Modifying a covarying protein-DNA interaction changes substrate preference of a site-specific endonuclease

Decoding and reengineering the promoter specificity of T7-like RNA polymerases based on phage genome sequences

The single subunit RNA polymerases (ssRNAPs) of bacteriophages are highly interesting targets for the prediction and engineering of specific protein-DNA interactions. Despite extensive existing studies focusing on particular ssRNAPs such as the T7 RNAP, few rules governing the protein-DNA sequence covariations across diverse ssRNAPs and their cognate promoters are clearly known. Here, aiming to reveal such rules, we comprehensively mined promoters of various categories of ssRNAPs from phage genomes. For T7-like RNAPs, direct coupling analyses of the predicted set of RNAP-promoter pairs revealed that the interaction specificity was dominantly encoded by the amino acid and nucleotide residues at only a few key positions. The covariations between the amino acid and the nucleotide residues at these positions were summarized into a sparsely connected network. Using experimentally verified connections in this network, we designed a set of orthogonal T7 RNAP-promoter variants that showed more stringent orthogonality than previously reported sets. We further designed and experimentally verified variants with novel interactions. These results provided guidance for engineering novel RNAP-promoter pairs for synthetic biology or other applications. Our study also demonstrated the use of comprehensive genome mining in combination with sequence covariation analysis in the prediction and engineering of specific protein-DNA interactions.

Intein-based thermoregulated meganucleases for containment of genetic material

Limiting the spread of synthetic genetic information outside of the intended use is essential for applications where biocontainment is critical. In particular, biocontainment of engineered probiotics and plasmids that are excreted from the mammalian gastrointestinal tract is needed to prevent escape and acquisition of genetic material that could confer a selective advantage to microbial communities. Here, we built a simple and lightweight biocontainment system that post-translationally activates a site-specific DNA endonuclease to degrade DNA at 18°C and not at higher temperatures. We constructed an orthogonal set of temperature-sensitive meganucleases (TSMs) by inserting the yeast VMA1 L212P temperature-sensitive intein into the coding regions of LAGLIDADG homing endonucleases. We showed that the TSMs eliminated plasmids carrying the cognate TSM target site from laboratory strains of Escherichia coli at the permissive 18°C but not at higher restrictive temperatures. Plasmid elimination is dependent on both TSM endonuclease activity and intein splicing. TSMs eliminated plasmids from E. coli Nissle 1917 after passage through the mouse gut when fecal resuspensions were incubated at 18°C but not at 37°C. Collectively, our data demonstrates the potential of thermoregulated meganucleases as a means of restricting engineered plasmids and probiotics to the mammalian gut.

Neighboring inteins interfere with one another's homing capacity

Inteins are mobile genetic elements that invade conserved genes across all domains of life and viruses. In some instances, a single gene will have several intein insertion sites. In Haloarchaea, the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein at the core of replicative DNA helicase contains four intein insertion sites within close proximity, where two of these sites (MCM-a and MCM-d) are more likely to be invaded. A haloarchaeon that harbors both MCM-a and MCM-d inteins, Haloferax mediterranei, was studied in vivo to determine intein invasion dynamics and the interactions between neighboring inteins. Additionally, invasion frequencies and the conservation of insertion site sequences in 129 Haloferacales mcm homologs were analyzed to assess intein distribution across the order. We show that the inteins at MCM-a and MCM-d recognize and cleave their respective target sites and, in the event that only one empty intein invasion site is present, readily initiate homing (i.e. single homing). However, when two inteins are present co-homing into an intein-free target sequence is much less effective. The two inteins are more effective when invading alleles that already contain an intein at one of the two sites. Our in vivo and computational studies also support that having a proline in place of a serine as the first C-terminal extein residue of the MCM-d insertion site prevents successful intein splicing, but does not stop recognition of the insertion site by the intein's homing endonuclease.

Intra-Domain Residue Coevolution in Transcription Factors Contributes to DNA Binding Specificity

Understanding the basis of the DNA-binding specificity of transcription factors (TFs) has been of long-standing interest. Despite extensive efforts to map millions of putative TF binding sequences, identifying the critical determinants for DNA binding specificity remains a major challenge. The coevolution of residues in proteins occurs due to a shared evolutionary history. However, it is unclear how coevolving residues in TFs contribute to DNA binding specificity. Here, we systematically collected publicly available data sets from multiple large-scale high-throughput TF-DNA interaction screening experiments for the major TF families with large numbers of TF members. These families included the Homeobox, HLH, bZIP_1, Ets, HMG_box, ZF-C4, and Zn_clus TFs. We detected TF subclass-determining sites (TSDSs) and showed that the TSDSs were more likely to coevolve with other TSDSs than with non-TSDSs, particularly for the Homeobox, HLH, Ets, bZIP_1, and HMG_box TF families. By in silico modeling, we showed that mutation of the highly coevolving residues could significantly reduce the stability of the TF-DNA complex. The distant residues from the DNA interface also contributed to TF-DNA binding activity. Overall, our study gave evidence that coevolved residues relate to transcriptional regulation and provided insights into the potential application of engineered DNA-binding domains and proteins. IMPORTANCE While unraveling DNA-binding specificity of TFs is the key to understanding the basis and molecular mechanism of gene expression regulation, identifying the critical determinants that contribute to DNA binding specificity remains a major challenge. In this study, we provided evidence showing that coevolving residues in TF domains contributed to DNA binding specificity. We demonstrated that the TSDSs were more likely to coevolve with other TSDSs than with non-TSDSs. Mutation of the coevolving residue pairs (CRPs) could significantly reduce the stability of THE TF-DNA complex, and even the distant residues from the DNA interface contribute to TF-DNA binding activity. Collectively, our study expands our knowledge of the interactions among coevolved residues in TFs, tertiary contacting, and functional importance in refined transcriptional regulation. Understanding the impact of coevolving residues in TFs will help understand the details of transcription of gene regulation and advance the application of engineered DNA-binding domains and protein.

Gene Editing in Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Derived Organoids

With the rapid rise in gene-editing technology, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and their derived organoids have increasingly broader and practical applications in regenerative medicine. Gene-editing technologies, from large-scale nucleic acid endonucleases to CRISPR, have ignited a global research and development boom with significant implications in regenerative medicine. The development of regenerative medicine technologies, regardless of whether it is PSCs or gene editing, is consistently met with controversy. Are the tools for rewriting the code of life a boon to humanity or a Pandora's box? These technologies raise concerns regarding ethical issues, unexpected mutations, viral infection, etc. These concerns remain even as new treatments emerge. However, the potential negatives cannot obscure the virtues of PSC gene editing, which have, and will continue to, benefit mankind at an unprecedented rate. Here, we briefly introduce current gene-editing technology and its application in PSCs and their derived organoids, while addressing ethical concerns and safety risks and discussing the latest progress in PSC gene editing. Gene editing in PSCs creates visualized in vitro models, providing opportunities for examining mechanisms of known and unknown mutations and offering new possibilities for the treatment of cancer, genetic diseases, and other serious or refractory disorders. From model construction to treatment exploration, the important role of PSCs combined with gene editing in basic and clinical medicine studies is illustrated. The applications, characteristics, and existing challenges are summarized in combination with our lab experiences in this field in an effort to help gene-editing technology better serve humans in a regulated manner. Current preclinical and clinical trials have demonstrated initial safety and efficacy of PSC gene editing; however, for better application in clinical settings, additional investigation is warranted.

Optimization of Protein Thermostability and Exploitation of Recognition Behavior to Engineer Altered Protein-DNA Recognition

The redesign of a macromolecular binding interface and corresponding alteration of recognition specificity is a challenging endeavor that remains recalcitrant to computational approaches. This is particularly true for the redesign of DNA binding specificity, which is highly dependent upon bending, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic contacts, and the presence of solvent and counterions throughout the molecular interface. Thus, redesign of protein-DNA binding specificity generally requires iterative rounds of amino acid randomization coupled to selections. Here, we describe the importance of scaffold thermostability for protein engineering, coupled with a strategy that exploits the protein's specificity profile, to redesign the specificity of a pair of meganucleases toward three separate genomic targets. We determine and describe a series of changes in protein sequence, stability, structure, and activity that accumulate during the engineering process, culminating in fully retargeted endonucleases.