Base editing requires that the target sequence satisfy the protospacer adjacent motif requirement of the Cas9 domain and that the target nucleotide be located within the editing window of the base ...editor. To increase the targeting scope of base editors, we engineered six optimized adenine base editors (ABEmax variants) that use SpCas9 variants compatible with non-NGG protospacer adjacent motifs. To increase the range of target bases that can be modified within the protospacer, we use circularly permuted Cas9 variants to produce four cytosine and four adenine base editors with an editing window expanded from ~4-5 nucleotides to up to ~8-9 nucleotides and reduced byproduct formation. This set of base editors improves the targeting scope of cytosine and adenine base editing.
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IJS, NUK, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cas12a (Cpf1) is a CRISPR-associated nuclease with broad utility for synthetic genome engineering, agricultural genomics, and biomedical applications. Although bacteria harboring CRISPR-Cas9 or ...CRISPR-Cas3 adaptive immune systems sometimes acquire mobile genetic elements encoding anti-CRISPR proteins that inhibit Cas9, Cas3, or the DNA-binding Cascade complex, no such inhibitors have been found for CRISPR-Cas12a. Here we use a comprehensive bioinformatic and experimental screening approach to identify three different inhibitors that block or diminish CRISPR-Cas12a-mediated genome editing in human cells. We also find a widespread connection between CRISPR self-targeting and inhibitor prevalence in prokaryotic genomes, suggesting a straightforward path to the discovery of many more anti-CRISPRs from the microbial world.
The CRISPR-Cas9 system provides the ability to edit, repress, activate, or mark any gene (or DNA element) by pairing of a programmable single guide RNA (sgRNA) with a complementary sequence on the ...DNA target. Here we present a new method for small-molecule control of CRISPR-Cas9 function through insertion of RNA aptamers into the sgRNA. We show that CRISPR-Cas9-based gene repression (CRISPRi) can be either activated or deactivated in a dose-dependent fashion over a >10-fold dynamic range in response to two different small-molecule ligands. Since our system acts directly on each target-specific sgRNA, it enables new applications that require differential and opposing temporal control of multiple genes.
The recent development of CRISPR-Cas systems as easily accessible and programmable tools for genome editing and regulation is spurring a revolution in biology. Paired with the rapid expansion of ...reference and personalized genomic sequence information, technologies based on CRISPR-Cas are enabling nearly unlimited genetic manipulation, even in previously difficult contexts, including human cells. Although much attention has focused on the potential of CRISPR-Cas to cure Mendelian diseases, the technology also holds promise to transform the development of therapies to treat complex heritable and somatic disorders. In this Review, we discuss how CRISPR-Cas can affect the next generation of drugs by accelerating the identification and validation of high-value targets, uncovering high-confidence biomarkers and developing differentiated breakthrough therapies. We focus on the promises, pitfalls and hurdles of this revolutionary gene-editing technology, discuss key aspects of different CRISPR-Cas screening platforms and offer our perspectives on the best practices in genome engineering.
MEK inhibitors are clinically active in BRAFV600E melanomas but only marginally so in KRAS mutant tumors. Here, we found that MEK inhibitors suppress ERK signaling more potently in BRAFV600E, than in ...KRAS mutant tumors. To understand this, we performed an RNAi screen in a KRAS mutant model and found that CRAF knockdown enhanced MEK inhibition. MEK activated by CRAF was less susceptible to MEK inhibitors than when activated by BRAFV600E. MEK inhibitors induced RAF-MEK complexes in KRAS mutant models, and disrupting such complexes enhanced inhibition of CRAF-dependent ERK signaling. Newer MEK inhibitors target MEK catalytic activity and also impair its reactivation by CRAF, either by disrupting RAF-MEK complexes or by interacting with Ser 222 to prevent MEK phosphorylation by RAF.
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•KRAS mutant tumors are less sensitive to MEK inhibitors than are BRAFV600E mutant tumors•CRAF knockdown enhances the effect of MEK inhibitors•MEK is less susceptible to MEK inhibitors when activated by CRAF than by BRAFV600E•MEK inhibitors have distinct biochemical properties that control their activity
Lito et al. explain the disparate responses of BRAFV600E and KRAS mutant tumors to MEK inhibitors; they induce MEK-RAF complexes, resulting in rapid MEK reactivation by CRAF in the latter. Lito et al. show that more effective, newer MEK inhibitors inhibit both MEK catalytic activity and its reactivation by CRAF.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Proteins evolve through the modular rearrangement of elements known as domains. Extant, multidomain proteins are hypothesized to be the result of domain accretion, but there has been limited ...experimental validation of this idea. Here, we introduce a technique for genetic minimization by iterative size-exclusion and recombination (MISER) for comprehensively making all possible deletions of a protein. Using MISER, we generate a deletion landscape for the CRISPR protein Cas9. We find that the catalytically-dead Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 can tolerate large single deletions in the REC2, REC3, HNH, and RuvC domains, while still functioning in vitro and in vivo, and that these deletions can be stacked together to engineer minimal, DNA-binding effector proteins. In total, our results demonstrate that extant proteins retain significant modularity from the accretion process and, as genetic size is a major limitation for viral delivery systems, establish a general technique to improve genome editing and gene therapy-based therapeutics.
Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) technology enables stable and regulated gene repression. For establishing experimentally versatile RNAi tools and minimizing toxicities, synthetic shRNAs can be embedded ...into endogenous microRNA contexts. However, due to our incomplete understanding of microRNA biogenesis, such “shRNAmirs” often fail to trigger potent knockdown, especially when expressed from a single genomic copy. Following recent advances in design of synthetic shRNAmir stems, here we take a systematic approach to optimize the experimental miR-30 backbone. Among several favorable features, we identify a conserved element 3′ of the basal stem as critically required for optimal shRNAmir processing and implement it in an optimized backbone termed “miR-E”, which strongly increases mature shRNA levels and knockdown efficacy. Existing miR-30 reagents can be easily converted to miR-E, and its combination with up-to-date design rules establishes a validated and accessible platform for generating effective single-copy shRNA libraries that will facilitate the functional annotation of the genome.
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•The optimized “miR-E” backbone strongly and generally improves knockdown potency•A conserved ACNNC motif is critical for efficient biogenesis of miR-30-based shRNAs•miR-E enhances pri-miRNA processing and boosts mature miRNA levels up to 30-fold•Combining “Sensor rules” and miR-E primarily yields effective single-copy shRNAs
Fellmann, Zuber, and colleagues identify an optimized shRNAmir backbone termed miR-E that strongly enhances target knockdown. A critical ACNNC sequence motif in the 3′ flank leads to better processing of synthetic pri-miRNAs and a 10-fold increase in mature small RNA levels. Existing miR-30 reagents can be easily converted to miR-E, and combining Sensor-based shRNA predictions and miR-E can lead to potent target knockdown at single copy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Engineering of the Cpf1 crRNA has the potential to enhance its gene editing efficiency and non-viral delivery to cells. Here, we demonstrate that extending the length of its crRNA at the 5' end can ...enhance the gene editing efficiency of Cpf1 both in cells and in vivo. Extending the 5' end of the crRNA enhances the gene editing efficiency of the Cpf1 RNP to induce non-homologous end-joining and homology-directed repair using electroporation in cells. Additionally, chemical modifications on the extended 5' end of the crRNA result in enhanced serum stability. Also, extending the 5' end of the crRNA by 59 nucleotides increases the delivery efficiency of Cpf1 RNP in cells and in vivo cationic delivery vehicles including polymer nanoparticle. Thus, 5' extension and chemical modification of the Cpf1 crRNA is an effective method for enhancing the gene editing efficiency of Cpf1 and its delivery in vivo.
The ability to engineer natural proteins is pivotal to a future, pragmatic biology. CRISPR proteins have revolutionized genome modification, yet the CRISPR-Cas9 scaffold is not ideal for fusions or ...activation by cellular triggers. Here, we show that a topological rearrangement of Cas9 using circular permutation provides an advanced platform for RNA-guided genome modification and protection. Through systematic interrogation, we find that protein termini can be positioned adjacent to bound DNA, offering a straightforward mechanism for strategically fusing functional domains. Additionally, circular permutation enabled protease-sensing Cas9s (ProCas9s), a unique class of single-molecule effectors possessing programmable inputs and outputs. ProCas9s can sense a wide range of proteases, and we demonstrate that ProCas9 can orchestrate a cellular response to pathogen-associated protease activity. Together, these results provide a toolkit of safer and more efficient genome-modifying enzymes and molecular recorders for the advancement of precision genome engineering in research, agriculture, and biomedicine.
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•Cas9 can be circularly permuted (Cas9-CP) for optimized fusion protein construction•Cas9 circular permutation enables the engineering of protease-activated ProCas9s•ProCas9s can sense and respond to protease activity, such as during viral infection•Cas9-CPs provide a toolkit of safer and more efficient genome-modifying enzymes
Programmable Cas9 variants with improved functionality are generated by protein engineering—including versions that work as protease sensors responding to viral infection.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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