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Protein delivery using Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domains.

ABSTRACT: The development of new methods for delivering proteins into cells is a central challenge for advancing both basic research and therapeutic applications. We previously reported that zinc-finger nuclease proteins are intrinsically cell-permeable due to the cell-penetrating activity of the Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domain. Here, we demonstrate that genetically fused zinc-finger motifs can transport proteins and enzymes into a wide range of primary and transformed mammalian cell types. We show that zinc-finger domains mediate protein uptake at efficiencies that exceed conventional protein transduction systems and do so without compromising enzyme activity. In addition, we demonstrate that zinc-finger proteins enter cells primarily through macropinocytosis and facilitate high levels of cytosolic delivery. These findings establish zinc-finger proteins as not only useful tools for targeted genome engineering but also effective reagents for protein delivery.

SUBMITTER: Gaj T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4519095 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Protein delivery using Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domains.

Gaj Thomas T Liu Jia J Anderson Kimberly E KE Sirk Shannon J SJ Barbas Carlos F CF

ACS chemical biology 20140619 8

The development of new methods for delivering proteins into cells is a central challenge for advancing both basic research and therapeutic applications. We previously reported that zinc-finger nuclease proteins are intrinsically cell-permeable due to the cell-penetrating activity of the Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domain. Here, we demonstrate that genetically fused zinc-finger motifs can transport proteins and enzymes into a wide range of primary and transformed mammalian cell types. We show that zinc ...[more]

PMID: 24936957

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Direct protein delivery to mammalian cells using cell-permeable Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domains.

Project description:Due to their modularity and ability to be reprogrammed to recognize a wide range of DNA sequences, Cys2-His2 zinc-finger DNA-binding domains have emerged as useful tools for targeted genome engineering. Like many other DNA-binding proteins, zinc-fingers also possess the innate ability to cross cell membranes. We recently demonstrated that this intrinsic cell-permeability could be leveraged for intracellular protein delivery. Genetic fusion of zinc-finger motifs leads to efficient transport of protein and enzyme cargo into a broad range of mammalian cell types. Unlike other protein transduction technologies, delivery via zinc-finger domains does not inhibit enzyme activity and leads to high levels of cytosolic delivery. Here a detailed step-by-step protocol is presented for the implementation of zinc-finger technology for protein delivery into mammalian cells. Key steps for achieving high levels of intracellular zinc-finger-mediated delivery are highlighted and strategies for maximizing the performance of this system are discussed.

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Exploring the recognition of quadruplex DNA by an engineered Cys2-His2 zinc finger protein.

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Arabidopsis Cys2/His2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factor ZAT18 Modulates the Plant Growth-Defense Tradeoff.

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Cys2/His2 zinc-finger protein family of petunia: evolution and general mechanism of target-sequence recognition.

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The Arabidopsis Cys2/His2 zinc finger transcription factor ZAT18 is a positive regulator of plant tolerance to drought stress.

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Characterization of the ZCTs, a subgroup of Cys2-His2 zinc finger transcription factors regulating alkaloid biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus.

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Sda1, a Cys2-His2 zinc finger transcription factor, is involved in polyol metabolism and fumonisin B1 production in Fusarium verticillioides.

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| S-EPMC3700993 | biostudies-literature

BnLATE, a Cys2/His2-Type Zinc-Finger Protein, Enhances Silique Shattering Resistance by Negatively Regulating Lignin Accumulation in the Silique Walls of Brassica napus.

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| S-EPMC5231383 | biostudies-literature

RID1, encoding a Cys2/His2-type zinc finger transcription factor, acts as a master switch from vegetative to floral development in rice.

Project description:Transition from the vegetative phase to reproductive phase is a crucial process in the life cycle of higher plants. Although the molecular mechanisms of flowering regulation have been extensively characterized in a number of plant species, little is known regarding how the transition process initiates. Here, we show that the Rice Indeterminate 1 (RID1) gene acts as the master switch for the transition from the vegetative to reproductive phase. RID1 encodes a Cys-2/His-2-type zinc finger transcription factor that does not have an ortholog in Arabidopsis spp. A RID1 knockout (rid1), mutated by T-DNA insertion, never headed after growing for >500 days under a range of growth conditions and is thus referred to as a never-flowering phenotype. This mutation-suppressed expression of the genes is known to be involved in flowering regulation, especially in the Ehd1/Hd3a pathway and a series of RFT homologs. RID1 seems to be independent of the circadian clock. A model was proposed to place RID1 in the molecular pathways of flowering regulation in rice, for which there are two indispensable elements. In the first, RID1 is controlling the phase transition and initiation of floral induction. In the other, the Hd3a/RFL1/FTL complex acts as the immediate inducer of flowering. Loss of function in either element would cause never-flowering. Once the phase transition is induced with the activation of RID1, flowering signal is transduced and regulated through the various pathways and eventually integrated with FT-like proteins to induce flowering.

| S-EPMC2529042 | biostudies-literature

Global analysis of Drosophila Cys2-His2 zinc finger proteins reveals a multitude of novel recognition motifs and binding determinants.

Project description:Cys2-His2 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are the largest group of transcription factors in higher metazoans. A complete characterization of these ZFPs and their associated target sequences is pivotal to fully annotate transcriptional regulatory networks in metazoan genomes. As a first step in this process, we have characterized the DNA-binding specificities of 130 Zinc finger sets from Drosophila melanogaster using a bacterial one-hybrid system. This data set contains the DNA-binding specificities for at least one encoded ZFP from 71 unique genes and 22 alternate splice isoforms. This represents the largest block of characterized ZFPs from any organism described to date. These recognition motifs can be used to predict genomic binding sites and potential regulatory targets for these factors within the fruit fly genome. We have characterized subsets of fingers from these ZFPs to define the correct orientation and register of the zinc fingers on their defined binding sites. By correlating individual fingers with motif subsites, we can assign finger specificity throughout each ZFP. This reveals the diversity of recognition potential within the naturally-occurring zinc fingers of a single organism, where the characterized fingers can specify 47 of the 64 possible DNA triplets. To confirm the utility of our finger recognition models, we have employed subsets of Drosophila fingers in combination with an existing archive of zinc finger modules to create ZFPs with novel DNA-binding specificity. These finger combinations can be used to create novel functional Zinc Finger Nucleases for editing vertebrate genomes.

2012-12-06 | GSE42709 | GEO

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