scholarly journals CRISPR/Cas Derivatives as Novel Gene Modulating Tools: Possibilities and In Vivo Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingbo Xu ◽  
Melanie S. Hulshoff ◽  
Xiaoying Tan ◽  
Michael Zeisberg ◽  
Elisabeth M. Zeisberg
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Zinc Finger Nucleases ◽  
Homing Endonucleases ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Associated Proteins

The field of genome editing started with the discovery of meganucleases (e.g., the LAGLIDADG family of homing endonucleases) in yeast. After the discovery of transcription activator-like effector nucleases and zinc finger nucleases, the recently discovered clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated proteins (Cas) system has opened a new window of applications in the field of gene editing. Here, we review different Cas proteins and their corresponding features including advantages and disadvantages, and we provide an overview of the different endonuclease-deficient Cas protein (dCas) derivatives. These dCas derivatives consist of an endonuclease-deficient Cas9 which can be fused to different effector domains to perform distinct in vitro applications such as tracking, transcriptional activation and repression, as well as base editing. Finally, we review the in vivo applications of these dCas derivatives and discuss their potential to perform gene activation and repression in vivo, as well as their potential future use in human therapy.

Histone deacetylase–mediated transcriptional activation reduces proviral loads in HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (10) ◽  
pp. 3722-3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnès Lezin ◽  
Nicolas Gillet ◽  
Stéphane Olindo ◽  
Aïssatou Signaté ◽  
Nathalie Grandvaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Histone Deacetylase ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Spastic Paraparesis ◽  
Viral Gene Expression ◽  
Tropical Spastic Paraparesis ◽  
Viral Reservoir ◽  
Viral Gene

AbstractEpigenetic modifications of chromatin may play a role in maintaining viral latency and thus persistence of the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), which is responsible for HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). A major determinant of disease progression is increased peripheral blood proviral load (PVL), possibly via the accumulation of infected cells in the central nervous system (CNS) creating a damaging inflammatory response. Current therapeutic approaches that focus on reducing either cell proliferation, viral replication, or tissue invasion are still unsatisfactory. Contrasting with these inhibitory strategies, we evaluated the efficacy of a novel approach aimed, paradoxically, at activating viral gene expression to expose virus-positive cells to the host immune response. We used valproate (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has been used for decades as a chronic, safe treatment for epileptic disorders. Based on in vitro and in vivo data, we provide evidence that transient activation of the latent viral reservoir causes its collapse, a process that may alleviate the condition of HAM/TSP. This represents the first such approach to treating HAM/TSP, using gene activation therapy to tilt the host-pathogen balance in favor of an existing antiviral response. This trial is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/as no. NCT00519181.

scholarly journals Update of Regulatory Options of New Breeding Techniques and Biosafety Approaches among Selected Countries: A Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Silas Obukosia ◽  
Olalekan Akinbo ◽  
Woldeyesus Sinebo ◽  
Moussa Savadogo ◽  
Samuel Timpo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Zinc Finger Nucleases ◽  
Intermediate Step ◽  
Homing Endonucleases ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Genomic Editing ◽  
New Breeding Techniques ◽  
Breeding Techniques

A new set of breeding techniques, referred to as New Breeding Techniques developed in the last two decades have potential for enhancing improved productivity in crop and animal breeding globally. These include site directed nucleases based genomic editing procedures-CRISPR and Cas associated proteins, Zinc Finger Nucleases, Meganucleases/Homing Endonucleases and Transcription- Activator Like-Effector Nucleases for genome editing and other technologies including- Oligonucleotide-Directed Mutagenesis, Cisgenesis and intragenesis, RNA-Dependent DNA methylation; Transgrafting, Agroinfiltration, Reverse breeding. There are ongoing global debates on whether the processes of and products emerging from these technologies should be regulated as genetically modified organisms or approved as conventional products. Decisions on whether to regulate as GMOs are based both on understanding of the molecular basis of their development and if the GMO intermediate step was used. For example- cisgenesis, can be developed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens methods of transformation, a process used by GMO but if the selection is properly conducted the intermediate GMO elements will be eliminated and the final product will be identical to the conventionally developed crops. Others like Site Directed Nuclease 3 are regulated as GMOs in countries such as United State of America, Canada, European Union, Argentina, Australia. Progress in genome editing research, testing of genome edited bacterial blight resistant rice, development of Guidelines for regulating new breeding techniques or genome editing in Africa is also covered with special reference to South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Science- and evidence-based approach to regulation of new breeding techniques among regulators and policy makers should be strongly supported.

scholarly journals In Vivo Requirement of Activator-Specific Binding Targets of Mediator

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 8709-8719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Mo Park ◽  
Hye-Suk Kim ◽  
Sang Jun Han ◽  
Moon-Sun Hwang ◽  
Young Chul Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Dna Interaction ◽  
Activation Process ◽  
Binding Region ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Functional Analyses

ABSTRACT There has been no unequivocal demonstration that the activator binding targets identified in vitro play a key role in transcriptional activation in vivo. To examine whether activator-Mediator interactions are required for gene transcription under physiological conditions, we performed functional analyses with Mediator components that interact specifically with natural yeast activators. Different activators interact with Mediator via distinct binding targets. Deletion of a distinct activator binding region of Mediator completely compromised gene activation in vivo by some, but not all, transcriptional activators. These demonstrate that the activator-specific targets in Mediator are essential for transcriptional activation in living cells, but their requirement was affected by the nature of the activator-DNA interaction and the existence of a postrecruitment activation process.

scholarly journals Cas9-Based Tools for Targeted Genome Editing and Transcriptional Control

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 1544-1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Xu ◽  
Yongchao Li ◽  
Joy D. Van Nostrand ◽  
Zhili He ◽  
Jizhong Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Zinc Finger Nucleases ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

ABSTRACTDevelopment of tools for targeted genome editing and regulation of gene expression has significantly expanded our ability to elucidate the mechanisms of interesting biological phenomena and to engineer desirable biological systems. Recent rapid progress in the study of a clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein system in bacteria has facilitated the development of newly facile and programmable platforms for genome editing and transcriptional control in a sequence-specific manner. The core RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease in the type II CRISPR system has been harnessed to realize gene mutation and DNA deletion and insertion, as well as transcriptional activation and repression, with multiplex targeting ability, just by customizing 20-nucleotide RNA components. Here we describe the molecular basis of the type II CRISPR/Cas system and summarize applications and factors affecting its utilization in model organisms. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Cas9-based tools in comparison with widely used customizable tools, such as Zinc finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nucleases.

scholarly journals A Central Role for Canonical PRC1 in Shaping the 3D Nuclear Landscape

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelagh Boyle ◽  
Ilya M. Flyamer ◽  
Iain Williamson ◽  
Dipta Sengupta ◽  
Wendy A. Bickmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Nuclear Architecture ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
List Type

AbstractPolycomb group (PcG) proteins silence gene expression by chemically and physically modifying chromatin. A subset of PcG target loci are compacted and cluster in the nucleus to form observable bodies; a conformation which is thought to contribute to gene silencing. However, how these interactions influence gross nuclear organisation and their relationship with transcription remains poorly understood. Here we examine the role of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) in shaping 3D genome organization in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Using a combination of imaging and Hi-C analyses we show that PRC1-mediated long-range interactions are independent of CTCF and can bridge sites at a megabase scale. Impairment of PRC1 enzymatic activity does not directly disrupt these interactions. We demonstrate that PcG targets coalesce in vivo, and that developmentally induced expression of one of the target loci disrupts this spatial arrangement. Finally, we show that transcriptional activation and the loss of PRC1-mediated interactions are seperable events. These findings provide important insights into the function of PRC1, whilst highlighting the complexity of this regulatory system.HighlightsLoss of RING1B substantially disrupts nuclear architecture.PRC1 mediated looping can occur at a Mb scale and is independent of CTCF.Polycomb mediated looping is driven by canonical PRC1 complexes.Multimeric PRC1-mediated interactions occur in vitro and in vivo.Disruption of PRC1-mediated looping is independent of gene activation.

Butyrate induces selective transcriptional activation of a hypomethylated embryonic globin gene in adult erythroid cells

Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1536-1542
Author(s):  
LJ Burns ◽  
JG Glauber ◽  
GD Ginder
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Butyrate ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Globin Gene ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Erythroid Cells ◽  
Hemoglobin Switching ◽  
High Level

An animal model of hemoglobin switching has been developed in which anemic adult chickens are treated with 5-azacytidine and sodium butyrate or alpha-aminobutyric acid, thereby resulting in activation of the embryonic rho-globin gene in adult erythroid cells. In vitro nuclear runoff transcription assays using erythroid nuclei from treated birds show that the mechanism of activation of the rho-globin gene is transcriptional whereas no transcriptional activation of the embryonic epsilon-globin gene occurs. The action of 5-azacytidine appears to be as an inhibitor of DNA methylation because other S-phase active cytotoxic drugs, when substituted for 5-azacytidine, do not cause demethylation of the embryonic globin genes, nor do they allow transcriptional activation to occur. Embryonic rho-globin gene activation in this model is not due to selection of primitive erythroid cells since a subpopulation of primitive erythroid cells is not evident either morphologically or when cells are probed for embryonic and adult globin RNA by in situ hybridization. These studies show that demethylation by 5-azacytidine is a prerequisite but not sufficient cis- regulatory event for a high level of transcriptional activation of the embryonic rho-globin gene in adult erythroid cells in vivo. The possible basis for the selective transcriptional activation by sodium butyrate in this system is discussed.

scholarly journals CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing strategies in cardiovascular cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 894-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Vermersch ◽  
Charlène Jouve ◽  
Jean-Sébastien Hulot
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Zinc Finger Nucleases ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Cardiovascular Cells ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

Abstract Cardiovascular diseases are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Western countries and considered as a leading public health issue. Therefore, there is a strong need for new disease models to support the development of novel therapeutics approaches. The successive improvement of genome editing tools with zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and more recently with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) has enabled the generation of genetically modified cells and organisms with much greater efficiency and precision than before. The simplicity of CRISPR/Cas9 technology made it especially suited for different studies, both in vitro and in vivo, and has been used in multiple studies evaluating gene functions, disease modelling, transcriptional regulation, and testing of novel therapeutic approaches. Notably, with the parallel development of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), the generation of knock-out and knock-in human cell lines significantly increased our understanding of mutation impacts and physiopathological mechanisms within the cardiovascular domain. Here, we review the recent development of CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing, the alternative tools, the available strategies to conduct genome editing in cardiovascular cells with a focus on its use for correcting mutations in vitro and in vivo both in germ and somatic cells. We will also highlight that, despite its potential, CRISPR/Cas9 technology comes with important technical and ethical limitations. The development of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for cardiovascular diseases indeed requires to develop a specific strategy in order to optimize the design of the genome editing tools, the manipulation of DNA repair mechanisms, the packaging and delivery of the tools to the studied organism, and the assessment of their efficiency and safety.

scholarly journals Transcriptional Activation by Bacillus subtilis ResD: Tandem Binding to Target Elements and Phosphorylation-Dependent and -Independent Transcriptional Activation

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (7) ◽  
pp. 2028-2037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Geng ◽  
Shunji Nakano ◽  
Michiko M. Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Oxygen Limitation ◽  
Nitrate Respiration ◽  
Expression Of Genes

ABSTRACT The expression of genes involved in nitrate respiration in Bacillus subtilis is regulated by the ResD-ResE two-component signal transduction system. The membrane-bound ResE sensor kinase perceives a redox-related signal(s) and phosphorylates the cognate response regulator ResD, which enables interaction of ResD with ResD-dependent promoters to activate transcription. Hydroxyl radical footprinting analysis revealed that ResD tandemly binds to the −41 to −83 region of hmp and the −46 to −92 region of nasD. In vitro runoff transcription experiments showed that ResD is necessary and sufficient to activate transcription of the ResDE regulon. Although phosphorylation of ResD by ResE kinase greatly stimulated transcription, unphosphorylated ResD, as well as ResD with a phosphorylation site (Asp57) mutation, was able to activate transcription at a low level. The D57A mutant was shown to retain the activity in vivo to induce transcription of the ResDE regulon in response to oxygen limitation, suggesting that ResD itself, in addition to its activation through phosphorylation-mediated conformation change, senses oxygen limitation via an unknown mechanism leading to anaerobic gene activation.

scholarly journals Butyrate induces selective transcriptional activation of a hypomethylated embryonic globin gene in adult erythroid cells

Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1536-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Burns ◽  
JG Glauber ◽  
GD Ginder
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Butyrate ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Globin Gene ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Erythroid Cells ◽  
Hemoglobin Switching ◽  
High Level

Abstract An animal model of hemoglobin switching has been developed in which anemic adult chickens are treated with 5-azacytidine and sodium butyrate or alpha-aminobutyric acid, thereby resulting in activation of the embryonic rho-globin gene in adult erythroid cells. In vitro nuclear runoff transcription assays using erythroid nuclei from treated birds show that the mechanism of activation of the rho-globin gene is transcriptional whereas no transcriptional activation of the embryonic epsilon-globin gene occurs. The action of 5-azacytidine appears to be as an inhibitor of DNA methylation because other S-phase active cytotoxic drugs, when substituted for 5-azacytidine, do not cause demethylation of the embryonic globin genes, nor do they allow transcriptional activation to occur. Embryonic rho-globin gene activation in this model is not due to selection of primitive erythroid cells since a subpopulation of primitive erythroid cells is not evident either morphologically or when cells are probed for embryonic and adult globin RNA by in situ hybridization. These studies show that demethylation by 5-azacytidine is a prerequisite but not sufficient cis- regulatory event for a high level of transcriptional activation of the embryonic rho-globin gene in adult erythroid cells in vivo. The possible basis for the selective transcriptional activation by sodium butyrate in this system is discussed.

scholarly journals Emerging applications of genome-editing technology to examine functionality of GWAS-associated variants for complex traits

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 510-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. P. Smith ◽  
Panos Deloukas ◽  
Patricia B. Munroe
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Causal Variant ◽  
Zinc Finger Nucleases ◽  
Strong Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Base Editing

Over the last decade, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have propelled the discovery of thousands of loci associated with complex diseases. The focus is now turning toward the function of these association signals, determining the causal variant(s) among those in strong linkage disequilibrium, and identifying their underlying mechanisms, such as long-range gene regulation. Genome-editing techniques utilizing zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats with Cas9 nuclease (CRISPR-Cas9) are becoming the tools of choice to establish functionality for these variants, due to the ability to assess effects of single variants in vivo. This review will discuss examples of how these technologies have begun to aid functional analysis of GWAS loci for complex traits such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, and autoimmune disease. We focus on analysis of variants occurring within noncoding genomic regions, as these comprise the majority of GWAS variants, providing the greatest challenges to determining functionality, and compare editing strategies that provide different levels of evidence for variant functionality. The review describes molecular insights into some of these potentially causal variants and how these may relate to the pathology of the trait and look toward future directions for these technologies in post-GWAS analysis, such as base-editing.

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