integrated, cross-species approaches to uncovering gene function using functional genomics and other approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aram Comjean
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Charles Roesel
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, 430 Nahant Rd., Nahant, MA 01908, USA
| | - Arunachalam Vinayagam
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ian Flockhart
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lizabeth Perkins
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA .,Drosophila RNAi Screening Center and Transgenic RNAi Project, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Given the diversity of autophagy targets and regulation, it is important to characterize autophagy in various cell types and conditions. We used a primary myocyte cell culture system to assay the role of putative autophagy regulators in the specific context of skeletal muscle. By treating the cultures with rapamycin (Rap) and chloroquine (CQ) we induced an autophagic response, fully suppressible by knockdown of core ATG genes. We screened D. melanogaster orthologs of a previously reported mammalian autophagy protein-protein interaction network, identifying several proteins required for autophagosome formation in muscle cells, including orthologs of the Rab regulators RabGap1 and Rab3Gap1. The screen also highlighted the critical roles of the proteasome and glycogen metabolism in regulating autophagy. Specifically, sustained proteasome inhibition inhibited autophagosome formation both in primary culture and larval skeletal muscle, even though autophagy normally acts to suppress ubiquitin aggregate formation in these tissues. In addition, analyses of glycogen metabolic genes in both primary cultured and larval muscles indicated that glycogen storage enhances the autophagic response to starvation, an important insight given the link between glycogen storage disorders, autophagy, and muscle function. Since the identification of the core autophagy genes in yeast, tissue culture cell lines have been the primary tool to evaluate the role and regulation of autophagy in higher organisms. However, since autophagy is a tissue-specific, context dependent process, stable cell lines can only give a limited view of the autophagic process. Here, we focus on the role of putative autophagy regulators in the specific context of the skeletal muscle, which has one of the most robust autophagy responses in mammals. We describe a fruitfly model of autophagy for skeletal muscles that integrates rapid genetic screening in primary cultured cells with robust in vivo validation in the larval muscle. We screened a set of genes previously linked to the autophagy pathway in humans, and identified both positive and negative regulators of autophagy. Our observation that genes involved in sugar metabolism impact muscle autophagy has important implications for both skeletal and cardiac myopathies associated with aberrant sugar storage. Surprisingly, we found that the proteasome is required to maintain autophagy in the muscle, suggesting that therapeutic treatments aiming to induce autophagy by proteasome inhibition must be carefully calibrated to ensure that the opposite phenotype does not occur.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZ); (NP)
| | - Joppe Nieuwenhuis
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anastasia Samsonova
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rong Tao
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZ); (NP)
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Vinayagam A, Zirin J, Roesel C, Hu Y, Yilmazel B, Samsonova AA, Neumüller RA, Mohr SE, Perrimon N. Erratum: Integrating protein-protein interaction networks with phenotypes reveals signs of interactions. Nat Methods 2014. [DOI: 10.1038/nmeth0714-773a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
|
22
|
Zirin J, Cheng D, Dhanyasi N, Cho J, Dura JM, Vijayraghavan K, Perrimon N. Ecdysone signaling at metamorphosis triggers apoptosis of Drosophila abdominal muscles. Dev Biol 2013; 383:275-84. [PMID: 24051228 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Revised: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
One of the most dramatic examples of programmed cell death occurs during Drosophila metamorphosis, when most of the larval tissues are destroyed in a process termed histolysis. Much of our understanding of this process comes from analyses of salivary gland and midgut cell death. In contrast, relatively little is known about the degradation of the larval musculature. Here, we analyze the programmed destruction of the abdominal dorsal exterior oblique muscle (DEOM) which occurs during the first 24h of metamorphosis. We find that ecdysone signaling through Ecdysone receptor isoform B1 is required cell autonomously for the muscle death. Furthermore, we show that the orphan nuclear receptor FTZ-F1, opposed by another nuclear receptor, HR39, plays a critical role in the timing of DEOM histolysis. Finally, we show that unlike the histolysis of salivary gland and midgut, abdominal muscle death occurs by apoptosis, and does not require autophagy. Thus, there is no set rule as to the role of autophagy and apoptosis during Drosophila histolysis.
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Here we describe a method for preparing and culturing primary cells dissociated from Drosophila gastrula embryos. In brief, a large amount of staged embryos from young and healthy flies are collected, sterilized, and then physically dissociated into a single cell suspension using a glass homogenizer. After being plated on culture plates or chamber slides at an appropriate density in culture medium, these cells can further differentiate into several morphologically-distinct cell types, which can be identified by their specific cell markers. Furthermore, we present conditions for treating these cells with double stranded (ds) RNAs to elicit gene knockdown. Efficient RNAi in Drosophila primary cells is accomplished by simply bathing the cells in dsRNA-containing culture medium. The ability to carry out effective RNAi perturbation, together with other molecular, biochemical, cell imaging analyses, will allow a variety of questions to be answered in Drosophila primary cells, especially those related to differentiated muscle and neuronal cells.
Collapse
|
24
|
Abstract
Originally identified as a response to starvation in yeast, autophagy is now understood to fulfill a variety of roles in higher eukaryotes, from the maintenance of cellular homeostasis to the cellular response to stress, starvation, and infection. Although genetics and biochemical studies in yeast have identified many components involved in autophagy, the findings that some of the essential components of the yeast pathway are missing in higher organisms underscore the need to study autophagy in more complex systems. This review focuses on the use of the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for analysis of autophagy. Drosophila is an organism well-suited for genetic analysis and represents an intermediate between yeast and mammals with respect to conservation of the autophagy machinery. Furthermore, the complex biology and physiology of Drosophila presents an opportunity to model human diseases in a tissue specific and analogous context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, New Research Building/RM 339, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|