CRISPR/Cas系统与结核病防控新措施相关性研究

结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis,MTB,以下简称结核杆菌)感染引起的结核病仍然是严重影响人类健康全球性重大传染病。全球约1/4人口是结核杆菌的潜伏感染者。2019年,世界卫生组织(Worldhealthorganization,WHO)报道全球约150万人死于结核病。深入研究结核杆菌生物学有望为结核病防控提供新工具。成簇规律性间隔短回文重复(Clusteredregularlyinterspacedshort palindromic repeats,CRISPR)/Cas是细菌免疫系统的重要成分,在结核杆菌等分枝杆菌中也广泛存在,同时,也是分枝杆菌基因编辑的重要工具。本文结合课题组研究工作,综述了结核杆菌III-A型CRISPR/Cas系统各组分的生物学功能以及与致病的相关性,CRISPR/Cas编辑工具在诊断治疗耐药结核杆菌和结核病防控新措施中的进展。     

A Ruler Protein in a Complex for Antiviral Defense Determines the Length of Small Interfering CRISPR RNAs

Small RNAs undergo maturation events that precisely determine the length and structure required for their function. CRISPRs (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) encode small RNAs (crRNAs) that together with CRISPR-associated (cas) genes constitute a sequence-specific prokaryotic immune system for anti-viral and anti-plasmid defense. crRNAs are subject to multiple processing events during their biogenesis, and little is known about the mechanism of the final maturation step. We show that in the Staphylococcus epidermidis type III CRISPR-Cas system, mature crRNAs are measured in a Cas10·Csm ribonucleoprotein complex to yield discrete lengths that differ by 6-nucleotide increments. We looked for mutants that impact this crRNA size pattern and found that an alanine substitution of a conserved aspartate residue of Csm3 eliminates the 6-nucleotide increments in the length of crRNAs. In vitro, recombinant Csm3 binds RNA molecules at multiple sites, producing gel-shift patterns that suggest that each protein binds 6 nucleotides of substrate. In vivo, changes in the levels of Csm3 modulate the crRNA size distribution without disrupting the 6-nucleotide periodicity. Our data support a model in which multiple Csm3 molecules within the Cas10·Csm complex bind the crRNA with a 6-nucleotide periodicity to function as a ruler that measures the extent of crRNA maturation.     

Efficient isolation of specific genomic regions and identification of associated proteins by engineered DNA-binding molecule-mediated chromatin immunoprecipitation (enChIP) using CRISPR

Isolation of specific genomic regions retaining molecular interactions is necessary for their biochemical analysis. Here, we established a novel method, engineered DNA-binding molecule-mediated chromatin immunoprecipitation (enChIP), for purification of specific genomic regions retaining molecular interactions. We showed that enChIP using the CRISPR system efficiently isolates specific genomic regions. In this form of enChIP, specific genomic regions are immunoprecipitated with antibody against a tag(s), which is fused to a catalytically inactive form of Cas9 (dCas9), which is co-expressed with a guide RNA (gRNA) and recognizes endogenous DNA sequence in the genomic regions of interest. enChIP–mass spectrometry (enChIP–MS) targeting endogenous loci identified associated proteins. enChIP using the CRISPR system would be a convenient and useful tool for dissecting chromatin structure of genomic regions of interest.     

Genome Engineering of Drosophila with the CRISPR RNA-Guided Cas9 Nuclease

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.     

基因组编辑对酿酒酵母DNA的损伤作用及修复响应

【目的】为了研究基因组编辑工具CRISPR/Cas9和CRISPR/Cpf1所产生的DNA双链断裂(DNA doublestrandbreak,DSB)对酿酒酵母DNA的损伤作用及修复响应情况,对比化学物质甲基磺酸甲酯(methyl methanesulfonate,MMS)对酿酒酵母基因组DNA的损伤和修复,阐明编辑细胞在细胞水平和转录水平上的变化。【方法】起始细胞分为两种情况,包括未进行细胞周期同步化和被α-因子同步化细胞周期至G0/G1期。检测CRISPR/Cas9和CRISPR/Cpf1处理后编辑细胞的生长情况。利用流式细胞术检测编辑细胞的细胞周期延滞的情况。利用荧光定量PCR检测编辑细胞和MMS处理细胞后DNA损伤响应关键基因转录表达水平的变化情况。【结果】起始细胞无论是未同步化还是同步化,其生长均受到基因组编辑抑制,细胞存活率降低,细胞周期被滞留在G2/M期,而MMS处理导致细胞周期S期的滞留。此外,随编辑时间的延长,突变率增加,细胞存活率降低。CRISPR/Cpf1编辑细胞的突变率和存活率均低于CRISPR/Cas9,由此可见,CRISPR/Cpf1对细胞的损伤强度高于CRISPR/Cas9。两种编辑均诱导酵母DNA损伤响应关键基因RNR3及HUG1转录水平显著上调,并且CRISPR/Cpf1介导的上调幅度大于CRISPR/Cas9,但两者均低于MMS的处理。【结论】本研究解析了CRISPR/Cas9和CRISPR/Cpf1介导的基因组编辑在细胞水平和转录水平上对DNA损伤作用及修复响应,初步揭示了酿酒酵母应对不同类型的DSB损伤时响应程度的差异,为提高基因组编辑工具的编辑能力和评估基因编辑安全性提供了重要依据。     

Identifying and retargeting transcriptional hot spots in the human genome

Mammalian cell line development requires streamlined methodologies that will reduce both the cost and time to identify candidate cell lines. Improvements in site‐specific genomic editing techniques can result in flexible, predictable, and robust cell line engineering. However, an outstanding question in the field is the specific site of integration. Here, we seek to identify productive loci within the human genome that will result in stable, high expression of heterologous DNA. Using an unbiased, random integration approach and a green fluorescent reporter construct, we identify ten single‐integrant, recombinant human cell lines that exhibit stable, high‐level expression. From these cell lines, eight unique corresponding integration loci were identified. These loci are concentrated in non‐protein coding regions or intronic regions of protein coding genes. Expression mapping of the surrounding genes reveals minimal disruption of endogenous gene expression. Finally, we demonstrate that targeted de novo integration at one of the identified loci, the 12^th exon‐intron region of the GRIK1 gene on chromosome 21, results in superior expression and stability compared to the standard, illegitimate integration approach at levels approaching 4‐fold. The information identified here along with recent advances in site‐specific genomic editing techniques can lead to expedited cell line development.