scholarly journals Enhanced proofreading governs CRISPR-Cas9 targeting accuracy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice S. Chen ◽  
Yavuz S. Dagdas ◽  
Benjamin P. Kleinstiver ◽  
Moira M. Welch ◽  
Lucas B. Harrington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Cas9 Nuclease ◽  
Target Activity ◽  
Targeting Accuracy

The RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) has been widely repurposed for genome editing1-4. High-fidelity (SpCas9-HF1) and enhanced specificity (eSpCas9(1.1)) variants exhibit substantially reduced off-target cleavage in human cells, but the mechanism of target discrimination and the potential to further improve fidelity were unknown5-9. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments, we show that both SpCas9-HF1 and eSpCas9(1.1) are trapped in an inactive state10 when bound to mismatched targets. We find that a non-catalytic domain within Cas9, REC3, recognizes target mismatches and governs the HNH nuclease to regulate overall catalytic competence. Exploiting this observation, we identified residues within REC3 involved in mismatch sensing and designed a new hyper-accurate Cas9 variant (HypaCas9) that retains robust on-target activity in human cells. These results offer a more comprehensive model to rationalize and modify the balance between target recognition and nuclease activation for precision genome editing.

scholarly journals Real-time observation of Cas9 postcatalytic domain motions

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. e2010650118
Author(s):  
Yanbo Wang ◽  
John Mallon ◽  
Haobo Wang ◽  
Digvijay Singh ◽  
Myung Hyun Jo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Dna Cleavage ◽  
Recent Observation ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Potential Interaction ◽  
Cleavage Activity ◽  
Time Observation ◽  
Domain Motions

CRISPR-Cas9 fromStreptococcus pyogenesis an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease, which has become the most popular genome editing tool. Coordinated domain motions of Cas9 prior to DNA cleavage have been extensively characterized but our understanding of Cas9 conformations postcatalysis is limited. Because Cas9 can remain stably bound to the cleaved DNA for hours, its postcatalytic conformation may influence genome editing mechanisms. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to characterize the HNH domain motions of Cas9 that are coupled with cleavage activity of the target strand (TS) or nontarget strand (NTS) of DNA substrate. We reveal an NTS-cleavage-competent conformation following the HNH domain conformational activation. The 3′ flap generated by NTS cleavage can be rapidly digested by a 3′ to 5′ single-stranded DNA-specific exonuclease, indicating Cas9 exposes the 3′ flap for potential interaction with the DNA repair machinery. We find evidence that the HNH domain is highly flexible post-TS cleavage, explaining a recent observation that the HNH domain was not visible in a postcatalytic cryo-EM structure. Our results illuminate previously unappreciated regulatory roles of DNA cleavage activity on Cas9’s conformation and suggest possible biotechnological applications.

scholarly journals NmeCas9 is an intrinsically high-fidelity genome editing platform

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Amrani ◽  
Xin D. Gao ◽  
Pengpeng Liu ◽  
Alireza Edraki ◽  
Aamir Mir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Adeno Associated Virus ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cas9 Protein ◽  
Mammalian Genomes ◽  
Editing Enzyme ◽  
Target Activity

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe development of CRISPR genome editing has transformed biomedical research. Most applications reported thus far rely upon the Cas9 protein from Streptococcus pyogenes SF370 (SpyCas9). With many RNA guides, wild-type SpyCas9 can induce significant levels of unintended mutations at near-cognate sites, necessitating substantial efforts toward the development of strategies to minimize off-target activity. Although the genome-editing potential of thousands of other Cas9 orthologs remains largely untapped, it is not known how many will require similarly extensive engineering to achieve single-site accuracy within large (e.g. mammalian) genomes. In addition to its off-targeting propensity, SpyCas9 is encoded by a relatively large (~4.2 kb) open reading frame, limiting its utility in applications that require size-restricted delivery strategies such as adeno-associated virus vectors. In contrast, some genome-editing-validated Cas9 orthologs (e.g. from Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuni, Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Neisseria meningitidis) are considerably smaller and therefore better suited for viral delivery.ResultsHere we show that wild-type NmeCas9, when programmed with guide sequences of natural length (24 nucleotides), exhibits a nearly complete absence of unintended editing in human cells, even when targeting sites that are prone to off-target activity with wildtype SpyCas9. We also validate at least six variant protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs), in addition to the preferred consensus PAM (5’-N4GATT-3’), for NmeCas9 genome editing in human cells.ConclusionsOur results show that NmeCas9 is a naturally high-fidelity genome editing enzyme and suggest that additional Cas9 orthologs may prove to exhibit similarly high accuracy, even without extensive engineering.

Structural dynamics of P-type ATPase ion pumps

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1247-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Dyla ◽  
Sara Basse Hansen ◽  
Poul Nissen ◽  
Magnus Kjaergaard
Keyword(s):  
Structural Dynamics ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
P Type

Abstract P-type ATPases transport ions across biological membranes against concentration gradients and are essential for all cells. They use the energy from ATP hydrolysis to propel large intramolecular movements, which drive vectorial transport of ions. Tight coordination of the motions of the pump is required to couple the two spatially distant processes of ion binding and ATP hydrolysis. Here, we review our current understanding of the structural dynamics of P-type ATPases, focusing primarily on Ca2+ pumps. We integrate different types of information that report on structural dynamics, primarily time-resolved fluorescence experiments including single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer and molecular dynamics simulations, and interpret them in the framework provided by the numerous crystal structures of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. We discuss the challenges in characterizing the dynamics of membrane pumps, and the likely impact of new technologies on the field.

Monitoring the Structural Dynamics of U2 snRNA Via Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Carl DeHaven
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Structural Dynamics ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Förster Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
U2 Snrna ◽  
Folding Dynamics ◽  
The Impact

This thesis contains four topic areas: a review of single-molecule microscropy methods and splicing, conformational dynamics of stem II of the U2 snRNA, the impact of post-transcriptional modifications on U2 snRNA folding dynamics, and preliminary findings on Mango aptamer folding dynamics.

Towards Single-Molecule Diagnostics Using Microfluidic Manipulation and Quantum Dot Nanosensors

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chih Yeh ◽  
Christopher M. Puleo ◽  
Yi-Ping Ho ◽  
Tza-Huei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Quantum Dot ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Single Molecule Detection ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Low Volume

In this report, we review several single-molecule detection (SMD) methods and newly developed nanocrystal-mediated single-fluorophore strategies for ultrasensitive and specific analysis of genomic sequences. These include techniques, such as quantum dot (QD)-mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology and dual-color fluorescence coincidence and colocalization analysis, which allow separation-free detection of low-abundance DNA sequences and mutational analysis of oncogenes. Microfluidic approaches developed for use with single-molecule detection to achieve rapid, low-volume, and quantitative analysis of nucleic acids, such as electrokinetic manipulation of single molecules and confinement of sub-nanoliter samples using microfluidic networks integrated with valves, are also discussed.

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