CRISPR-based peptide library display and programmable microarray self-assembly for rapid quantitative protein binding assays

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Upgrading the genome of an elite japonica rice variety Kongyu 131 for lodging resistance improvement

Developing a new rice variety requires tremendous efforts and years of input. To improve the defect traits of the excellent varieties becomes more cost and time efficient than breeding a completely new variety. Kongyu 131 is a high-performing japonica variety with early maturity, high yield, wide adaptability and cold resistance, but the poor-lodging resistance hinders the industrial production of Kongyu 131 in the Northeastern China. In this study, we attempted to improve the lodging resistance of Kongyu 131 from perspectives of both gene and trait. On the one hand, by QTL analysis and fine mapping we discovered the candidate gene loci. The following CRISPR/Cas9 and transgenic complementation study confirmed that Sd1 dominated the lodging resistance and favourable allele was mined for precise introduction and improvement. On the other hand, the Sd1 allelic variant was identified in Kongyu 131 by sequence alignment, then introduced another excellent allelic variation by backcrossing. Then, the two new resulting Kongyu 131 went through the field evaluation under different environments, planting densities and nitrogen fertilizer conditions. The results showed that the plant height of upgraded Kongyu 131 was 17%–26% lower than Kongyu 131 without penalty in yield. This study demonstrated a precise and targeted way to update the rice genome and upgrade the elite rice varieties by improving only a few gene defects from the perspective of breeding.     

靶向RNA的CRISPR-Cas系统研究进展

CRISPR(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas(CRISPR associated proteins)系统是细菌和古细菌抵抗噬菌体、质粒等外源遗传物质的一种适应性免疫系统,该系统利用一种特殊的RNA(CRISPR RNA,crRNA)指导的内切酶来切割与crRNA相互补的外源遗传物质,从而阻碍外源核酸的侵染。根据效应复合物组成形式的不同,CRISPR-Cas系统分为1类(Ⅰ型、Ⅳ型和Ⅲ型)和2类(Ⅱ型、Ⅴ型和Ⅵ型)两大类。目前已发现多个CRISPR-Cas系统具有非常强的特异靶向RNA编辑能力,如Ⅵ型CRISPR-Cas13系统和Ⅲ型CRISPR-Cas7-11系统。随着研究的深入,相关系统在RNA编辑领域应用日渐广泛,使其成为基因编辑的有力工具。本文介绍了靶向RNA的CRISPR-Cas系统的组成、结构、分子机制以及其潜在应用,这为更好地研究该类系统的作用机制奠定基础,也为后期开发为稳定的基因编辑工具提供新的思路。     

基于CRISPR/Cas系统的多重基因编辑与调控技术

规律成簇的间隔短回文重复序列(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, CRISPR)及其相关Cas蛋白所构建的CRISPR/Cas系统是古细菌或细菌中特有的一种获得性免疫系统。研究人员将其开发成基因编辑工具之后,凭借其高效、精准和通用性强等优点迅速成为合成生物学领域的热门研究方向,在生命科学、生物工程技术、食品科学及农作物育种等多个领域引发了革命性的影响。目前基于CRISPR/Cas系统单基因编辑与调控技术日益完善,但在多重基因编辑和调控方面仍存在挑战。本文聚焦基于CRISPR/Cas系统的多重基因编辑与调控技术开发及应用,针对单个细胞内实现多位点基因编辑或调控和细胞群体内实现多位点基因编辑或调控技术,依据作用原理对其进行了系统总结和阐述,包括基于CRISPR/Cas系统的双链断裂、单链断裂以及多重基因调控技术等。这些工作丰富了多重基因编辑与调控的工具,为CRISPR/Cas系统在多领域的应用作出了贡献。     

拟南芥ACOL8基因在乙烯合成与响应中的功能分析

植物激素乙烯在多种生理生化过程中发挥重要作用,但其在特定组织器官中的合成机制尚不完全清楚。拟南芥中存在12个功能未知的ACC氧化酶类似蛋白（ACO-like homolog,ACOL）,运用基因定点编辑技术构建了ACOL8的功能丧失型突变体,发现该基因的突变削弱了经典的乙烯“三重反应”。与野生型相比,突变体黄化幼苗下胚轴及主根的长度显著增加,这与突变体对外源ACC的敏感性下降现象一致。同时还发现ACOL8基因的表达受乙烯信号的正反馈调控,EIN3过表达增强其表达水平,而etr1-3的突变则产生相反效应。再者,在正常条件下,ACOL8基因的突变并未影响拟南芥的生长;但在盐胁迫条件下,突变体的根冠比显著下降,这说明该基因参与植物的盐胁迫响应。综上,这些结果说明ACOL8可能具有ACC氧化酶的功能,参与乙烯的合成与响应。     

Defining endogenous barcoding sites for CRISPR/Cas9-based cell lineage tracing in zebrafish

There is a growing interest in developing experimental methods for tracking the developmental cell lineages of a complex organism.The recently developed CRISPR/Cas9-based barcoding method is,although highly promising,difficult to scale up because it relies on exogenous barcoding sequences that are engineered into the genome.In this study,we characterized 78 high-quality endogenous sites in the zebrafish genome that can be used as CRISPR/Cas9-based barcoding sites.The 78 sites are all highly expressed in most of the cell types according to single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data.Hence,the barcoding information of the 78 endogenous sites is recovered by the available scRNA-seq platforms,enabling simultaneous characterization of cell type and cell lineage information.     

A Site‐Specific Integration Reporter System That Enables Rapid Evaluation of CRISPR/Cas9‐Mediated Genome Editing Strategies in CHO Cells

Targeted gene knockout and site‐specific integration (SSI) are powerful genome editing techniques to improve the development of industrially relevant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. However, past efforts to perform SSI in CHO cells are characterized by low efficiencies. Moreover, numerous strategies proposed to boost SSI efficiency in mammalian cell types have yet to be evaluated head to head or in combination to appreciably boost efficiencies in CHO. To enable systematic and rapid optimization of genome editing methods, the SSIGNAL (s ite‐s pecific i ntegration and g en ome al teration) reporter system is developed. This tool can analyze CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR‐associated protein 9)‐mediated disruption activity alone or in conjunction with SSI efficiency. The reporter system uses green and red dual‐fluorescence signals to indicate genotype states within four days following transfection, facilitating rapid data acquisition via standard flow cytometry instrumentation. In addition to describing the design and development of the system, two of its applications are demonstrated by first comparing transfection conditions to maximize CRISPR/Cas9 activity and subsequently assessing the efficiency of several promising SSI strategies. Due to its sensitivity and versatility, the SSIGNAL reporter system may serve as a tool to advance genome editing technology.