Key sequence features of CRISPR RNA for dual-guide CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes assembled with wild-type or HiFi Cas9

Specific sequence features of the protospacer and protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) are critical for efficient cleavage by CRISPR-Cas9, but current knowledge is largely derived from single-guide RNA (sgRNA) systems assessed in cultured cells. In this study, we sought to determine gRNA sequence features of a more native CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex with dual-guide RNAs (dgRNAs) composed of crRNA and tracrRNA, which has been used increasingly in recent CRISPR-Cas9 applications, particularly in zebrafish. Using both wild-type and HiFi SpCas9, we determined on-target cleavage efficiencies of 51 crRNAs in zebrafish embryos by assessing indel occurrence. Statistical analysis of these data identified novel position-specific mononucleotide features relevant to cleavage efficiencies throughout the protospacer sequence that may be unique to CRISPR-Cas9 RNPs pre-assembled with perfectly matched gRNAs. Overall features for wild-type Cas9 resembled those for HiFi Cas9, but specific differences were also observed. Mutational analysis of mononucleotide features confirmed their relevance to cleavage efficiencies. Moreover, the mononucleotide feature-based score, CRISPR-kp, correlated well with efficiencies of gRNAs reported in previous zebrafish RNP injection experiments, as well as independently tested crRNAs only in RNP format, but not with Cas9 mRNA co-injection. These findings will facilitate design of gRNA/crRNAs in genome editing applications, especially when using pre-assembled RNPs.     

PpCas9 from Pasteurella pneumotropica — a compact Type II-C Cas9 ortholog active in human cells

CRISPR-Cas defense systems opened up the field of genome editing due to the ease with which effector Cas nucleases can be programmed with guide RNAs to access desirable genomic sites. Type II-A SpCas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes was the first Cas9 nuclease used for genome editing and it remains the most popular enzyme of its class. Nevertheless, SpCas9 has some drawbacks including a relatively large size and restriction to targets flanked by an ‘NGG’ PAM sequence. The more compact Type II-C Cas9 orthologs can help to overcome the size limitation of SpCas9. Yet, only a few Type II-C nucleases were fully characterized to date. Here, we characterized two Cas9 II-C orthologs, DfCas9 from Defluviimonas sp.20V17 and PpCas9 from Pasteurella pneumotropica. Both DfCas9 and PpCas9 cleave DNA in vitro and have novel PAM requirements. Unlike DfCas9, the PpCas9 nuclease is active in human cells. This small nuclease requires an ‘NNNNRTT’ PAM orthogonal to that of SpCas9 and thus potentially can broaden the range of Cas9 applications in biomedicine and biotechnology.     

Cas9HF1 enhanced specificity in Ustilago maydis

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 system is widely used as a tool to precisely manipulate genomic sequence targeted by sgRNA (single guide RNA) and is adapted in different species for genome editing. One of the major concerns of CRISPR-Cas9 is the possibility of off-target effects, which can be remedied by the deployment of high fidelity Cas9 variants. Ustilago maydis is a maize fungal pathogen, which has served as a model organism for biotrophic pathogens for decades. The successful adaption of CRISPR-Cas9 in U. maydis greatly facilitated effector biology studies. Here, we constructed an U. maydis reporter strain that allows in vivo quantification of efficiency and target specificity of three high fidelity Cas9 variants, Cas9HF1, Cas9esp1.1 and Cas9hypa. This approach identified Cas9HF1 as most specific Cas9 variant in U. maydis. Furthermore, whole genome sequencing showed absence of off-target effects in U. maydis by CRISPR-Cas9 editing.     

Identification of the EH CRISPR-Cas9 system on a metagenome and its application to genome engineering

Non-coding RNAs (crRNAs) produced from clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) loci and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins of the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas systems form complexes that interfere with the spread of transmissible genetic elements through Cas-catalysed cleavage of foreign genetic material matching the guide crRNA sequences. The easily programmable targeting of nucleic acids enabled by these ribonucleoproteins has facilitated the implementation of CRISPR-based molecular biology tools for in vivo and in vitro modification of DNA and RNA targets. Despite the diversity of DNA-targeting Cas nucleases so far identified, native and engineered derivatives of the Streptococcus pyogenes SpCas9 are the most widely used for genome engineering, at least in part due to their catalytic robustness and the requirement of an exceptionally short motif (5′-NGG-3′ PAM) flanking the target sequence. However, the large size of the SpCas9 variants impairs the delivery of the tool to eukaryotic cells and smaller alternatives are desirable. Here, we identify in a metagenome a new CRISPR-Cas9 system associated with a smaller Cas9 protein (EHCas9) that targets DNA sequences flanked by 5′-NGG-3′ PAMs. We develop a simplified EHCas9 tool that specifically cleaves DNA targets and is functional for genome editing applications in prokaryotes and eukaryotic cells.     

Expanding the scope of CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated genome editing in plants using an xCas9 and Cas9‐NG hybrid

The widely used Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) requires NGG as a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) for genome editing. Although SpCas9 is a powerful genome‐editing tool, its use has been limited on the targetable genomic locus lacking NGG PAM. The SpCas9 variants xCas9 and Cas9‐NG have been developed to recognize NG, GAA, and GAT PAMs in human cells. Here, we show that xCas9 cannot recognize NG PAMs in tomato, and Cas9‐NG can recognize some of our tested NG PAMs in the tomato and Arabidopsis genomes. In addition, we engineered SpCas9 (XNG‐Cas9) based on mutations from both xCas9 and Cas9‐NG, and found that XNG‐Cas9 can efficiently mutagenize endogenous target sites with NG, GAG, GAA, and GAT PAMs in the tomato or Arabidopsis genomes. The PAM compatibility of XNG‐Cas9 is the broadest reported to date among Cas9s (SpCas9 and Cas9‐NG) active in plant.     

Advances in CRISPR-Cas systems for RNA targeting,tracking and editing

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems, especially type II (Cas9) systems, have been widely used in gene/genome targeting. Modifications of Cas9 enable these systems to become platforms for precise DNA manipulations. However, the utilization of CRISPR-Cas systems in RNA targeting remains preliminary. The discovery of type VI CRISPR-Cas systems (Cas13) shed light on RNA-guided RNA targeting. Cas13d, the smallest Cas13 protein, with a length of only ~930 amino acids, is a promising platform for RNA targeting compatible with viral delivery systems. Much effort has also been made to develop Cas9, Cas13a and Cas13b applications for RNA-guided RNA targeting. The discovery of new RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems as well as the development of RNA-targeting platforms with Cas9 and Cas13 will promote RNA-targeting technology substantially. Here, we review new advances in RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems as well as advances in applications of these systems in RNA targeting, tracking and editing. We also compare these Cas protein-based technologies with traditional technologies for RNA targeting, tracking and editing. Finally, we discuss remaining questions and prospects for the future.     

Landscape of target:guide homology effects on Cas9-mediated cleavage

To study target sequence specificity, selectivity, and reaction kinetics of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 activity, we challenged libraries of random variant targets with purified Cas9::guide RNA complexes in vitro. Cleavage kinetics were nonlinear, with a burst of initial activity followed by slower sustained cleavage. Consistent with other recent analyses of Cas9 sequence specificity, we observe considerable (albeit incomplete) impairment of cleavage for targets mutated in the PAM sequence or in ‘seed’ sequences matching the proximal 8 bp of the guide. A second target region requiring close homology was located at the other end of the guide::target duplex (positions 13–18 relative to the PAM). Sequences flanking the guide+PAM region had measurable (albeit modest) effects on cleavage. In addition, the first-base Guanine constraint commonly imposed by gRNA expression systems has little effect on overall cleavage efficiency. Taken together, these studies provide an in vitro understanding of the complexities of Cas9–gRNA interaction and cleavage beyond the general paradigm of site determination based on the ‘seed’ sequence and PAM.     

Single nucleotide substitutions effectively block Cas9 and allow for scarless genome editing in Caenorhabditis elegans

In Caenorhabditis elegans, germline injection of Cas9 complexes is reliably used to achieve genome editing through homology-directed repair of Cas9-generated DNA breaks. To prevent Cas9 from targeting repaired DNA, additional blocking mutations are often incorporated into homologous repair templates. Cas9 can be blocked either by mutating the PAM sequence that is essential for Cas9 activity or by mutating the guide sequence that targets Cas9 to a specific genomic location. However, it is unclear how many nucleotides within the guide sequence should be mutated, since Cas9 can recognize “off-target” sequences that are imperfectly paired to its guide. In this study, we examined whether single-nucleotide substitutions within the guide sequence are sufficient to block Cas9 and allow for efficient genome editing. We show that a single mismatch within the guide sequence effectively blocks Cas9 and allows for recovery of edited animals. Surprisingly, we found that a low rate of edited animals can be recovered without introducing any blocking mutations, suggesting a temporal block to Cas9 activity in C. elegans. Furthermore, we show that the maternal genome of hermaphrodite animals is preferentially edited over the paternal genome. We demonstrate that maternally provided haplotypes can be selected using balancer chromosomes and propose a method of mutant isolation that greatly reduces screening efforts postinjection. Collectively, our findings expand the repertoire of genome editing strategies in C. elegans and demonstrate that extraneous blocking mutations are not required to recover edited animals when the desired mutation is located within the guide sequence.     

CRISPR-Cas9介导的基因组编辑技术的研究进展

CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated proteins)系统为细菌与古生菌中抵御外源病毒或质粒DNA入侵的获得性免疫系统。该系统在crRNA的指导下,使核酸酶Cas识别并降解外源DNA。其中,Ⅱ型CRISPR-Cas系统最为简单,仅包括一个核酸酶Cas9与tracrRNA：crRNA二聚体便可完成其生物功能。基于CRISPR-Cas9的基因组编辑技术的核心为将tracrRNA:crRNA设计为引导RNA,在引导RNA的指导下Cas9定位于特定DNA序列上,进行DNA双链切割,实现基因组的定向编辑。CRISPR-Cas9系统以设计操纵简便、编辑高效与通用性广等优势成为新一代基因组编辑技术,为基因组定向改造调控与应用等带来突破性革命。从CRISPR-Cas9介导的基因组编辑技术的发展与应用等方面综述其最新研究进展,并着重介绍该技术的关键影响因素,为相关研究者提供参考。     

Non-viral and viral delivery systems for CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the biomedical field

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)-associated protein 9(CRISPR-Cas9) system provides a novel genome editing technology that can precisely target a genomic site to disrupt or repair a specific gene. Some CRISPR-Cas9 systems from different bacteria or artificial variants have been discovered or constructed by biologists, and Cas9 nucleases and single guide RNAs(sgRNA) are the major components of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. These Cas9 systems have been extensively applied for identifying therapeutic targets, identifying gene functions, generating animal models, and developing gene therapies.Moreover, CRISPR-Cas9 systems have been used to partially or completely alleviate disease symptoms by mutating or correcting related genes. However, the efficient transfer of CRISPR-Cas9 system into cells and target organs remains a challenge that affects the robust and precise genome editing activity. The current review focuses on delivery systems for Cas9 mRNA, Cas9 protein, or vectors encoding the Cas9 gene and corresponding sgRNA. Non-viral delivery of Cas9 appears to help Cas9 maintain its on-target effect and reduce off-target effects, and viral vectors for sgRNA and donor template can improve the efficacy of genome editing and homology-directed repair. Safe, efficient, and producible delivery systems will promote the application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in human gene therapy.     

Therapeutic applications of CRISPR/Cas9 system in gene therapy

Gene therapy is based on the principle of the genetic manipulation of DNA or RNA for treating and preventing human diseases. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated nuclease9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, derived from the acquired immune system in bacteria and archaea, has provided a new tool for accurate manipulation of genomic sequence to attain a therapeutic result. The advantage of CRISPR which made it an easy and flexible tool for diverse genome editing purposes is that a single protein (Cas9) complex with 2 short RNA sequences, function as a site-specific endonuclease. Recently, application of CRISPR/Cas9 system has become popular for therapeutic aims such as gene therapy. In this article, we review the fundamental mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9 function and summarize preclinical CRISPR-mediated gene therapy reports on a wide variety of disorders.     

Expanding the plant genome editing toolbox with recently developed CRISPR–Cas systems

Since its first appearance, CRISPR–Cas9 has been developed extensively as a programmable genome-editing tool, opening a new era in plant genome engineering. However, CRISPR–Cas9 still has some drawbacks, such as limitations of the protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequence, target specificity, and the large size of the cas9 gene. To combat invading bacterial phages and plasmid DNAs, bacteria and archaea have diverse and unexplored CRISPR–Cas systems, which have the potential to be developed as a useful genome editing tools. Recently, discovery and characterization of additional CRISPR–Cas systems have been reported. Among them, several CRISPR–Cas systems have been applied successfully to plant and human genome editing. For example, several groups have achieved genome editing using CRISPR–Cas type I-D and type I-E systems, which had never been applied for genome editing previously. In addition to higher specificity and recognition of different PAM sequences, recently developed CRISPR–Cas systems often provide unique characteristics that differ from well-known Cas proteins such as Cas9 and Cas12a. For example, type I CRISPR–Cas10 induces small indels and bi-directional long-range deletions ranging up to 7.2 kb in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Type IV CRISPR–Cas13 targets RNA, not double-strand DNA, enabling highly specific knockdown of target genes. In this article, we review the development of CRISPR–Cas systems, focusing especially on their application to plant genome engineering. Recent CRISPR–Cas tools are helping expand our plant genome engineering toolbox.

Recently discovered and characterized clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR associated (CRISPR–Cas) systems allow additional applications to plant genome editing.     

CRISPR Cas9- and Cas12a-mediated gusA editing in transgenic blueberry

To develop an effective genome editing tool for blueberry breeding, CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a were evaluated for their editing efficiencies of a marker gene, beta-glucuronidase (gusA), which was previously introduced into two blueberry cultivars each a single-copy transgene. Four expression vectors were built, with CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a each driven by a 35S promoter or AtUbi promoter. Each vector contained two editing sites in the gusA. These four vectors were respectively transformed into the leaf explants of transgenic gusA blueberry and the resulting transgenic calli were induced under hygromycin selection. GUS staining showed that some small proportions of the hygromycin-resistant calli had non-GUS stained sectors, suggesting some possible occurrences of gusA editing. We sequenced GUS amplicons spanning the two editing sites in three blueberry tissues and found about 5.5% amplicons having editing features from the calli transformed with the 35S-Cas9 vector. Further, we conducted a second round of shoot regeneration from leaf explants derived from the initial Cas9- and Cas12a-containing calli (T₀) and analyzed amplicons of the target editing region. Of the newly induced shoots, 15.5% for the 35S-Cas9 and 5.3% for the AtUbi-Cas9 showed non-GUS staining, whereas all of the shoots containing the Cas12a vectors showed blue staining. Sanger sequencing confirmed the editing-induced mutations in two representative non-GUS staining lines. Clearly, the second round of regeneration had enriched editing events and enhanced the production of edited shoots. The results and protocol described will be helpful to facilitating high-precision breeding of blueberries using CRISPR Cas technologies.

     

CRISPR-Cas基因编辑系统升级:聚焦Cas蛋白和PAM

以CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR associated proteins)系统为代表的基因编辑技术的出现极大地促进了人类改造自然界物种的能力。在医疗、工业、农业等多个研究领域,基因编辑技术正在被广泛应用。Cas蛋白是CRISPR-Cas系统的功能蛋白,不同类型的Cas蛋白在其自身活性、识别位点、切割末端、RNA需求等方面具有不同的特性。PAM (protospacer adjacent motif)是靶位点附近的若干个碱基,对Cas蛋白识别靶序列至关重要,也是CRISPR-Cas系统发挥功效的关键特性之一。目前已有多种不同的PAM鉴定方法被报道。本文对Cas蛋白的寻找、Cas蛋白突变体筛选及PAM的确定方法(含PAM谱拓展)进行了综述,以期为新型基因编辑工具的发展和优化提供借鉴。     

诺贝尔化学奖授予CRISPR-Cas9基因编辑研究

2020年，诺贝尔化学奖授予现在德国马普感染生物学研究所工作的法国科学家Emmanuelle Charpentier和美国加州大学伯克利分校的?Jennifer Doudna，表彰她们发明CRISPR基因编辑方法。她们揭示了Cas9具有RNA介导的DNA 核酸内切酶活性，可以切断任意DNA双链，产生DNA双链断裂。她们还指出CRISPR具有在活细胞中修改基因的能力，利用CRISPR-Cas9编辑工具人们可以精确改变细胞中的DNA。由于简单、高效、廉价等特征，CRISPR已经成为全球最为流行的基因编辑技术，被称为编辑基因的“魔剪”。本文介绍两位诺贝尔化学奖获得者的研究成果，总结CRISPR系统的发现过程，并概述CRISPR-Cas9的功能以及应用。     

Anti-CRISPR AcrIF9 functions by inducing the CRISPR–Cas complex to bind DNA non-specifically

Phages and other mobile genetic elements express anti-CRISPR proteins (Acrs) to protect their genomes from destruction by CRISPR–Cas systems. Acrs usually block the ability of CRISPR–Cas systems to bind or cleave their nucleic acid substrates. Here, we investigate an unusual Acr, AcrIF9, that induces a gain-of-function to a type I-F CRISPR–Cas (Csy) complex, causing it to bind strongly to DNA that lacks both a PAM sequence and sequence complementarity. We show that specific and non-specific dsDNA compete for the same site on the Csy:AcrIF9 complex with rapid exchange, but specific ssDNA appears to still bind through complementarity to the CRISPR RNA. Induction of non-specific DNA-binding is a shared property of diverse AcrIF9 homologues. Substitution of a conserved positively charged surface on AcrIF9 abrogated non-specific dsDNA-binding of the Csy:AcrIF9 complex, but specific dsDNA binding was maintained. AcrIF9 mutants with impaired non-specific dsDNA binding activity in vitro displayed a reduced ability to inhibit CRISPR–Cas activity in vivo. We conclude that misdirecting the CRISPR–Cas complex to bind non-specific DNA is a key component of the inhibitory mechanism of AcrIF9. This inhibitory mechanism is distinct from a previously characterized anti-CRISPR, AcrIF1, that sterically blocks DNA-binding, even though AcrIF1and AcrIF9 bind to the same site on the Csy complex.