基于CRISPR/Cas9的精准基因编辑技术研究进展

基因编辑技术是一种可以在基因组水平上对DNA序列进行改造的遗传操作技术。基于CRISPR/Cas9系统的精准编辑技术是一个操作方便、应用广泛的基因编辑技术,与传统的CRISPR/Cas9不同,精准基因编辑技术可以在不需要DNA模板的情况下对基因进行定点突变。本文重点介绍了近年来基于CRISPR/Cas9介导的精准基因编辑技术的发展,并深入分析了基因精准编辑技术面临的挑战和机遇。     

动物基因组定点整合转基因技术研究进展

传统转基因技术,如显微注射、转座子、慢病毒转染等将目的基因插入基因组内的整合方式是随机的,这些随机整合对后期转基因动物品系组建和育种带来诸多不利,因此有研究人员提出了定点整合转基因技术。目前该技术的定点整合效率非常低,主要取决于两个方面：一是靶位点产生DNA双链断裂(double-strand break, DSB)的效率;二是断裂后的靶位点与携带同源臂及外源基因的供体质粒发生同源重组的效率,其中同源重组修复(homologous recombination repair, HDR)是基因组定点整合最为依赖的修复机制。靶位点产生DSB后,机体的DNA修复既可能发生HDR,也可能发生非同源末端连接(nonhomologous end joining, NHEJ),并且两者之间存在竞争关系,因此激活HDR或抑制NEHJ都可提高定点整合转基因的效率。本文结合影响定点整合的因素,对提高定点整合效率最新探索方面进行了综述。     

基于CRISPR/Cas系统的DNA碱基编辑研究进展

基于CRISPR/Cas的基因编辑是近年发展起来的一项变革性生物技术。其过程包括在目标DNA位点引入双链断裂(double strand break,DSB)以及其后续的细胞修复。细胞修复DSB主要有两种方式：非同源末端连接(non-homologous end joining,NHEJ)以及同源重组介导的修复(homology-directed repair,HDR)。前者是大多数细胞修复DSB的主要方式,其特点在于修复简单、效率高但极易出错,往往会引发难以预测的核苷酸插入或删除。点突变是自然界中最常见的遗传突变类型,引起了超过半数的人类遗传疾病以及许多重要农艺性状变异。碱基编辑能够实现单个碱基的替换,既不需要引入DSB,又无需修复模板参与,具有高效、编辑结果可控等优点,在基因治疗、作物育种及生物技术研究等方面具有重大的应用潜能。自首个碱基编辑工具开发以来,碱基编辑相关技术得到快速发展及广泛应用。本文综述了目前DNA碱基编辑研究进展,重点阐述了碱基编辑器及其在编辑效率、精度以及特异性提高和编辑范围扩展等方面的最新进展以及仍存在的瓶颈,并展望其研究和应用前景。     

DNA碱基编辑器在微生物中的研究进展

在众多生物中利用具有切割作用的CRISPR/Cas9系统与非同源性末端连接(non-homologous end joining,NHEJ)修复系统或同源性末端连接(homology-directed repair,HDR)修复系统共同完成基因编辑工作都有报道。但是由于NHEJ的不精确性以及一些微生物中HDR效率较低导致生物体死亡限制了该工具的发展。基于CRISPR/dCas9系统构建而成的DNA碱基编辑器作为一种编辑工具,可靶向地实现碱基之间的转换,且不导致微生物死亡。DNA碱基编辑器在微生物中已经实现靶向编辑工作,可以同时多个位点进行编辑,同时可以利用该工具将编码氨基酸的密码子转化为终止密码子,提前终止翻译过程实现对基因的失活。本文主要对DNA碱基编辑器的作用原理,发展历程以及在微生物中的应用做了概述,最后提出了该工具存在的一些不足之处,并结合相关研究展望了未来的研究方向。为在微生物中开发与利用DNA碱基编辑的研究提供了思路。     

基于CRISPR/Cas系统的单碱基编辑技术研究进展*

基于CRISPR/Cas系统出现的单碱基编辑技术可以实现高效且简便的单个碱基的替换编辑,其原理是将胞嘧啶脱氨酶(cytosine deaminase)或腺苷脱氨酶(adenosine deaminase)与Cas9n(D10A)形成融合蛋白,通过CRISPR/Cas精准识别和定位DNA上的靶位点后,利用胞嘧啶脱氨酶或腺苷脱氨酶将靶点距离sgRNA位点基序(protospacer adjacent motif,PAM)序列端的4~7位的单个碱基发生单碱基转换或颠换。对基于CRISPR/Cas系统的单碱基编辑技术发现的历史、组成和分类、工作原理进行了概述,并总结了该系统最新进展及应用。     

基于CRISPR/Cas系统的单碱基编辑技术研究进展*

基于CRISPR/Cas系统出现的单碱基编辑技术可以实现高效且简便的单个碱基的替换编辑,其原理是将胞嘧啶脱氨酶(cytosine deaminase)或腺苷脱氨酶(adenosine deaminase)与Cas9n(D10A)形成融合蛋白,通过CRISPR/Cas精准识别和定位DNA上的靶位点后,利用胞嘧啶脱氨酶或腺苷脱氨酶将靶点距离sgRNA位点基序(protospacer adjacent motif,PAM)序列端的4~7位的单个碱基发生单碱基转换或颠换。对基于CRISPR/Cas系统的单碱基编辑技术发现的历史、组成和分类、工作原理进行了概述,并总结了该系统最新进展及应用。     

碱基编辑系统研究最新进展及应用

CRISPR系统能够在基因组DNA中完成精准编辑,但依赖于细胞内的同源重组(Homology directed recombination,HDR)修复途径,且效率极低.基于CRISPR/Cas9系统开发的碱基编辑技术(Base editing)通过将失去切割活性的核酸酶与不同碱基脱氨基酶融合,构建了两套碱基编辑系统(...     

基于CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术的EGFP基因定点整合表达

目的:利用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术,实现EGFP基因在CHO细胞ACTB基因座位置定点整合和表达,建立基于CRISPR/Cas9技术的外源基因定点整合和表达技术。方法:根据CHO细胞β-actin(ACTB)基因起始密码子区基因序列,设计相应CRISPR/Cas9系统,同时构建含有ACTB同源臂和EGFP基因的同源供体载体(donor vector),通过脂质体转染法同时转染CRISPR/Cas9和供体载体,流式分选EGFP阳性细胞,分析基因编辑技术在EGFP基因定点整合和表达方面的可行性。结果:构建了能有效切割CHO细胞ACTB基因的CRISPR/Cas9系统,筛选到EGFP定点整合至ACTB基因座并有效表达的细胞,ACTB基因缺失后由于γ-actin代偿性表达增强,ACTB缺失细胞形态和生长未受影响。结论:单纯依靠基因编辑技术可以实现1 kb以内的基因同源置换,但效率较低,如实现更大片段的外源基因置换,需借助其它实验技术。     

碱基编辑技术的发展与应用

碱基编辑技术,以CRISPR/Cas系统为平台,引导胞嘧啶脱氨酶或腺嘌呤脱氨酶至特定的基因组靶点,产生靶向性的C至T或者A至G的碱基转换。自碱基编辑技术问世以来,全球多个科研团队通过优化改进得到了一系列高精准性、广靶向性、小编辑框、普适性的碱基编辑器。在应用方面,碱基编辑器能够在人体细胞、动植物细胞以及胚胎中进行高效的碱基转换,在治疗人类遗传病、构建动物疾病模型、植物育种等方面具有巨大的应用潜能。本文就碱基编辑技术的发展、优化和应用等方面进行综述和展望。     

不同处理方法对海稻米中γ-氨基丁酸提取率的影响

以海稻米为研究对象,研究提取温度、提取溶剂、料液比、提取时间、提取次数等5个因素对海稻米中γ 氨基丁酸（GABA）提取率的影响,采用正交试验分析方法确定海稻米中GABA最优工艺条件。结果表明：海稻米中GABA的最佳提取工艺为：提取溶剂为水、提取时间为1 h、提取次数3次、提取温度60 ℃、提取物料比1 g∶15 mL,在此提取条件下的提取率为6.2μg/g。     

DNA topology regulates PAM-Cas9 interaction and DNA unwinding to enable near-PAMless cleavage by thermophilic Cas9

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Multiplex Gene Disruption by Targeted Base Editing of Yarrowia lipolytica Genome Using Cytidine Deaminase Combined with the CRISPR/Cas9 System

The oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has a tendency to use the non‐homologous end joining repair (NHEJ) over the homology directed recombination as double‐strand breaks (DSB) repair system, making it difficult to edit the genome using homologous recombination. A recently developed Target‐AID (activation‐induced cytidine deaminase) base editor, designed to recruit cytidine deaminase (CDA) to the target DNA locus via the CRISPR/Cas9 system, can directly induce C to T mutation without DSB and donor DNA. In this study, this system is adopted in Y. lipolytica for multiplex gene disruption. Target‐specific gRNA(s) and a fusion protein consisting of a nickase Cas9, pmCDA1, and uracil DNA glycosylase inhibitor are expressed from a single plasmid to disrupt target genes by introducing a stop codon via C to T mutation within the mutational window. Deletion of the KU70 gene involved in the NHEJ prevents the generation of indels by base excision repair following cytidine deamination, increasing the accuracy of genome editing. Using this Target‐AID system with optimized expression levels of the base editor, single gene disruption and simultaneous double gene disruption are achieved with the efficiencies up to 94% and 31%, respectively, demonstrating this base editing system as a convenient genome editing tool in Y. lipolytica.     

Validation Study to Determine the Accuracy of Widespread Promoterless EGFP Reporter at Assessing CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Homology Directed Repair

An accurate visual reporter system to assess homology-directed repair (HDR) is a key prerequisite for evaluating the efficiency of Cas9-mediated precise gene editing. Herein, we tested the utility of the widespread promoterless EGFP reporter to assess the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination by fluorescence expression. We firstly established a promoterless EGFP reporter donor targeting the porcine GAPDH locus to study CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination in porcine cells. Curiously, EGFP was expressed at unexpectedly high levels from the promoterless donor in porcine cells, with or without Cas9/sgRNA. Even higher EGFP expression was detected in human cells and those of other species when the porcine donor was transfected alone. Therefore, EGFP could be expressed at certain level in various cells transfected with the promoterless EGFP reporter alone, making it a low-resolution reporter for measuring Cas9-mediated HDR events. In summary, the widespread promoterless EGFP reporter could not be an ideal measurement for HDR screening and there is an urgent need to develop a more reliable, high-resolution HDR screening system to better explore strategies of increasing the efficiency of Cas9-mediated HDR in mammalian cells.     

Efficient and specific generation of knockout mice using Campylobacter jejuni CRISPR/Cas9 system

The Streptococcus pyogenes CRISPR/Cas9 (SpCas9) system is now widely utilized to generate genome engineered mice; however, some studies raised issues related to off-target mutations with this system. Herein, we utilized the Campylobacter jejuni Cas9 (CjCas9) system to generate knockout mice. We designed sgRNAs targeting mouse Tyr or Foxn1 and microinjected into zygotes along with CjCas9 mRNA. We obtained newborn mice from the microinjected embryos and confirmed that 50% (Tyr) and 38.5% (Foxn1) of the newborn mice have biallelic mutation on the intended target sequences, indicating efficient genome targeting by CjCas9. In addition, we analyzed off-target mutations in founder mutant mice by targeted deep sequencing and whole genome sequencing. Both analyses revealed no off-target mutations at potential off-target sites predicted in silico and no unexpected random mutations in analyzed founder animals. In conclusion, the CjCas9 system can be utilized to generate genome edited mice in a precise manner.     

Targeted Chromosomal Translocations and Essential Gene Knockout Using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology in Caenorhabditis elegans

Many genes play essential roles in development and fertility; their disruption leads to growth arrest or sterility. Genetic balancers have been widely used to study essential genes in many organisms. However, it is technically challenging and laborious to generate and maintain the loss-of-function mutations of essential genes. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been successfully applied for gene editing and chromosome engineering. Here, we have developed a method to induce chromosomal translocations and produce genetic balancers using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology and have applied this approach to edit essential genes in Caenorhabditis elegans. The co-injection of dual small guide RNA targeting genes on different chromosomes resulted in reciprocal translocation between nonhomologous chromosomes. These animals with chromosomal translocations were subsequently crossed with animals that contain normal sets of chromosomes. The F1 progeny were subjected to a second round of Cas9-mediated gene editing. Through this method, we successfully produced nematode strains with specified chromosomal translocations and generated a number of loss-of-function alleles of two essential genes (csr-1 and mes-6). Therefore, our method provides an easy and efficient approach to generate and maintain loss-of-function alleles of essential genes with detailed genetic background information.