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Scooped by
dromius
July 16, 2013 2:30 PM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Gao et al, 2013 Here, we report dTF activator targeting the distal enhancer of the Pou5f1 (Oct4) locus induces epigenetic changes, reactivates its expression, and substitutes exogenous OCT4 in reprogramming mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (MEFs) to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Similarly, dTF activator targeting a Nanog enhancer activates Nanog expression and reprograms epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) to iPSCs. Conversely, dTF repressors targeting the same genetic elements inhibit expression of these loci, and effectively block reprogramming. This study indicates that dTFs targeting specific enhancers can be used to study other biological processes such as transdifferentiation or directed differentiation of stem cells.
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Scooped by
dromius
July 12, 2013 5:46 AM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Nakajima et al, 2013 To evaluate the utility of TALENs in genome editing in Xenopus tropicalis, we prepared nine pairs of TALENs for the tyrosinase, noggin and MMP-9TH genes. All of the TALENs had some activity in a single-strand annealing assay using a cultured frog cell line, suggesting double-stranded DNA cleavage activity by the TALENs at their target site. The injection of mRNAs encoding TALENs into fertilized X. tropicalis embryos resulted in Cel-1 cleavage of the PCR fragment containing the target site amplified from embryo genomic DNA, indicating that a mutation in the target gene had occurred during embryogenesis. These mutations were confirmed by the sequencing of clones derived from the PCR fragments of genomic DNA. Patches of vitiligo were observed in tadpoles raised from fertilized eggs that had been injected with mRNAs of TALENs for the tyrosinase gene. TALENs containing the repeat variable di-residue (RVD) NN appeared to show more activity than TALENs containing RVD NK, although both RVD NN and NK preferentially associate with a G nucleotide.
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Scooped by
dromius
July 3, 2013 1:00 PM
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Crocker & Stern 2013 We tested whether transcription activator–like effectors (TALEs) could mediate repression and activation of endogenous enhancers in the Drosophila genome. TALE repressors (TALERs) targeting each of the five even-skipped (eve) stripe enhancers generated repression specifically of the focal stripes. TALE activators (TALEAs) targeting the eve promoter or enhancers caused increased expression primarily in cells normally activated by the promoter or targeted enhancer, respectively. This effect supports the view that repression acts in a dominant fashion on transcriptional activators and that the activity state of an enhancer influences TALE binding or the ability of the VP16 domain to enhance transcription. In these assays, the Hairy repression domain did not exhibit previously described long-range transcriptional repression activity. The phenotypic effects of TALER and TALEA expression in larvae and adults are consistent with the observed modulations of eve expression. TALEs thus provide a novel tool for detection and functional modulation of transcriptional enhancers in their native genomic context.
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Scooped by
dromius
June 28, 2013 3:28 AM
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The results ... demonstrate the strength of Cellectis’ engineered nucleases for efficient gene inactivation and/or gene insertion in diatoms. Cellectis has generated a lipid‑rich diatom which highlights the significance of this breakthrough. This work will lead to new opportunities in synthetic biology and especially biofuel production from photosynthesis and CO2.
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Scooped by
dromius
June 19, 2013 6:46 AM
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(via Tom Schreiber, thx) Ru et al, 2013 In this study, we utilized a cell-penetrating peptide-based system for ZFN and TALEN delivery. Functional TAT-ZFN and TAT-TALEN proteins were generated by fusing the cell-penetrating TAT peptide to ZFN and TALEN, respectively. However, TAT-ZFN was difficult to purify in quantities sufficient for analysis in cell culture. Purified TAT-TALEN was able to penetrate cells and disrupt the gene encoding endogenous human chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5, a co-receptor for HIV-1 entry into cells). Hypothermic treatment greatly enhanced the TAT-TALEN-mediated gene disruption efficiency. A 5% modification rate was observed in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) treated with TAT-TALEN as measured by the Surveyor assay.
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Scooped by
dromius
June 6, 2013 4:12 AM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Gupta et al, 2013 In human cell lines and invertebrates, two nucleases targeting the same chromosome can promote the deletion of intervening genomic segments with modest efficiencies. We have examined the feasibility of using this approach to delete chromosomal segments within the zebrafish genome, which would facilitate the functional study of large noncoding sequences in a vertebrate model of development. Herein, we demonstrate that segmental deletions within the zebrafish genome can be generated at multiple loci and are efficiently transmitted through the germline. Using two nucleases, we have successfully generated deletions of up to 69 kb at rates sufficient for germline transmission (1%–15%) and have excised an entire lincRNA gene and enhancer element. Larger deletions (5.5 Mb) can be generated in somatic cells, but at lower frequency (0.7%). Segmental inversions have also been generated, but the efficiency of these events is lower than the corresponding deletions. The ability to efficiently delete genomic segments in a vertebrate developmental system will facilitate the study of functional noncoding elements on an organismic level
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Scooped by
dromius
May 30, 2013 10:00 AM
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(thanx for sending :)) Strauss & Lahaye, 2013 Programmable DNA binding proteins (PDPs) that selectively bind user-defined nucleotide sequences can navigate protein domains to any desired target within the genome. Different functional domains can be fused to PDPs to achieve 1.) activation or repression of transcription, 2.) nicking or cleavage of DNA or 3.) modification or removal of epigenetic marks at the targeted genome spot. Given their broad applicability, the development of highly specific, easy to use PDPs has been a holy grail of biotechnology.
It is likely that the unique features arising from distinct PDP will lead to differential use in distinct downstream applications. We anticipate that in fundamental plant science, where mendelian genetics is routinely used to correlate genotype and phenotype, Cas9-derived PDPs will have a major impact in the near future due to the simplicity of the construct generation. By contrast in commercial crop breeding programs off-targeting will remain a major issue and consumers are likely to request “safe food”. In this context TALE-derived PDPs due to their previously demonstrated high specificity (Mussolino et al., 2011) may be the preferred choice. In this way,
both fundamental and applied research stand to benefit greatly from the rapid progress in the development of PDPs.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 29, 2013 3:09 AM
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Regulatory News: Cellectis (Paris:ALCLS) (NYSE PA: ALCLS), the global genome engineering specialist, announces the issuance by the USPTO on May 28, 20
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Scooped by
dromius
May 21, 2013 8:48 AM
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(Via T. Lahaye & T. Schreiber) De Lange et al 2013 Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating bacterial phytopathogen with a broad host range. Ralstonia solanacearum injected effector proteins (Rips) are key to the successful invasion of host plants. We have characterized Brg11(hrpB-regulated 11), the first identified member of a class of Rips with high sequence similarity to the transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors of Xanthomonas spp., collectively termed RipTALs. Fluorescence microscopy of in planta expressed RipTALs showed nuclear localization. Domain swaps between Brg11 and Xanthomonas TAL effector (TALE) AvrBs3 (avirulence protein triggering Bs3 resistance) showed the functional interchangeability of DNA-binding and transcriptional activation domains. PCR was used to determine the sequence of brg11 homologs from strains infecting phylogenetically diverse host plants. Brg11 localizes to the nucleus and activates promoters containing a matching effector-binding element (EBE). Brg11 and homologs preferentially activate promoters containing EBEs with a 5′ terminal guanine, contrasting with the TALE preference for a 5′ thymine. Brg11 and other RipTALs probably promote disease through the transcriptional activation of host genes. Brg11 and the majority of homologs identified in this study were shown to activate similar or identical target sequences, in contrast to TALEs, which generally show highly diverse target preferences. This information provides new options for the engineering of plants resistant to R. solanacearum.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 17, 2013 5:32 AM
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Cellectis FR:ALCLS +1.60% (nyse pa:ALCLS), the global genome engineering specialist, announced the issuance by the USPTO on May 14th, 2013 of two new US patents (US 8,440,431 and US 8,440,432) directed to TAL-effector nucleases. As a leader in the genome engineering industry, the molecules produced by Cellectis have been distributed to prestigious laboratories over the world under the trademark TALEN(TM). The technology provides to researchers tools and comprehensive solutions to edit genes efficiently in all cell types. TALEN(TM) product represents the next generation gene-editing tool, it is an easy, fast and powerful technology for gene knock-out, knock-in and any targeted modifications of genomes. TALEN(TM) product opens up whole new areas of life science research and therapeutics.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 13, 2013 3:52 AM
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Scooped by
dromius
May 9, 2013 12:32 PM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Gaj et al, 2013 Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) comprise a powerful class of tools that are redefining the boundaries of biological research. These chimeric nucleases are composed of programmable, sequence-specific DNA-binding modules linked to a nonspecific DNA cleavage domain. ZFNs and TALENs enable a broad range of genetic modifications by inducing DNA double-strand breaks that stimulate error-prone nonhomologous end joining or homology-directed repair at specific genomic locations. Here, we review achievements made possible by site-specific nuclease technologies and discuss applications of these reagents for genetic analysis and manipulation. In addition, we highlight the therapeutic potential of ZFNs and TALENs and discuss future prospects for the field, including the emergence of clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas-based RNA-guided DNA endonucleases.
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Scooped by
dromius
April 30, 2013 6:36 AM
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(via T. Lahaye, thanks...cant beat his speed :)) Johnson et al, 2013 Custom-designed nucleases are a promising technology for genome editing through the catalysis of double-strand DNA breaks within target loci and subsequent repair by the host cell, which can result in targeted mutagenesis or gene replacement. Implementing this new technology requires a rapid means to determine the cleavage efficiency of these custom-designed proteins in planta. Here we present such an assay that is based on cleavage-dependent luciferase gene correction as part of a transient dual-luciferase® reporter (Promega) expression system. This assay consists of co-infiltrating Nicotiana benthamiana leaves with two Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains: one contains the target sequence embedded within a luciferase reporter gene and the second strain contains the custom-designed nuclease gene(s). We compared repair following site-specific nuclease digestion through non-homologous DNA end-joining, as opposed to single strand DNA annealing, as a means to restore an out-of-frame luciferase gene cleavage-reporter construct. We show, using luminometer measurements and bioluminescence imaging, that the assay for non-homologous end-joining is sensitive, quantitative, reproducible and rapid in estimating custom-designed nucleases’ cleavage efficiency. We detected cleavage by two out of three transcription activator-like effector nucleases that we custom-designed for targets in the Arabidopsis CRUCIFERIN3 gene, and we compared with the well-established ‘QQR’ zinc-finger nuclease. The assay we report requires only standard equipment and basic plant molecular biology techniques, and it can be carried out within a few days. Different types of custom-designed nucleases can be preliminarily tested in our assay system before their downstream application in plant genome editing.
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Suggested by
Nicolas Denancé
July 16, 2013 9:27 AM
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Transcription Activators-Like Effectors (TALEs) belong to a family of virulence proteins from the Xanthomonas genus of bacterial plant pathogens that are translocated into the plant cell. In the nucleus, TALEs act as transcription factors inducing the expression of susceptibility genes. A code for TALE-DNA binding specificity and high-resolution three-dimensional structures of TALE-DNA complexes were recently reported. Accurate prediction of TAL Effector Binding Elements (EBEs) is essential to elucidate the biological functions of the many sequenced TALEs as well as for robust design of artificial TALE DNA-binding domains in biotechnological applications. In this work a program with improved EBE prediction performances was developed using an updated specificity matrix and a position weight correction function to account for the matching pattern observed in a validation set of TALE-DNA interactions. To gain a systems perspective on the large TALE repertoires from X. oryzae strains, this program was used to predict rice gene targets for 99 sequenced family members. Integrating predictions and available expression data in a TALE-gene network revealed multiple candidate transcriptional targets for many TALEs as well as several possible instances of functional convergence among TALEs. Alvaro L. Pérez-Quintero, Luis M. Rodriguez-R, Alexis Dereeper, Camilo López, Ralf Koebnik, Boris Szurek, Sebastien Cunnac
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Scooped by
dromius
July 11, 2013 4:26 PM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Li et al, 2013 Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (Mlkl) was recently found to interact with receptor interacting protein 3 (Rip3) and to be essential for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced programmed necrosis (necroptosis) in cultured cell lines. We have generated Mlkl-deficient mice by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs)-mediated gene disruption and found Mlkl to be dispensable for normal mouse development as well as immune cell development. Mlkl-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and macrophages both showed resistance to necrotic but not apoptotic stimuli. Mlkl-deficient MEFs and macrophages were indistinguishable from wild-type cells in their ability to activate NF-κB, ERK, JNK, and p38 in response to TNF and lipopolysaccharides (LPS), respectively. Consistently, Mlkl-deficient macrophages and mice exhibited normal interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and TNF production after LPS treatment. Mlkl deficiency protects mice from cerulean-induced acute pancreatitis, a necrosis-related disease, but has no effect on polymicrobial septic shock-induced animal death. Our results provide genetic evidence for the role of Mlkl in necroptosis.
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Scooped by
dromius
July 2, 2013 3:18 AM
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Here, we report a simple, effective and rapid strategy to generate a whole locus deletion in zebrafish, by the simultaneous use of two pairs of TALENs or TALEN pairs in conjunction with ZFN pairs, that we used successfully to precisely delete a nodal-related gene, and generated sqt RNA-null alleles.We also report targeted deletions in a second zebrafish nodal gene,cyclops (cyc), for which gamma ray- and chemically-induced chromosomal rearrangements and point mutations were reported, but a precise locus-specific deletion was not available. Our strategy of heritable chromosomal editing can potentially be appliedfor functional genomic studies in a variety of organisms.
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Scooped by
dromius
June 21, 2013 3:43 AM
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(via Tom Schreiber, thx) Zhang et al, 2013 Although several new methodologies for efficiently assembling TALE repeats have been recently reported, all of them require either sophisticated facilities or skilled technicians to carry them out. Here, we described a simple and efficient method for generating customized TALE nucleases (TALENs) and TALE transcription factors (TALE-TFs) based on TALE repeat tetramer library. A tetramer library consisting of 256 tetramers covers all possible combinations of 4 base pairs. A set of unique primers was designed for amplification of these tetramers. PCR products were assembled by one step of digestion/ligation reaction. 12 TALE constructs including 4 TALEN pairs targeted to mouse Gt(ROSA)26Sor gene and mouse Mstn gene sequences as well as 4 TALE-TF constructs targeted to mouse Oct4, c-Myc, Klf4 and Sox2 gene promoter sequences were generated by using our method. The construction routines took 3 days and parallel constructions were available. The rate of positive clones during colony PCR verification was 64% on average. Sequencing results suggested that all TALE constructs were performed with high successful rate. This is a rapid and cost-efficient method using the most common enzymes and facilities with a high success rate.
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Scooped by
dromius
June 6, 2013 8:03 AM
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Slides from my presentation in Nottingham 2013
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Scooped by
dromius
June 6, 2013 4:09 AM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Ousterout et al, 2013 We show that genome editing with transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), without a repair template, can efficiently correct the reading frame and restore the expression of a functional dystrophin protein that is mutated in DMD. TALENs were engineered to mediate highly efficient gene editing at exon 51 of the dystrophin gene. This led to restoration of dystrophin protein expression in cells from Duchenne patients, including skeletal myoblasts and dermal fibroblasts that were reprogrammed to the myogenic lineage by MyoD. Finally, exome sequencing of cells with targeted modifications of the dystrophin locus showed no TALEN-mediated off-target changes to the protein-coding regions of the genome, as predicted by in silico target site analysis. This strategy integrates the rapid and robust assembly of active TALENs with an efficient gene-editing method for the correction of genetic diseases caused by mutations in non-essential coding regions that cause frameshifts or premature stop codons.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 30, 2013 2:41 AM
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Schornack et al. (2013) [in advance version, changes will occur] Transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors are encoded by plantpathogenic bacteria and induce expression of plant host genes. TAL effectors bind DNA on the basis of a unique code that specifies binding of amino acid residues in repeat units to particular DNA bases in a one-to-one correspondence. This code can be used to predict binding sites of natural TAL effectors and to design novel synthetic DNA-binding domains for targeted genome manipulation. Natural mechanisms of resistance in plants against TAL effector–containing pathogens have given insights into new strategies for disease control.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 24, 2013 4:17 AM
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(via Tom Schreiber, thx) Doyle et al, 2013 Transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors are transcription factors injected into plant cells by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas. They function as virulence factors by activating host genes important for disease, or as avirulence factors by turning on genes that provide resistance. DNA-binding specificity is encoded by polymorphic repeats in each protein that correspond one-to-one with different nucleotides. This code has facilitated target identification and opened new avenues for engineering disease resistance. It has also enabled TAL effector customization for targeted gene control, genome editing, and other applications. This article reviews the structural basis for TAL effector-DNA specificity, the impact of the TAL effector-DNA code on plant pathology and engineered resistance, and recent accomplishments and future challenges in TAL effector-based DNA targeting.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 21, 2013 2:08 AM
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(via T. Lahaye, thx) Wendt et al, (2013) Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) enable targeted mutagenesis in a variety of organisms. The primary advantage of TALENs over other sequence-specific nucleases, namely zinc finger nucleases and meganucleases, lies in their ease of assembly, reliability of function, and their broad targeting range. Here we report the assembly of several TALENs for a specific genomic locus in barley. The cleavage activity of individual TALENs was first tested in vivo using a yeast-based, single-strand annealing assay. The most efficient TALEN was then selected for barley transformation. Analysis of the resulting transformants showed that TALEN-induced double strand breaks led to the introduction of short deletions at the target site. Additional analysis revealed that each barley transformant contained a range of different mutations, indicating that mutations occurred independently in different cells.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 13, 2013 12:15 PM
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Scooped by
dromius
May 10, 2013 3:18 AM
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Bimolata et al, 2013 Xa27 is one of the important R-genes, effective against bacterial blight disease of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Using natural population of Oryza, we analyzed the sequence variation in the functionally important domains of Xa27 across the Oryza species. DNA sequences of Xa27 alleles from 27 rice accessions revealed higher nucleotide diversity among the reported R-genes of rice. Sequence polymorphism analysis revealed synonymous and non-synonymous mutations in addition to a number of InDels in non-coding regions of the gene. High sequence variation was observed in the promoter region including the 5'UTR with 'π' value 0.00916 and 'θ w ' = 0.01785. Comparative analysis of the identified Xa27 alleles with that of IRBB27 and IR24 indicated the operation of both positive selection (Ka/Ks > 1) and neutral selection (Ka/Ks ≈ 0). The genetic distances of alleles of the gene from Oryza nivara were nearer to IRBB27 as compared to IR24. We also found the presence of conserved and null UPT (upregulated by transcriptional activator) box in the isolated alleles. Considerable amino acid polymorphism was localized in the trans-membrane domain for which the functional significance is yet to be elucidated. However, the absence of functional UPT box in all the alleles except IRBB27 suggests the maintenance of single resistant allele throughout the natural population.
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Scooped by
dromius
May 8, 2013 4:43 AM
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(suggested by Tom Schreiber, thx) Hu et al, 2013 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have quickly emerged as important regulators of mammalian physiology owing to their precise control over the expression of critical protein coding genes. Despite significant progress in our understanding of how miRNAs function in mice, there remains a fundamental need to be able to target and edit miRNA genes in the human genome. Here, we report a novel approach to disrupting human miRNA genes ex vivo using engineered TAL-effector (TALE) proteins to function as nucleases (TALENs) that specifically target and disrupt human miRNA genes. We demonstrate that functional TALEN pairs can be designed to enable disruption of miRNA seed regions, or removal of entire hairpin sequences, and use this approach to successfully target several physiologically relevant human miRNAs including miR-155*, miR-155, miR-146a and miR-125b. This technology will allow for a substantially improved capacity to study the regulation and function of miRNAs in human cells, and could be developed into a strategic means by which miRNAs can be targeted therapeutically during human disease.
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