scholarly journals Selective inheritance of target genes from only one parent of sexually reproduced F1 progeny in Arabidopsis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhang ◽  
Michael Mudgett ◽  
Ratnala Rambabu ◽  
Bradley Abramson ◽  
Xinhua Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Heterozygous Mutation ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Homology Directed Repair ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Fluorescent Markers ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Cryptochrome 1 ◽  
F1 Generation

AbstractSexual reproduction constrains progeny to inherit allelic genes from both parents. Selective acquisition of target genes from only one parent in the F1 generation of plants has many potential applications including the elimination of undesired alleles and acceleration of trait stacking. CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drives can generate biased transmission of a preferred allele and convert heterozygotes to homozygotes in insects and mice, but similar strategies have not been implementable in plants because of a lack of efficient homology-directed repair (HDR). Here, we place a gene drive, which consists of cassettes that produce Cas9, guide RNAs (gRNA), and fluorescent markers, into the CRYPTOCHROME 1 (CRY1) gene through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HDR, resulting in cry1drive lines. After crossing the cry1drive/cry1drive lines to wild type, we observe F1 plants which have DNA at the CRY1 locus from only the cry1drive/cry1drive parent. Moreover, a non-autonomous trans-acting gene drive, in which the gene drive unit and the target gene are located on different chromosomes, converts a heterozygous mutation in the target gene to homozygous. Our results demonstrate that homozygous F1 plants can be obtained through zygotic conversion using a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive.

scholarly journals Assessment of a split homing based gene drive for efficient knockout of multiple genes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay P. Kandul ◽  
Junru Liu ◽  
Anna Buchman ◽  
Valentino M. Gantz ◽  
Ethan Bier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Gene ◽  
Tissue Specificity ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Gene Drives

AbstractHoming based gene drives (HGD) possess the potential to spread linked cargo genes into natural populations and are poised to revolutionize population control of animals. Given that host-encoded genes have been identified that are important for pathogen transmission, targeting these genes using guide RNAs as cargo genes linked to drives may provide a robust method to prevent transmission. However, effectiveness of the inclusion of additional guide RNAs that target separate host encoded genes has not been thoroughly explored. To test this approach, here we generated a split-HGD in Drosophila melanogaster that encoded a drive linked effector consisting of a second gRNA engineered to target a separate host encoded gene, which we term a gRNA-mediated effector (GME). This design enabled us to assess homing and knockout efficiencies of two target genes simultaneously, and also explore the timing and tissue specificity of Cas9 expression on cleavage/homing rates. We demonstrate that inclusion of a GME can result in high efficiency of disruption of its target gene during super-Mendelian propagation of split-HGD. However, maternal deposition and embryonic expression of Cas9 resulted in the generation of drive resistant alleles which can accumulate and limit the spread of such a drive. Alternative design principles are discussed that could mitigate the accumulation of resistance alleles while incorporating a GME.

scholarly journals Assessment of a Split Homing Based Gene Drive for Efficient Knockout of Multiple Genes

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 827-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay P. Kandul ◽  
Junru Liu ◽  
Anna Buchman ◽  
Valentino M. Gantz ◽  
Ethan Bier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Cas9 Protein ◽  
Gene Drives

Homing based gene drives (HGD) possess the potential to spread linked cargo genes into natural populations and are poised to revolutionize population control of animals. Given that host encoded genes have been identified that are important for pathogen transmission, targeting these genes using guide RNAs as cargo genes linked to drives may provide a robust method to prevent disease transmission. However, effectiveness of the inclusion of additional guide RNAs that target separate genes has not been thoroughly explored. To test this approach, we generated a split-HGD in Drosophila melanogaster that encoded a drive linked effector consisting of a second gRNA engineered to target a separate host-encoded gene, which we term a gRNA-mediated effector (GME). This design enabled us to assess homing and knockout efficiencies of two target genes simultaneously, and also explore the timing and tissue specificity of Cas9 expression on cleavage/homing rates. We demonstrate that inclusion of a GME can result in high efficiency of disruption of both genes during super-Mendelian propagation of split-HGD. Furthermore, both genes were knocked out one generation earlier than expected indicating the robust somatic expression of Cas9 driven by Drosophila germline-limited promoters. We also assess the efficiency of ‘shadow drive’ generated by maternally deposited Cas9 protein and accumulation of drive-induced resistance alleles along multiple generations, and discuss design principles of HGD that could mitigate the accumulation of resistance alleles while incorporating a GME.

scholarly journals A homing suppression gene drive with multiplexed gRNAs maintains high drive conversion efficiency and avoids functional resistance alleles

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Yang ◽  
Matthew Metzloff ◽  
Anna M. Langmüller ◽  
Andrew G. Clark ◽  
Philipp W Messer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Homology Directed Repair ◽  
High Drive ◽  
Target Sites ◽  
Cage Population ◽  
Gene Drives ◽  
Population Suppression

Gene drives are engineered alleles that can bias inheritance in their favor, allowing them to spread throughout a population. They could potentially be used to modify or suppress pest populations, such as mosquitoes that spread diseases. CRISPR/Cas9 homing drives, which copy themselves by homology-directed repair in drive/wild-type heterozygotes, are a powerful form of gene drive, but they are vulnerable to resistance alleles that preserve the function of their target gene. Such resistance alleles can prevent successful population suppression. Here, we constructed a homing suppression drive in Drosophila melanogaster that utilized multiplexed gRNAs to inhibit the formation of functional resistance alleles in its female fertility target gene. The gRNA target sites were placed close together, preventing reduction in drive conversion efficiency. The construct reached a moderate equilibrium frequency in cage populations without apparent formation of resistance alleles. However, a moderate fitness cost prevented suppression of the cage population. Nevertheless, our results experimentally demonstrate the viability of the multiplexed gRNAs strategy in homing type suppression gene drives.

scholarly journals Performance analysis of novel toxin-antidote CRISPR gene drive systems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson Champer ◽  
Isabel Kim ◽  
Samuel E. Champer ◽  
Andrew G. Clark ◽  
Philipp W. Messer
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Ecological Engineering ◽  
Target Area ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Regional Population ◽  
Drive Systems ◽  
High Flexibility ◽  
Gene Drives

ABSTRACTGene drives can potentially fixate in a population by biasing inheritance in their favor, opening up a variety of potential applications in areas such as disease-vector control and conservation. CRISPR homing gene drives have shown much promise for providing an effective drive mechanism, but they typically suffer from the rapid formation of resistance alleles. Even if the problem of resistance can be overcome, the utility of such drives would still be limited by their tendency to spread into all areas of a population. To provide additional options for gene drive applications that are substantially less prone to the formation of resistance alleles and could potentially remain confined to a target area, we developed several designs for CRISPR-based gene drives utilizing toxin-antidote (TA) principles. These drives target and disrupt an essential gene with the drive providing rescue. Here, we assess the performance of several types of TA gene drive systems using modeling and individual-based simulations. We show that Toxin-Antidote Recessive Embryo (TARE) drive should allow for the design of robust, regionally confined, population modification strategies with high flexibility in choosing drive promoters and recessive lethal targets. Toxin-Antidote Dominant Embryo (TADE) drive requires a haplolethal target gene and a germline-restricted promoter but should enable the design of both faster regional population modification drives and even regionally-confined population suppression drives. Toxin-antidote dominant sperm (TADS) drive can be used for population modification or suppression. It spreads nearly as quickly as a homing drive and can flexibly use a variety of promoters, but unlike the other TA systems, it is not regionally confined and requires highly specific target genes. Overall, our results suggest that CRISPR-based TA gene drives provide promising candidates for further development in a variety of organisms and may allow for flexible ecological engineering strategies.

scholarly journals Custom-made design of metabolite composition in N. benthamiana leaves using CRISPR activators.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Selma ◽  
Neus Sanmartin ◽  
Ana Espinosa-Ruiz ◽  
Silvia Gianoglio ◽  
Maria Pilar Lopez-Gresa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Endogenous Gene ◽  
Individual Gene ◽  
Selective Enrichment ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Selection Of

Transcriptional regulators based on CRISPR architecture expand our ability of reprogramming endogenous gene expression in plants. One of their potential applications is the customization of plant metabolome through the activation of selected enzymes in a given metabolic pathway. Using the previously described multiplexable CRISPR activator dCasEV2.1, we assayed the selective enrichment in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves of four different flavonoids, namely naringenin, eriodictyol, kaempferol and quercetin. After careful selection of target genes and guide RNAs combinations, we created successful activation programs for each of the four metabolites, each program activating between three and seven genes, and with individual gene activation levels ranging from 4- to 1500-fold. Metabolic analysis of the flavonoid profiles of each multigene activation program showed a sharp and selective enrichment of the intended metabolites and their glycosylated derivatives. Remarkably, principal component analysis of untargeted metabolic profiles clearly separated samples according to their activation treatment, and hierarchical clustering separated the samples in five groups, corresponding to the expected four highly enriched metabolite groups, plus an un-activated control. These results demonstrate that dCasEV2.1 is a powerful tool for re-routing metabolic fluxes towards the accumulation of metabolites of interest, opening the door for custom-made design of metabolic contents in plants.

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) induced gene silencing in alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Botany ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian C. Verdonk ◽  
Michael L. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Mirna Precursor ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Forage Crop ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Endogenous Gene ◽  
Medicago Sativa L

Gene silencing is a powerful technique that allows the study of the function of specific genes by selectively reducing their transcription. Several different approaches can be used, however they all have in common the artificial generation of single stranded small ribonucleic acids (RNAs) that are utilized by the endogenous gene silencing machinery of the organism. Artificial microRNAs (amiRNA) can be used to very specifically target genes for silencing because only a short sequence of 21 nucleotides of the gene of interest is used. Gene silencing via amiRNA has been developed for Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and rice using endogenous microRNA (miRNA) precursors and has been shown to also work effectively in other dicot species using the arabidopsis miRNA precursor. Here, we demonstrate that the arabidopsis miR319 precursor can be used to silence genes in the important forage crop species alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) by silencing the expression of a transgenic beta-glucuronidase (GUSPlus) target gene.

scholarly journals CHOP-Dependent Stress-Inducible Expression of a Novel Form of Carbonic Anhydrase VI

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sok ◽  
Xiao-Zhong Wang ◽  
Nikoleta Batchvarova ◽  
Masahiko Kuroda ◽  
Heather Harding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Nuclear Protein ◽  
Intracellular Form ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrase Vi ◽  
Responsive Element

ABSTRACT CHOP (also called GADD153) is a stress-inducible nuclear protein that dimerizes with members of the C/EBP family of transcription factors and was initially identified as an inhibitor of C/EBP binding to classic C/EBP target genes. Subsequent experiments suggested a role for CHOP-C/EBP heterodimers in positively regulating gene expression; however, direct evidence that this is the case has so far not been uncovered. Here we describe the identification of a positively regulated direct CHOP-C/EBP target gene, that encoding murine carbonic anhydrase VI (CA-VI). The stress-inducible form of the gene is expressed from an internal promoter and encodes a novel intracellular form of what is normally a secreted protein. Stress-induced expression of CA-VI is both CHOP and C/EBPβ dependent in that it does not occur in cells deficient in either gene. A CHOP-responsive element was mapped to the inducibleCA-VI promoter, and in vitro footprinting revealed binding of CHOP-C/EBP heterodimers to that site. Rescue of CA-VIexpression in c/ebpβ−/− cells by exogenous C/EBPβ and a shorter, normally inhibitory isoform of the protein known as LIP suggests that the role of the C/EBP partner is limited to targeting the CHOP-containing heterodimer to the response element and points to a preeminent role for CHOP in CA-VI induction during stress.

scholarly journals Mutant Alleles of the Drosophila trithorax Gene Produce Common and Unusual Homeotic and Other Developmental Phenotypes

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-344
Author(s):  
Thomas R Breen
Keyword(s):  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Protein Isoforms ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Set Domain ◽  
Human Homologue ◽  
Terminal Set ◽  
Hypomorphic Alleles ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Target Gene Transcription

Abstract trithorax (trx) encodes chromosome-binding proteins required throughout embryogenesis and imaginal development for tissue- and cell-specific levels of transcription of many genes including homeotic genes of the ANT-C and BX-C. trx encodes two protein isoforms that contain conserved motifs including a C-terminal SET domain, central PHD fingers, an N-terminal DNA-binding homology, and two short motifs also found in the TRX human homologue, ALL1. As a first step to characterizing specific developmental functions of TRX, I examined phenotypes of 420 combinations of 21 trx alleles. Among these are 8 hypomorphic alleles that are sufficient for embryogenesis but provide different levels of trx function at homeotic genes in imaginal cells. One allele alters the N terminus of TRX, which severely impairs larval and imaginal growth. Hypomorphic alleles that alter different regions of TRX equivalently reduce function at affected genes, suggesting TRX interacts with common factors at different target genes. All hypomorphic alleles examined complement one another, suggesting cooperative TRX function at target genes. Comparative effects of hypomorphic genotypes support previous findings that TRX has tissue-specific interactions with other factors at each target gene. Some hypomorphic genotypes also produce phenotypes that suggest TRX may be a component of signal transduction pathways that provide tissue- and cell-specific levels of target gene transcription.

scholarly journals New Strategies to Overcome Present CRISPR/Cas9 Limitations in Apple and Pear: Efficient Dechimerization and Base Editing

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Jaiana Malabarba ◽  
Elisabeth Chevreau ◽  
Nicolas Dousset ◽  
Florian Veillet ◽  
Julie Moizan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Cytidine Deaminase ◽  
Acetolactate Synthase ◽  
Nucleotide Substitutions ◽  
Discrete Variation ◽  
Adventitious Regeneration ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Perennial Plants ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Albino Phenotype

Despite recent progress, the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in perennial plants still has many obstacles to overcome. Our previous results with CRISPR/Cas9 in apple and pear indicated the frequent production of phenotypic and genotypic chimeras, after editing of the phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene conferring albino phenotype. Therefore, our first objective was to determine if adding an adventitious regeneration step from leaves of the primary transgenic plants (T0) would allow a reduction in chimerism. Among hundreds of adventitious buds regenerated from a variegated T0 line, 89% were homogeneous albino. Furthermore, the analysis of the target zone sequences of twelve of these regenerated lines (RT0 for “regenerated T0” lines) indicated that 99% of the RT0 alleles were predicted to produce a truncated target protein and that 67% of RT0 plants had less heterogeneous editing profiles than the T0. Base editors are CRISPR/Cas9-derived new genome-editing tools that allow precise nucleotide substitutions without double-stranded breaks. Hence, our second goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of CRISPR/Cas9 base editing in apple and pear using two easily scorable genes: acetolactate synthase—ALS (conferring resistance to chlorsulfuron) and PDS. The two guide RNAs under MdU3 and MdU6 promoters were coupled into a cytidine base editor harboring a cytidine deaminase fused to a nickase Cas9. Using this vector; we induced C-to-T DNA substitutions in the target genes; leading to discrete variation in the amino-acid sequence and generating new alleles. By co-editing ALS and PDS genes; we successfully obtained chlorsulfuron resistant and albino lines in pear. Overall; our work indicates that a regeneration step can efficiently reduce the initial chimerism and could be coupled with the application of base editing to create accurate genome edits in perennial plants.

scholarly journals The EAR Motif in the Arabidopsis MADS Transcription Factor AGAMOUS-Like 15 Is Not Necessary to Promote Somatic Embryogenesis

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 758
Author(s):  
Sanjay Joshi ◽  
Christian Keller ◽  
Sharyn E. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Somatic Embryogenesis ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Domain Family ◽  
Binding Factor ◽  
Ear Motif ◽  
Carboxyl Terminal ◽  
Responsive Element ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

AGAMOUS-like 15 (AGL15) is a member of the MADS domain family of transcription factors (TFs) that can directly induce and repress target gene expression, and for which promotion of somatic embryogenesis (SE) is positively correlated with accumulation. An ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif of form LxLxL within the carboxyl-terminal domain of AGL15 was shown to be involved in repression of gene expression. Here, we examine whether AGL15′s ability to repress gene expression is needed to promote SE. While a form of AGL15 where the LxLxL is changed to AxAxA can still promote SE, another form with a strong transcriptional activator at the carboxy-terminal end, does not promote SE and, in fact, is detrimental to SE development. Select target genes were examined for response to the different forms of AGL15.

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