scholarly journals Guide RNA requirement for editing-site-specific endonucleolytic cleavage of preedited mRNA by mitochondrial ribonucleoprotein particles in Trypanosoma brucei.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 5377-5385 ◽  
Author(s):  
B K Adler ◽  
S L Hajduk

RNA editing in trypanosome mitochondria entails the posttranscriptional internal addition and occasional deletion of uridines from precursor mRNAs. Ample evidence exists to show that the information specifying the site and number of uridines added or deleted comes from small, mitochondrially encoded guide RNAs (gRNAs). More recent work indicates that the process involves an enzymatic cascade, initiating with an endonucleolytic cleavage of the pre-mRNA at an editing site. The cleaved editing site can undergo uridine (U) addition to or deletion from the 3' end of the 5' fragment via a mitochondrial terminal uridylyl transferase (TUTase) or terminal uridylyl exonuclease, respectively. Mitochondrial RNA ligase subsequently rejoins the mRNA. Activities to carry out these processes have been found in trypanosome mitochondria, including an editing-site-specific endonuclease activity which cleaves preedited but not edited mRNAs. We have found that this enzymatic activity cosediments with the same 19S ribonucleoprotein particle previously shown to contain TUTase, RNA ligase, and gRNAs and remains stable after salt treatment. Depletion of endogenous cytochrome b gRNAs by the addition of complementary oligonucleotides in vitro completely inhibits editing-site cleavage of synthetic preedited cytochrome b mRNA. The addition of synthetic cognate gRNA for cytochrome b but not unrelated small RNA restores editing-site cleavage. These studies show that in addition to specifying the site and number of uridines added or deleted, gRNAs provide the necessary information for cleavage by the editing-site-specific endonuclease.

1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 2933-2941 ◽  
Author(s):  
L N Rusché ◽  
K J Piller ◽  
B Sollner-Webb

RNA editing in kinetoplast mitochondrial transcripts involves the insertion and/or deletion of uridine residues and is directed by guide RNAs (gRNAs). It is thought to occur through a chimeric intermediate in which the 3' oligo(U) tail of the gRNA is covalently joined to the 3' portion of the mRNA at the site being edited. Chimeras have been proposed to be formed by a transesterification reaction but could also be formed by the known mitochondrial site-specific nuclease and RNA ligase. To distinguish between these models, we studied chimera formation in vitro directed by a trypanosome mitochondrial extract. This reaction was found to occur in two steps. First, the mRNA is cleaved in the 3' portion of the editing domain, and then the 3' fragment derived from this cleavage is ligated to the gRNA. The isolated mRNA 3' cleavage product is a more efficient substrate for chimera formation than is the intact mRNA, inconsistent with a transesterification mechanism but supporting a nuclease-ligase mechanism. Also, when normal mRNA cleavage is inhibited by the presence of a phosphorothioate, normal chimera formation no longer occurs. Rather, this phosphorothioate induces both cleavage and chimera formation at a novel site within the editing domain. Finally, levels of chimera-forming activity correlate with levels of mitochondrial RNA ligase activity when reactions are conducted under conditions which inhibit the ligase, including the lack of ATP containing a cleavable alpha-beta bond. These data show that chimera formation in the mitochondrial extract occurs by a nuclease-ligase mechanism rather than by transesterification.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 8447-8457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Igo ◽  
Setareh S. Palazzo ◽  
Moffett L. K. Burgess ◽  
Aswini K. Panigrahi ◽  
Kenneth Stuart

ABSTRACT RNA editing in Trypanosoma brucei inserts and deletes uridylates (U's) in mitochondrial pre-mRNAs under the direction of guide RNAs (gRNAs). We report here the development of a novel in vitro precleaved editing assay and its use to study the gRNA specificity of the U addition and RNA ligation steps in insertion RNA editing. The 5′ fragment of substrate RNA accumulated with the number of added U's specified by gRNA, and U addition products with more than the specified number of U's were rare. U addition up to the number specified occurred in the absence of ligation, but accumulation of U addition products was slowed. The 5′ fragments with the correct number of added U's were preferentially ligated, apparently by adenylylated RNA ligase since exogenously added ATP was not required and since ligation was eliminated by treatment with pyrophosphate. gRNA-specified U addition was apparent in the absence of ligation when the pre-mRNA immediately upstream of the editing site was single stranded and more so when it was base paired with gRNA. These results suggest that both the U addition and RNA ligation steps contributed to the precision of RNA editing.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 4584-4589 ◽  
Author(s):  
G C Frech ◽  
L Simpson

An RNA editing-like internal uridine (U) incorporation activity (G. C. Frech, N. Bakalara, L Simpson, and A. M. Simpson, EMBO J. 14:178-187, 1995) and a 3'-terminal U addition activity (N. Bakalara, A. M. Simpson, and L. Simpson, J. Biol. Chem. 264:18679-18686, 1989) have been previously described by using a mitochondrial extract from Leishmania tarentolae. Chiral phosphorothioates were used to investigate the stereoconfiguration requirements and the stereochemical course of these nucleotidyl transfer reactions. The extract utilizes (SP)-alpha-S-UTP for both 3' and internal U incorporation into substrate RNA. The internal as well as the 3' incorporation of (SP)-alpha-S-UTP proceeds via inversion of the stereoconfiguration. Furthermore, internal U incorporation does not occur at sites containing thiophosphodiesters of the RP configuration. Our results are compatible with an enzyme cascade model for this in vitro U insertion activity involving sequential endonuclease and uridylyl transferase directly from UTP and RNA ligase steps and are incompatible with models involving the transfer of U residues from the 3' ends of guide RNAs.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 2629-2639
Author(s):  
L K Read ◽  
H U Göringer ◽  
K Stuart

RNA editing in kinetoplastids probably employs a macromolecular complex, the editosome, that is likely to include the guide RNAs (gRNAs) which specify the edited sequence. Specific ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes which form in vitro with gRNAs (H. U. Göringer, D. J. Koslowsky, T. H. Morales, and K. D. Stuart, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, in press) are potential editosomes or their precursors. We find that several factors are important for in vitro formation of these RNP complexes and identify specific gRNA-binding proteins present in the complexes. Preedited mRNA promotes the in vitro formation of the four major gRNA-containing RNP complexes under some conditions but is required for the formation of only a subcomponent of one complex. The 5' gRNA sequence encompassing the RYAYA and anchor regions and the 3' gRNA oligo(U) tail are both important in complex formation, since their deletion results in a dramatic decrease of some complexes and the absence of others. UV cross-linking experiments identify several proteins which are in contact with gRNA and preedited mRNA in mitochondrial extracts. Proteins of 25 and 90 kDa are highly specific for gRNAs, and the 90-kDa protein binds specifically to gRNA oligo(U) tails. The gRNA-binding proteins exhibit a differential distribution between the four in vitro-formed complexes. These experiments reveal several proteins potentially involved in RNA editing and indicate that multiple recognition elements in gRNAs are used for complex formation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1410-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Corell ◽  
L K Read ◽  
G R Riley ◽  
J K Nellissery ◽  
T E Allen ◽  
...  

Transcripts from many mitochondrial genes in kinetoplastids undergo RNA editing, a posttranscriptional process which inserts and deletes uridines. By assaying for deletion editing in vitro, we found that the editing activity from Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial lysates (S.D. Seiwert and K.D. Stuart), Science 266:114-117,1994) sediments with a peak of approximately 20S. RNA helicase, terminal uridylyl transferase, RNA ligase, and adenylation activities, which may have a role in editing, cosediment in a broad distribution, with most of each activity at 35 to 40S. Most ATPase 6 (A6) guide RNA and unedited A6 mRNA sediments at 20 to 30S, with some sedimenting further into the gradient, while most edited A6 mRNA sediments at >35S. Several mitochondrial proteins which cross-link specifically with guide RNA upon UV treatment also sediment in glycerol gradients. Notably, a 65-kDa protein sediments primarily at approximately 20S, a 90-kDa protein sediments at 35 to 40S, and a 25-kDa protein is present at <10S. Most ribonucleoprotein complexes that form with gRNA in vitro sediment at 10 to 20S, except for one, which sediments at 30 to 45S. These results suggest that RNA editing takes place within a multicomponent complex. The potential functions of and relationships between the 20S and 35 to 40S complexes are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Spate ◽  
K. M. Whitworth ◽  
C. W. O'Gorman ◽  
A. K. Byrne ◽  
R. S. Prather ◽  
...  

The use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has become increasingly popular for creating gene edits in both cell and embryo culture. High specificity and efficiency of editing as well as low cost and ease of use has helped to promote its use. We hypothesised that by using multiple CRISPR guides at one time, we could quickly create exact deletions spanning greater areas of sequence. A total of 5 candidate genes (A, B, C, D, E) were targeted for deletions ranging in size of 74 to 551 bp. All modifications were created through the co-injection of 2 CRISPR guide RNAs with Cas9 RNA into in vitro-produced presumptive porcine zygotes. The CRISPR guides were created using gBlocks containing the T7 promoter sequence, 18–24 bp of CRISPR guide RNA, and 85 bp of tracer RNA. The RNA structure of each guide was reviewed using RNA Folding Form as well as offsite cutting using NCBI Blast. CRISPR guide RNA pairs (20 ng μL−1) and Cas9 RNA (20 ng μL−1) were co-injected (1–3 ρl) into the cytoplasm of IVF produced porcine zygotes using the FemtoJet 4i injector. Following injections, the zygotes were cultured in vitro for 5–6 days, and viable blastocyst or morula were selected for embryo transfer into recipient gilts. Resulting pigs were assayed for expected modifications using PCR. Pigs were considered modified if an insertion or deletion was measured by gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Only one pair of CRISPR guides was injected per zygote, resulting in an individual PCR assay for the gene of interest. In total, 42 live piglets were born, 24 of which were edited, yielding 57% modification. When expected modifications v. observed were analysed, only 4 of 24 pigs (16%) produced the predicted modification on at least one allele. Of the remaining 20 pigs, several showed more than one form of modification. Insertions of ranging from 1 to 400 bp were detected in 10 pigs, 9 pigs formed biallelic modifications, 6 pigs produced altered sequence for greater than 2 alleles (mosaic), 6 pigs had deletions larger than the expected ranging from 11 to 1739 bp, and 14 had deletions smaller than the expected. Due to the absence of plasmid during injections, the insertions observed contained repetitive elements from the gene being modified as well as random additional bases. Additionally, CRISPR pairs were used in cell culture of porcine fibroblast modifying gene F, where they produced 6 different deletions ranging from the expected 63b to 617 bp. We recognise that the cutting efficiency of each CRISPR guide was not measured, as our goal was to create the expected deletions from pairs of CRISPR guides. We acknowledge our hypothesis was incorrect, as this data indicates that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is a very useful tool for gene editing, however it can induce unexpected modifications when used in pairs, in cell and embryo culture. Study was supported by funding from Food for the 21st Century and NIH (U42OD011140).


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1567-1576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Igo ◽  
Sobomabo D. Lawson ◽  
Kenneth Stuart

ABSTRACT RNA editing inserts and deletes uridylates (U's) in kinetoplastid mitochondrial pre-mRNAs by a series of enzymatic steps. Small guide RNAs (gRNAs) specify the edited sequence. Editing, though sometimes extensive, is precise. The effects of mutating pre-mRNA and gRNA sequences in, around, and upstream of the editing site on the specificity and efficiency of in vitro insertion editing were examined. U's could be added opposite guiding pyrimidines, but guiding purines, particularly A's, were required for efficient ligation. A base pair between mRNA and gRNA immediately upstream of the editing site was not required for insertion editing, although it greatly enhanced its efficiency and accuracy. In addition, a gRNA/mRNA duplex upstream of the editing site enhanced insertion editing when it was close to the editing site, but prevented cleavage, and hence editing, when immediately adjacent to the editing site. Thus, several aspects of mRNA-gRNA interaction, as well as gRNA base pairing with added U's, optimize editing efficiency, although they are not required for insertion editing.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sway P. Chen ◽  
Harris H. Wang

ABSTRACTEfficient targeted insertion of heterologous DNA into a genome remains a challenge in genome engineering. Recombinases that can introduce kilobase-sized DNA constructs require pre-existing recombination sites to be present in the genome and are difficult to reprogram to other loci. Genome insertion using current CRISPR-Cas methods relies on host DNA repair machinery, which is generally inefficient. Here, we describe a Cas-Transposon (CasTn) system for genomic insertions that uses a transposase fused to a catalytically-dead dCas9 nuclease to mediate programmable, site-specific transposition. CasTn combines the power of the Himar1 transposase, which inserts multi-kb DNA transposons into TA dinucleotides by a cut-and-paste mechanism, and the targeting capability of Cas9, which uses guide-RNAs to bind to specific DNA sequences. Using in vitro assays, we demonstrated that Himar-dCas9 proteins increased the frequency of transposon insertions at a single targeted TA dinucleotide by >300-fold compared to an untargeted transposase, and that site-specific transposition is dependent on target choice while robust to log-fold variations in protein and DNA concentrations. We then showed that Himar-dCas9 mediates site-specific transposition into a target plasmid in E. coli. This work provides CasTn as a new method for host-independent, programmable, targeted DNA insertions to expand the genomic engineering toolbox.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofir Yaish ◽  
Maor Asif ◽  
Yaron Orenstein

AbstractCRISPR/Cas9 system is widely used in a broad range of gene-editing applications. While this gene-editing technique is quite accurate in the target region, there may be many unplanned off-target edited sites. Consequently, a plethora of computational methods have been developed to predict off-target cleavage sites given a guide RNA and a reference genome. However, these methods are based on small-scale datasets (only tens to hundreds of off-target sites) produced by experimental techniques to detect off-target sites with a low signal-to-noise ratio. Recently, CHANGE-seq, a new in vitro experimental technique to detect off-target sites, was used to produce a dataset of unprecedented scale and quality (more than 200,000 off-target sites over 110 guide RNAs). In addition, the same study included GUIDE-seq experiments for 58 of the guide RNAs to produce in vivo measurements of off-target sites. Here, we fill the gap in previous computational methods by utilizing these data to perform a systematic evaluation of data processing and formulation of the CRISPR off-target site prediction problem. Our evaluations show that data transformation as a pre-processing phase is critical prior to model training. Moreover, we demonstrate the improvement gained by adding potential inactive off-target sites to the training datasets. Furthermore, our results point to the importance of adding the number of mismatches between the guide RNA and the off-target site as a feature. Finally, we present predictive off-target in vivo models based on transfer learning from in vitro. Our conclusions will be instrumental to any future development of an off-target predictor based on high-throughput datasets.


eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naga Suresh Adapala ◽  
Gaurav Swarnkar ◽  
Manoj Arra ◽  
Jie Shen ◽  
Gabriel Mbalaviele ◽  
...  

Inflammatory osteolysis is governed by exacerbated osteoclastogenesis. Ample evidence points to central role of NF-κB in such pathologic responses, yet the precise mechanisms underpinning specificity of these responses remain unclear. We propose that motifs of the scaffold protein IKKγ/NEMO partly facilitate such functions. As proof-of-principle, we used site-specific mutagenesis to examine the role of NEMO in mediating RANKL-induced signaling in mouse bone marrow macrophages, known as osteoclast precursors. We identified lysine (K)270 as a target regulating RANKL signaling as K270A substitution results in exuberant osteoclastogenesis in vitro and murine inflammatory osteolysis in vivo. Mechanistically, we discovered that K270A mutation disrupts autophagy, stabilizes NEMO, and elevates inflammatory burden. Specifically, K270A directly or indirectly hinders binding of NEMO to ISG15, a ubiquitin-like protein, which we show targets the modified proteins to autophagy-mediated lysosomal degradation. Taken together, our findings suggest that NEMO serves as a toolkit to fine-tune specific signals in physiologic and pathologic conditions.


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