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MiniCAFE, a CRISPR/Cas9-based compact and potent transcriptional activator, elicits gene expression in vivo.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR-mediated gene activation (CRISPRa) is a promising therapeutic gene editing strategy without inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, in vivo implementation of these CRISPRa systems remains a challenge. Here, we report a compact and robust miniCas9 activator (termed miniCAFE) for in vivo activation of endogenous target genes. The system relies on recruitment of an engineered minimal nuclease-null Cas9 from Campylobacter jejuni and potent transcriptional activators to a target locus by a single guide RNA. It enables robust gene activation in human cells even with a single DNA copy and is able to promote lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans through activation of longevity-regulating genes. As proof-of-concept, delivered within an all-in-one adeno-associated virus (AAV), miniCAFE can activate Fgf21 expression in the liver and regulate energy metabolism in adult mice. Thus, miniCAFE holds great therapeutic potential against human diseases.

SUBMITTER: Zhang X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8053112 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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MiniCAFE, a CRISPR/Cas9-based compact and potent transcriptional activator, elicits gene expression in nematodes, mice and human cells

Project description:CRISPR-mediated gene activation (CRISPRa) is a promising therapeutic gene editing strategy without inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, in vivo implementation of these CRISPRa systems remains a challenge. Here, we report a compact and robust miniCas9 activator (termed miniCAFE) for in vivo activation of endogenous target genes. The system relies on recruitment of an engineered minimal nuclease-null Cas9 from Campylobacter jejuni and potent transcriptional activators to a target locus by a single guide RNA. It enables robust gene activation in human cells even with a single DNA copy and is able to promote lifespan of C. elegans through activation of longevity-regulating genes. As proof-of-concept, delivered within an all-in-one adeno-associated virus (AAV), miniCAFE can activate Fgf21 expression in the liver and regulate energy metabolism in adult mice. Thus, miniCAFE holds great therapeutic potential against human diseases.

2021-04-21 | GSE164452 | GEO

MiniCAFE, a CRISPR/Cas9-based compact and potent transcriptional activator, elicits gene expression in nematodes, mice and human cells

Project description:MiniCAFE, a CRISPR/Cas9-based compact and potent transcriptional activator, elicits gene expression in nematodes, mice and human cells

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Potent and targeted activation of HIV-1 using the CRISPR/Cas9 activator Complex

Project description:Integration of the HIV-1 provirus in the host genome ensures a persistent supply of latently infected cells. This latent reservoir is recalcitrant to antiretroviral therapy (ART) making lifelong treatment the only option for patients. The â??shock and killâ?? strategy aims to eradicate latent HIV by reactivating proviral gene expression followed by ART treatment. Gene specific transcriptional activation can be achieved using the RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 system comprising small guide RNAs (sgRNAs) with a nuclease deficient Cas9 mutant (dCas9) fused to the VP64 transactivation domain (dCas9-VP64). Â We engineered this system to target 23 sites within the LTR promoter of HIV-1 and identified a â??hotspotâ?? for activation. We studied the functionality of activating sgRNAs to transcriptionally modulate the latent proviral genome across multiple differentÂ in vitroÂ latency cell models including several J-Lat, ACH2 J1.1 and the CEM T cell model comprising a single clonal population of integrated mCherry-IRES-Tat from a full-length HIV LTR (LChIT).Â While we observed variable responses of latent cell models to well-characterized chemical stimuli, we detected consistent efficient activation of latent virus mediated by activator sgRNAs.Â In addition, transcriptome analysis of chemically treated cells revealed massive non-specific gene dysregulation whereas by comparison, dCas9-VP64/sgRNAs induced specific activation of the integrated provirus.Â In conclusion, we show the potential for CRISPR-mediated gene activation systems to provide enhanced efficiency and specificity in a targeted latency reactivation strategy. This represents a promising approach to a â??functional cureâ?? of HIV/AIDS. Three experimental conditions (sgRNA control, TNF treated and sgRNA against the LTR of HIV-1) were analyzed in triplicate using two sequencing lanes

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Project description: Not available

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Project description:Overexpression of complementary DNA represents the most commonly used gain-of-function approach for interrogating gene functions and for manipulating biological traits. However, this approach is challenging and inefficient for multigene expression due to increased labour for cloning, limited vector capacity, requirement of multiple promoters and terminators, and variable transgene expression levels. Synthetic transcriptional activators provide a promising alternative strategy for gene activation by tethering an autonomous transcription activation domain (TAD) to an intended gene promoter at the endogenous genomic locus through a programmable DNA-binding module. Among the known custom DNA-binding modules, the nuclease-dead Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (dCas9) protein, which recognizes a specific DNA target through base pairing between a synthetic guide RNA and DNA, outperforms zinc-finger proteins and transcription activator-like effectors, both of which target through protein-DNA interactions 1 . Recently, three potent dCas9-based transcriptional activation systems, namely VPR, SAM and SunTag, have been developed for animal cells 2-6 . However, an efficient dCas9-based transcriptional activation platform is still lacking for plant cells 7-9 . Here, we developed a new potent dCas9-TAD, named dCas9-TV, through plant cell-based screens. dCas9-TV confers far stronger transcriptional activation of single or multiple target genes than the routinely used dCas9-VP64 activator in both plant and mammalian cells.

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Potent and targeted activation of HIV-1 using the CRISPR/Cas9 activator Complex

Project description:Integration of the HIV-1 provirus in the host genome ensures a persistent supply of latently infected cells. This latent reservoir is recalcitrant to antiretroviral therapy (ART) making lifelong treatment the only option for patients. The “shock and kill” strategy aims to eradicate latent HIV by reactivating proviral gene expression followed by ART treatment. Gene specific transcriptional activation can be achieved using the RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 system comprising small guide RNAs (sgRNAs) with a nuclease deficient Cas9 mutant (dCas9) fused to the VP64 transactivation domain (dCas9-VP64). We engineered this system to target 23 sites within the LTR promoter of HIV-1 and identified a “hotspot” for activation. We studied the functionality of activating sgRNAs to transcriptionally modulate the latent proviral genome across multiple different in vitro latency cell models including several J-Lat, ACH2 J1.1 and the CEM T cell model comprising a single clonal population of integrated mCherry-IRES-Tat from a full-length HIV LTR (LChIT). While we observed variable responses of latent cell models to well-characterized chemical stimuli, we detected consistent efficient activation of latent virus mediated by activator sgRNAs. In addition, transcriptome analysis of chemically treated cells revealed massive non-specific gene dysregulation whereas by comparison, dCas9-VP64/sgRNAs induced specific activation of the integrated provirus. In conclusion, we show the potential for CRISPR-mediated gene activation systems to provide enhanced efficiency and specificity in a targeted latency reactivation strategy. This represents a promising approach to a “functional cure” of HIV/AIDS.

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