Similar Datasets
Project description:The genome-editing Cas9 protein uses multiple amino-acid residues to bind the target DNA. Considering only the residues in proximity to the target DNA as potential sites to optimise Cas9's activity, the number of combinatorial variants to screen through is too massive for a wet-lab experiment. Here we generate and cross-validate ten in silico and experimental datasets of multi-domain combinatorial mutagenesis libraries for Cas9 engineering, and demonstrate that a machine learning-coupled engineering approach reduces the experimental screening burden by as high as 95% while enriching top-performing variants by ∼7.5-fold in comparison to the null model. Using this approach and followed by structure-guided engineering, we identify the N888R/A889Q variant conferring increased editing activity on the protospacer adjacent motif-relaxed KKH variant of Cas9 nuclease from Staphylococcus aureus (KKH-SaCas9) and its derived base editor in human cells. Our work validates a readily applicable workflow to enable resource-efficient high-throughput engineering of genome editor's activity.
| S-EPMC9039034 | biostudies-literature
Project description:CRISPR/Cas9 is a versatile genome-editing technology that is widely used for studying the functionality of genetic elements, creating genetically modified organisms as well as preclinical research of genetic disorders. However, the high frequency of off-target activity (≥50%)-RGEN (RNA-guided endonuclease)-induced mutations at sites other than the intended on-target site-is one major concern, especially for therapeutic and clinical applications. Here, we review the basic mechanisms underlying off-target cutting in the CRISPR/Cas9 system, methods for detecting off-target mutations, and strategies for minimizing off-target cleavage. The improvement off-target specificity in the CRISPR/Cas9 system will provide solid genotype-phenotype correlations, and thus enable faithful interpretation of genome-editing data, which will certainly facilitate the basic and clinical application of this technology.
| S-EPMC4877446 | biostudies-other
Project description:Engineered DNA-binding proteins that manipulate the human genome and transcriptome have enabled rapid advances in biomedical research. In particular, the RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 system has recently been engineered to create site-specific double-strand breaks for genome editing or to direct targeted transcriptional regulation. A unique capability of the CRISPR/Cas9 system is multiplex genome engineering by delivering a single Cas9 enzyme and two or more single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeted to distinct genomic sites. This approach can be used to simultaneously create multiple DNA breaks or to target multiple transcriptional activators to a single promoter for synergistic enhancement of gene induction. To address the need for uniform and sustained delivery of multiplex CRISPR/Cas9-based genome engineering tools, we developed a single lentiviral system to express a Cas9 variant, a reporter gene and up to four sgRNAs from independent RNA polymerase III promoters that are incorporated into the vector by a convenient Golden Gate cloning method. Each sgRNA is efficiently expressed and can mediate multiplex gene editing and sustained transcriptional activation in immortalized and primary human cells. This delivery system will be significant to enabling the potential of CRISPR/Cas9-based multiplex genome engineering in diverse cell types.
| S-EPMC4231726 | biostudies-literature
Project description:CRISPR-Cas-guided base editors convert A•T to G•C, or C•G to T•A, in cellular DNA for precision genome editing. To understand the molecular basis for DNA adenosine deamination by adenine base editors (ABEs), we determined a 3.2-angstrom resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of ABE8e in a substrate-bound state in which the deaminase domain engages DNA exposed within the CRISPR-Cas9 R-loop complex. Kinetic and structural data suggest that ABE8e catalyzes DNA deamination up to ~1100-fold faster than earlier ABEs because of mutations that stabilize DNA substrates in a constrained, transfer RNA-like conformation. Furthermore, ABE8e's accelerated DNA deamination suggests a previously unobserved transient DNA melting that may occur during double-stranded DNA surveillance by CRISPR-Cas9. These results explain ABE8e-mediated base-editing outcomes and inform the future design of base editors.
| S-EPMC8598131 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Natural killer (NK) cells are potent cytotoxic innate lymphocytes that can be used for cancer immunotherapy. Since the balance of signals from activating and inhibitory receptors determines the activity of NK cells, their anti-tumor activity can be potentiated by overexpressing activating receptors or knocking out inhibitory receptors via genome engineering, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) transgenesis and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing, respectively. Here, we report the development of a one-step strategy for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene knockout and CAR transgenesis in NK cells using retroviral particles. We generated NK cells expressing anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-CAR with simultaneous TIGIT gene knockout using single transduction and evaluated the consequence of the genetic modifications in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our results demonstrate that retroviral particle-mediated engineering provides a strategy readily applicable to simultaneous genetic modifications of NK cells for efficient immunotherapy.
| S-EPMC10102412 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We have adapted a bacterial CRISPR RNA/Cas9 system to precisely engineer the Drosophila genome and report that Cas9-mediated genomic modifications are efficiently transmitted through the germline. This RNA-guided Cas9 system can be rapidly programmed to generate targeted alleles for probing gene function in Drosophila.
| S-EPMC3730909 | biostudies-other
Project description:Targeted nucleases are powerful tools for mediating genome alteration with high precision. The RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease from the microbial clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) adaptive immune system can be used to facilitate efficient genome engineering in eukaryotic cells by simply specifying a 20-nt targeting sequence within its guide RNA. Here we describe a set of tools for Cas9-mediated genome editing via nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR) in mammalian cells, as well as generation of modified cell lines for downstream functional studies. To minimize off-target cleavage, we further describe a double-nicking strategy using the Cas9 nickase mutant with paired guide RNAs. This protocol provides experimentally derived guidelines for the selection of target sites, evaluation of cleavage efficiency and analysis of off-target activity. Beginning with target design, gene modifications can be achieved within as little as 1-2 weeks, and modified clonal cell lines can be derived within 2-3 weeks.
| S-EPMC3969860 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Determining causal relationships between distinct chromatin features and gene expression, and ultimately cell behavior, remains a major challenge. Recent developments in targetable epigenome-editing tools enable us to assign direct transcriptional and functional consequences to locus-specific chromatin modifications. This Protocol Review discusses the unprecedented opportunity that CRISPR/Cas9 technology offers for investigating and manipulating the epigenome to facilitate further understanding of stem cell biology and engineering of stem cells for therapeutic applications. We also provide technical considerations for standardization and further improvement of the CRISPR/Cas9-based tools to engineer the epigenome.
| S-EPMC6205890 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Deletions, duplications, and inversions of large genomic regions covering several genes are an important class of disease causing variants in humans. Modeling these structural variants in mice requires multistep processes in ES cells, which has limited their availability. Mutant mice containing small insertions, deletions, and single nucleotide polymorphisms can be reliably generated using CRISPR/Cas9 directly in mouse zygotes. Large structural variants can be generated using CRISPR/Cas9 in ES cells, but it has not been possible to generate these directly in zygotes. We now demonstrate the direct generation of deletions, duplications and inversions of up to one million base pairs by zygote injection.
| S-EPMC4819711 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The progress in development of synthetic gene circuits has been hindered by the limited repertoire of available transcription factors. Recently, it has been greatly expanded using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. However, this system is limited by its imperfect DNA sequence specificity, leading to potential crosstalk with host genome or circuit components. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene regulation is context dependent, affecting the modularity of Cas9-based transcription factors. In this paper we address the problems of specificity and modularity by developing a computational approach for selecting Cas9/gRNA transcription factor/promoter pairs that are maximally orthogonal to each other as well as to the host genome and synthetic circuit components. We validate the method by designing and experimentally testing four orthogonal promoter/repressor pairs in the context of a strong promoter PL from phage lambda. We demonstrate that these promoters can be interfaced by constructing double and triple inverter circuits. To address the problem of modularity we propose and experimentally validate a scheme to predictably incorporate orthogonal CRISPR/Cas9 regulation into a large class of natural promoters.
| S-EPMC5462464 | biostudies-literature