Type V CRISPR-Cas Cpf1 Endonuclease Employs a Unique Mechanism for Crrna-Mediated Target DNA Recognition

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Type V CRISPR-Cas Cpf1 Endonuclease Employs a Unique Mechanism for Crrna-Mediated Target DNA Recognition Cell Research (2016) 26:901-913. © 2016 IBCB, SIBS, CAS All rights reserved 1001-0602/16 $ 32.00 ORIGINAL ARTICLE www.nature.com/cr Type V CRISPR-Cas Cpf1 endonuclease employs a unique mechanism for crRNA-mediated target DNA recognition Pu Gao1, 2, Hui Yang2, Kanagalaghatta R Rajashankar3, 4, Zhiwei Huang5, Dinshaw J Patel2 1Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; 2Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; 3Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; 4NE-CAT, Ad- vanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60349, USA; 5School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150880, China CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cpf1 systems have been successfully harnessed for genome editing. In the CRIS- PR-Cas9 system, the preordered A-form RNA seed sequence and preformed protein PAM-interacting cleft are essential for Cas9 to form a DNA recognition-competent structure. Whether the CRISPR-Cpf1 system employs a similar mechanism for target DNA recognition remains unclear. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of Acidaminococcus sp. Cpf1 (AsCpf1) in complex with crRNA and target DNA. Structural comparison between the AsCpf1-crRNA-DNA ternary complex and the recently reported Lachnospiraceae bacterium Cpf1 (LbCpf1)-crRNA binary complex identifies a unique mechanism employed by Cpf1 for target recognition. The seed sequence required for initial DNA interrogation is disordered in the Cpf1-cRNA binary complex, but becomes ordered upon ternary complex formation. Further, the PAM interacting cleft of Cpf1 undergoes an “open-to-closed” conformational change upon target DNA binding, which in turn induces structural changes within Cpf1 to accommodate the ordered A-form seed RNA segment. This unique mechanism of target recognition by Cpf1 is distinct from that reported previously for Cas9. Keywords: CRISPR-Cas; Cpf1; crRNA; genome editing Cell Research (2016) 26:901-913. doi:10.1038/cr.2016.88; published online 22 July 2016 Introduction crRNA and trans-activating crRNA (tracrRNA), or alter- natively with a synthetic single-guide RNA (sgRNA), to As one of the prokaryotic DNA sensing systems, cleave both strands of the target DNA [6-8]. A short and CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palin- conserved protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequence dromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein) provides near the target site is required for the cleavage process of adaptive immune protection and helps archaea and bacte- Cas9 [9, 10]. CRISPR-Cas9 has been extensively used ria defend themselves against phage infection [1-3]. De- for genome editing in various cell types and organisms pending on the architecture of the effector-CRISPR RNA [11, 12]. A series of structural studies of Streptococcus (crRNA) interference module, different CRISPR-Cas pyogenes Cas9 (SpyCas9) and its orthologs have re- systems could be assigned into two classes [1]: class 1 vealed the detailed intermolecular interactions, as well systems (multi-subunit complex, such as Cascade) [4, 5] as the conformational changes among different sub- and class 2 systems (single enzyme, such as Cas9) [6, 7]. strate-bound states [13-18]. Cas9 is the signature member of class 2 systems, which Cpf1 is a newly identified class 2 type V CRISPR-Cas functions as a multi-domain endonuclease, along with endonuclease, which has also been harnessed for genome editing in mammalian cell lines [19]. Cpf1-mediated Correspondence: Pu Gaoa, Dinshaw J Patelb cleavage is guided by a single and short (42-44 nt) crR- a E-mail: [email protected] NA [19], in contrast to Cas9 that uses both crRNA and bE-mail: [email protected] Received 6 June 2016; revised 20 June 2016; accepted 20 June 2016; pub- tracrRNA [20]. Cpf1 recognizes a T-rich PAM at the lished online 22 July 2016 5′-end of the protospacer sequence [19], in contrast to A unique mechanism for target DNA recognition of Cpf1 902 3′-G-rich PAM recognition by Cas9 [21, 22]. More im- closely related ternary complex [25], resembles a bilob- portantly, Cpf1 makes a staggered double-strand break al scaffold with an overall “Crab Claw” shape (Figure resulting in five-nucleotide 5′-overhangs distal to the 1C and 1D). AsCpf1 can be divided into two lobes: an PAM site [19], whereas Cas9 creates blunt ends proximal α-helical recognition (REC) lobe consisting of Helical-I to the PAM site [8]. Based on sequence analysis, Cpf1 and Helical-II domains, and a NUC lobe consisting of contains only one detectable RuvC endonuclease domain, OBD, LHD and RuvC domains, as well as the newly which has lead to the initial hypothesis that Cpf1 may characterized Nuc domain [25] (Figure 1A, 1C and 1D). form a dimer to cleave the two strands of target DNA [19]. The bridge helix motif is inserted between RuvC-I and Very recently, structural and functional studies show that RuvC-II motifs and connects the REC and NUC lobes Cpf1 acts as a monomer [23-25] and contains a second from the middle of the whole complex (Figure 1C). By putative novel nuclease (NUC) domain [25]. In addition comparing the individual domains of AsCpf1 with their to the target DNA interference activity, Cpf1 was also functional counterparts in SpyCas9, only the RuvC do- found to cleave precursor crRNA (pre-crRNA), leading mains show relatively good alignment (Supplementary to the generation of mature crRNAs [24]. information, Figure S1A), with a root mean square devia- Both Cas9 [26, 27] and Cpf1 [19, 24] have been tion of 4.5 Å over 145 Cα atoms, consistent with the low shown to have a seed sequence at the PAM-proximal sequence similarity outside of the RuvC domain between side of the protospacer, which is critical for DNA rec- Cpf1 and Cas9. Although an inactivating mutant protein ognition and cleavage. The 10-nt seed sequence of the (E993A) was used in this study, the overall structure of guide RNA has been shown to form a preordered A-form our ternary complex can be aligned very well with the conformation in the Cas9-sgRNA complex to facilitate recently reported structure of the AsCpf1-crRNA-DNA guide-target duplex formation [14], a mechanism that has complex that used the wild-type protein [25] (Supple- also been found in eukaryotic Argonaute complexes [28- mentary information, Figure S1B). The Y-shaped bound 30]. The Cas9-sgRNA pre-target binary conformation crRNA-DNA moiety (Figure 1E) is mostly buried within was also found to be competent for PAM recognition by the protein, with the 5′-direct repeat region of crRNA, forming a preformed PAM-interacting cleft [14]. Wheth- the crRNA-DNA heteroduplex, and the PAM-contain- er Cpf1 employs a similar strategy for target recognition ing DNA duplex binding to different surfaces within the is still unknown, although the seed segment of crRNA in AsCpf1 protein (Figure 1C and 1D). The 1:1 molar ratio Cpf1-crRNA binary complex has been predicted to most between crRNA-DNA and AsCpf1 protein indicates that likely form the A-form structure [25]. AsCpf1 acts as a monomer, in line with our size-exclu- To illuminate the molecular mechanism of substrate sion chromatography results, as well as with recently recognition of Cpf1, we determined the crystal structure of published studies [23-25]. Acidaminococcus sp. BV3L6 Cpf1 (AsCpf1) in complex with crRNA and a partially duplexed target DNA con- Intermolecular interactions between AsCpf1 and crR- taining a 5′-TTTC-3′ PAM sequence. By comparing the NA-DNA recently reported structures of pre-target-bound Cpf1-crR- The crRNA used for crystallization contains a 20-nt NA binary complex [23] with target-bound Cpf1-crRNA- direct repeat region [U(–20)-U(–1)] and a 25-nt guide DNA ternary complex (this study; see also ref. [25]), we segment (G1-C25) (Figure 1B). We initially introduced found that Cpf1 employs a unique mechanism for target one extra base pair (C25-dG1) at the end of the crR- recognition distinct from that reported for Cas9. NA-DNA heteroduplex to stabilize the nearby cleavage site, which was shown later on to have no effect based Results on structural results (see below). Most of the nucleotides were well-defined in the electron density, with the excep- Overall structure of AsCpf1E993A-crRNA-target DNA ter- tion of U(–20) and C21-C25 of crRNA, as well as dG1- nary complex dG5 of the target DNA strand (Figure 1B). Details of the We have solved the 3.29 Å crystal structure of full- intermolecular interactions in the ternary complex are length AsCpf1 carrying an inactivating mutation (E993A) summarized in Figure 2. in complex with a 45-nt crRNA, a 33-nt target DNA The 5′-direct repeat region of crRNA is bound in strand, and a 8-nt non-target DNA strand containing a the channel formed by OBD and RuvC domains (Fig- 5′-TTTC-3′ PAM sequence (Figure 1A and 1B, X-ray ure 3A). Unexpectedly, this part of the crRNA adopts statistics in Supplementary information, Table S1). The a pseudoknot fold in the complex (Figure 3A and 3B), structure of the AsCpf1-crRNA-DNA ternary complex, rather than the simple stem-loop as previously predicted which is similar to a recently reported structure of a [19]. The G(–6)-A(–2) segment forms five canonical SPRINGER NATURE | Cell Research | Vol 26 No 8 | August 2016 Pu Gao et al. 903 Figure 1 Overall structure of AsCpf1-crRNA-DNA ternary complex. (A) Domain organization of the AsCpf1 protein, together with designation of NUC and REC lobes. (B) Secondary structure diagram of crRNA (magenta) and the target DNA (black). The PAM sequence is highlighted in red.
Recommended publications
  • Structure of the Cpf1 Endonuclease R-Loop Complex After Target DNA Cleavage
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/122648; this version posted April 29, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Structure of the Cpf1 endonuclease R-loop complex after target DNA cleavage Stefano Stella*+, Pablo Alcón+ and Guillermo Montoya* Protein Structure & Function Programme, Macromolecular Crystallography Group, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark. +Joint first author. *To whom correspondence should be addressed Email: [email protected], [email protected] 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/122648; this version posted April 29, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Abstract Cpf1 is a single RNA-guided endonuclease of class 2 type V CRISPR-Cas system, emerging as a powerful genome editing tool 1,2. To provide insight into its DNA targeting mechanism, we have determined the crystal structure of Francisella novicida Cpf1 (FnCpf1) in complex with the triple strand R-loop formed after target DNA cleavage. The structure reveals a unique machinery for target DNA unwinding to form a crRNA-DNA hybrid and a displaced DNA strand inside FnCpf1.
    [Show full text]
  • Optimized CRISPR-Cpf1 System for Genome Editing in Zebrafish
    Accepted Manuscript Optimized CRISPR-Cpf1 system for genome editing in zebrafish Juan P. Fernandez, Charles E. Vejnar, Antonio J. Giraldez, Romain Rouet, Miguel A. Moreno-Mateos PII: S1046-2023(18)30021-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.06.014 Reference: YMETH 4513 To appear in: Methods Received Date: 9 March 2018 Revised Date: 15 June 2018 Accepted Date: 26 June 2018 Please cite this article as: J.P. Fernandez, C.E. Vejnar, A.J. Giraldez, R. Rouet, M.A. Moreno-Mateos, Optimized CRISPR-Cpf1 system for genome editing in zebrafish, Methods (2018), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth. 2018.06.014 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Optimized CRISPR-Cpf1 system for genome editing in zebrafish Juan P. Fernandez a,*, Charles E. Vejnar a,*, Antonio J. Giraldez a,b,c‡, d,‡ a,1,‡ Romain Rouet and Miguel A. Moreno-Mateos a Department of Genetics, b Yale Stem Cell Center, c Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA, d Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia, *Co-first Authors ‡To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 1 Present address: Department of Regeneration and Cell Therapy, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre (CABIMER), Seville, Spain.
    [Show full text]
  • Robustly Improved Base Editing Efficiency of Cpf1 Base Editor Using
    Chen et al. Cell Discovery (2020) 6:62 Cell Discovery https://doi.org/10.1038/s41421-020-00195-5 www.nature.com/celldisc CORRESPONDENCE Open Access Robustly improved base editing efficiency of Cpf1 base editor using optimized cytidine deaminases Siyu Chen1, Yingqi Jia1, Zhiquan Liu1,HuanhuanShan1,MaoChen1,HaoYu1, Liangxue Lai1,2,3,4 and Zhanjun Li1 Dear Editor, reconstructed dLbCpf1-BE3 (dCpf1-BE3)9 with three dis- Programmable clustered regularly interspaced short tinctive deaminases (evoAPOBEC1, evoCDA110,11, human – palindromic repeats (CRISPR) associated Cpf1 endonu- APOBEC3A (A3A)12 14) to produce optimized dCpf1- cleases, also known as Cas12a, are single RNA-guided based BEs. Here, we demonstrated that there is no sig- (crRNA) effectors1 that have been commonly utilized in nificantly improved base editing frequency observed by various species to manipulate genome for their remarkable using engineering of crRNAs, while the dramatically – specificity2 4 and concise structures1. Cpf1 can recognize increased base editing efficiency was perceived by using thymidine-rich (TTTV (V = A/G/C)) protospacer-adjacent cytidine deaminase optimized Cpf1 BE (dCpf1-eCDA1). motif (PAM) sequences and generates sticky breaks5, Firstly, the three crRNA configurations were con- which enables it to be a complement to Cas9 in genome structed and tested at six genomic sites (Fig. 1a, Supple- editing and broadens the genomic targeting scope. How- mentary Fig. S1a). The results showed that U-rich crRNA ever, Cpf1-based base editors (BEs) generate lower editing slightly improved editing efficiency at all target sites efficiencies than SpCas9-based BE systems, due to the fact ranging from 1.05- to 1.69-fold and significantly improved that the binding of Cpf1 nuclease to corresponding DNA base editing efficiency at the EMX1 site.
    [Show full text]
  • Advances in the Delivery of RNA Therapeutics: from Concept to Clinical Reality
    Advances in the delivery of RNA therapeutics: from concept to clinical reality The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Kaczmarek, James C., Piotr S. Kowalski, and Daniel G. Anderson. “Advances in the Delivery of RNA Therapeutics: From Concept to Clinical Reality.” Genome Medicine 9, no. 1 (June 27, 2017). As Published http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13073-017-0450-0 Publisher BioMed Central Version Final published version Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/110582 Terms of Use Creative Commons Attribution Detailed Terms http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Kaczmarek et al. Genome Medicine (2017) 9:60 DOI 10.1186/s13073-017-0450-0 REVIEW Open Access Advances in the delivery of RNA therapeutics: from concept to clinical reality James C. Kaczmarek1,2†, Piotr S. Kowalski2† and Daniel G. Anderson1,2,3,4* Abstract The rapid expansion of the available genomic data continues to greatly impact biomedical science and medicine. Fulfilling the clinical potential of genetic discoveries requires the development of therapeutics that can specifically modulate the expression of disease-relevant genes. RNA-based drugs, including short interfering RNAs and antisense oligonucleotides, are particularly promising examples of this newer class of biologics. For over two decades, researchers have been trying to overcome major challenges for utilizing such RNAs in a therapeutic context, including intracellular delivery, stability, and immune response activation. This research is finally beginning to bear fruit as the first RNA drugs gain FDA approval and more advance to the final phases of clinical trials.
    [Show full text]
  • Tissue-Specific Delivery of CRISPR Therapeutics
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Tissue-Specific Delivery of CRISPR Therapeutics: Strategies and Mechanisms of Non-Viral Vectors Karim Shalaby 1 , Mustapha Aouida 1,* and Omar El-Agnaf 1,2,* 1 Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar; [email protected] 2 Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar * Correspondence: [email protected] (M.A.); [email protected] (O.E.-A.) Received: 12 September 2020; Accepted: 27 September 2020; Published: 5 October 2020 Abstract: The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) genome editing system has been the focus of intense research in the last decade due to its superior ability to desirably target and edit DNA sequences. The applicability of the CRISPR-Cas system to in vivo genome editing has acquired substantial credit for a future in vivo gene-based therapeutic. Challenges such as targeting the wrong tissue, undesirable genetic mutations, or immunogenic responses, need to be tackled before CRISPR-Cas systems can be translated for clinical use. Hence, there is an evident gap in the field for a strategy to enhance the specificity of delivery of CRISPR-Cas gene editing systems for in vivo applications. Current approaches using viral vectors do not address these main challenges and, therefore, strategies to develop non-viral delivery systems are being explored. Peptide-based systems represent an attractive approach to developing gene-based therapeutics due to their specificity of targeting, scale-up potential, lack of an immunogenic response and resistance to proteolysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Optimizing a CRISPR-Cpf1-Based Genome Engineering System For
    Zhang et al. Microb Cell Fact (2019) 18:60 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-019-1109-x Microbial Cell Factories RESEARCH Open Access Optimizing a CRISPR-Cpf1-based genome engineering system for Corynebacterium glutamicum Jiao Zhang1, Fayu Yang1, Yunpeng Yang1,2, Yu Jiang3 and Yi‑Xin Huo1,2* Abstract Background: Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important industrial strain for the production of a diverse range of chemicals. Cpf1 nucleases are highly specifc and programmable, with efciencies comparable to those of Cas9. Although the Francisella novicida (Fn) CRISPR‑Cpf1 system has been adapted for genome editing in C. glutamicum, the editing efciency is currently less than 15%, due to false positives caused by the poor targeting efciency of the crRNA. Results: To address this limitation, a screening strategy was developed in this study to systematically evaluate crRNA targeting efciency in C. glutamicum. We quantitatively examined various parameters of the C. glutamicum CRISPR‑ Cpf1 system, including the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequence, the length of the spacer sequence, and the type of repair template. We found that the most efcient C. glutamicum crRNA contained a 5′‑NYTV‑3′ PAM and a 21 bp spacer sequence. Moreover, we observed that linear DNA could be used to repair double strand breaks. Conclusions: Here, we identifed optimized PAM‑related parameters for the CRISPR‑Cpf1 system in C. glutamicum. Our study sheds light on the function of the FnCpf1 endonuclease and Cpf1‑based genome editing. This optimized system, with higher editing efciency, could be used to increase the production of bulk chemicals, such as isobu‑ tyrate, in C.
    [Show full text]
  • Base Editing: the Ever Expanding Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Tool Kit for Precise Genome Editing in Plants
    G C A T T A C G G C A T genes Review Base Editing: The Ever Expanding Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Tool Kit for Precise Genome Editing in Plants Mahmuda Binte Monsur y, Gaoneng Shao y, Yusong Lv, Shakeel Ahmad , Xiangjin Wei, Peisong Hu and Shaoqing Tang * State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and China National Center for Rice Improvement, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China; [email protected] (M.B.M.); [email protected] (G.S.); [email protected] (Y.L.); [email protected] (S.A.); [email protected] (X.W.); [email protected] (P.H.) * Correspondence: [email protected] These authors contributed equally to this work. y Received: 11 February 2020; Accepted: 21 April 2020; Published: 24 April 2020 Abstract: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9), a newly developed genome-editing tool, has revolutionized animal and plant genetics by facilitating modification of target genes. This simple, convenient base-editing technology was developed to improve the precision of genome editing. Base editors generate precise point mutations by permanent base conversion at a specific point, with very low levels of insertions and deletions. Different plant base editors have been established by fusing various nucleobase deaminases with Cas9, Cas13, or Cas12a (Cpf1), proteins. Adenine base editors can efficiently convert adenine (A) to guanine (G), whereas cytosine base editors can convert cytosine (C) to thymine (T) in the target region. RNA base editors can induce a base substitution of A to inosine (I) or C to uracil (U). In this review, we describe the precision of base editing systems and their revolutionary applications in plant science; we also discuss the limitations and future perspectives of this approach.
    [Show full text]
  • Intron-Based Single Transcript Unit CRISPR Systems for Plant Genome
    Zhong et al. Rice (2020) 13:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12284-020-0369-8 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Open Access Intron-Based Single Transcript Unit CRISPR Systems for Plant Genome Editing Zhaohui Zhong1†, Shishi Liu1†, Xiaopei Liu1, Binglin Liu1, Xu Tang1, Qiurong Ren1, Jianping Zhou1, Xuelian Zheng1, Yiping Qi3,4* and Yong Zhang1,2* Abstract Background: Expression of either Cas9 or Cas12a and guide RNAs by a single Polymerase II (Pol II) promoter represents a compact CRISPR expression system and has many advantages for different applications. In order to make this system routine in plant biology, engineering efforts are needed for developing and optimizing such single transcript unit (STU) systems for plant genome editing. Results: To develop novel intron-based STU (iSTU) CRISPR system (STU CRISPR 3.0), we first evaluated three introns from three plant species for carrying guide RNAs by using an enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) system in rice. After validation of proper intron slicing, we inserted these gRNA-containing introns into the open reading frames (ORFs) of Cas9 and Cas12a for testing their genome editing capability. Different guide RNA processing strategies have been tested for Cas9 and Cas12a. We demonstrated singular genome editing and multiplexed genome editing with these iSTU-Cas9 and iSTU-Cas12a systems. Conclusion: We developed multiple iSTU-CRISPR/Cas9 and Cas12a systems for plant genome editing. Our results shed light on potential directions for further improvement of the iSTU systems. Keywords: STU CRISPR 3.0, Cas9, Cas12a, iSTU, Rice Background editing (Zhang et al. 2019). Application of CRISPR tech- Sequence-specific nucleases (SSNs), such as zinc finger nologies in plants often requires the co-expression of the nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) and Cas protein and guide RNAs (gRNAs).
    [Show full text]
  • Alt-R CRISPR-Cpf1—RNP Electroporation, Amaxa
    genome editing protocol Alt-R® CRISPR-Cas12a (Cpf1) System: Delivery of ribonucleoprotein complexes into HEK-293 cells using the Amaxa® Nucleofector® System See what more we can do for you at www.idtdna.com. For Research Use Only Version 2.1 protocol genome editing Table of contents Introduction 3 Important considerations 3 Required materials 4 Protocol 5 A. Culture cells [1] 5 B. Form the RNP complex 5 C. Prepare Nucleofector system 6 D. Perform electroporation of cells with Nucleofector system [1] 6 References 8 Revision history 8 2 See what we can do for you at www.idtdna.com. genome editing protocol Introduction This protocol describes the delivery of a CRISPR-Cas12a (Cpf1) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, containing Alt-R CRISPR-Cpf1 crRNA and Alt-R A.s. Cpf1 Nuclease 2NLS, into HEK-293 cells using electroporation with the Amaxa Nucleofector system (Lonza) [1]. To detect on-target mutations and estimate editing efficiency, we recommend using the Alt-R Genome Editing Detection Kit [2]. The CRISPR-Cas12a (Cpf1) system is distinct from the more commonly used CRISPR-Cas9 system. For example, Cas12a nuclease does not require a tracrRNA; recognizes a T-rich, protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM: TTTV, where V is an A, C, or G base); and creates a staggered double-stranded DNA cut with a 5’ overhang. For additional information, visit www.idtdna.com/CRISPR-Cpf1. Important considerations 1. Use low-passage, healthy cells. A critical factor affecting the success of electroporation is the health of the cells. It is important to: • Use the lowest passage number cells available • Subculture cells for at least 2–3 days before the electroporation procedure • Replace the media the day before electroporation • Determine the optimal confluency for your cell type Optimal confluency for HEK-293 cells is 80–90% at the time of Nucleofection.
    [Show full text]
  • JIPB Plant Biology
    Journal of Integrative JIPB Plant Biology Multiplex gene editing in rice with simplified CRISPR-Cpf1 and CRISPR-Cas9 systemsFA been widely used for either single or multiple gene Summary We developed simplified single transcrip- editing, possibly due to its low efficiency in the tional unit (SSTU) CRISPR systems for multiplex gene editing in rice using FnCpf1, LbCpf1 or Cas9, in which the conventional pol III-derived TCTU system. nuclease and its crRNA array are co-expressed from a Here, we developed a simplified single transcrip- single Pol II promoter, without any additional process- tional unit (SSTU) CRISPR system for multiplex gene ing machinery. Our SSTU systems are easy to construct editing in rice using FnCpf1, LbCpf1 or Cas9, in which the and effective in mediating multiplex genome editing. nuclease and its crRNA array are co-expressed from a single Pol II promoter, without any additional process- ing machinery. Our SSTU systems are simple and Letter to the Editor The class 2 clustered regularly interspaced short efficient in mediating multiplex genome editing for palindromic repeat (CRISPR) systems have been widely majority of the tested targets. used for simultaneous modification of multiple loci in Previously, we demonstrated high efficiency multi- plants. Traditionally, the type II CRISPR-Cas9 or type V plex editing in four genes by FnCpf1 and LbCpf1, using a CRISPR-Cpf1 (also known as Cas12a) system is a simple short DR-guide array driven by the OsU6 two-component transcriptional unit (TCTU) in which promoter (Wang et al. 2017). With the same strategy, the Cas9 or Cpf1 protein is expressed from an RNA we tried to simultaneously edit eight genes in the rice polymerase (pol) II promoter, whereas the single guide late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) family (sub-family RNA (sgRNA) is typically expressed from a Pol III LEA_1 and LEA_2) using FnCpf1 (TCTU-1 in Figure S1).
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Sufficiency and Necessity of Enhancer Activities for Gene Expression and the Mechanisms of Transcription Activation
    Downloaded from genesdev.cshlp.org on September 30, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press REVIEW Assessing sufficiency and necessity of enhancer activities for gene expression and the mechanisms of transcription activation Rui R. Catarino and Alexander Stark Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria Enhancers are important genomic regulatory elements di- ments (CREs) or enhancers for full activity (Banerji et al. recting cell type-specific transcription. They assume a key 1981; Shlyueva et al. 2014). Enhancers bind transcription role during development and disease, and their identifica- factors (TFs) and cofactors to recruit and activate Pol II at tion and functional characterization have long been the target gene promoters from both proximal and distal posi- focus of scientific interest. The advent of next-generation tions. The genomic positions of enhancers typically show sequencing and clustered regularly interspaced short pal- characteristic chromatin properties, which are often used indromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9-based genome editing to predict enhancers (Fig. 1; Heintzman et al. 2009), but has revolutionized the means by which we study enhanc- how enhancers function is still poorly understood, and er biology. In this review, we cover recent developments their reliable identification in large genomes has been a in the prediction of enhancers based on chromatin charac- major obstacle. In this review, we discuss recent techno- teristics and their identification by functional reporter as- logical advances in the field of regulatory genomics and says and endogenous DNA perturbations. We discuss that novel insights into enhancer function and biology. the two latter approaches provide different and comple- mentary insights, especially in assessing enhancer suffi- ciency and necessity for transcription activation.
    [Show full text]
  • CRISPR-Cas9 DNA Base-Editing and Prime-Editing
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review CRISPR-Cas9 DNA Base-Editing and Prime-Editing Ariel Kantor 1,2,*, Michelle E. McClements 1,2 and Robert E. MacLaren 1,2 1 Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences & NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK 2 Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 14 July 2020; Accepted: 25 August 2020; Published: 28 August 2020 Abstract: Many genetic diseases and undesirable traits are due to base-pair alterations in genomic DNA. Base-editing, the newest evolution of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas-based technologies, can directly install point-mutations in cellular DNA without inducing a double-strand DNA break (DSB). Two classes of DNA base-editors have been described thus far, cytosine base-editors (CBEs) and adenine base-editors (ABEs). Recently, prime-editing (PE) has further expanded the CRISPR-base-edit toolkit to all twelve possible transition and transversion mutations, as well as small insertion or deletion mutations. Safe and efficient delivery of editing systems to target cells is one of the most paramount and challenging components for the therapeutic success of BEs. Due to its broad tropism, well-studied serotypes, and reduced immunogenicity, adeno-associated vector (AAV) has emerged as the leading platform for viral delivery of genome editing agents, including DNA-base-editors. In this review, we describe the development of various base-editors, assess their technical advantages and limitations, and discuss their therapeutic potential to treat debilitating human diseases.
    [Show full text]