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Mao Y, Wang S, Yu J, Li W. Engineering pluripotent stem cells with synthetic biology for regenerative medicine. Med Rev (2021) 2024; 4:90-109. [PMID: 38680679 PMCID: PMC11046572 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2023-0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), characterized by self-renewal and capacity of differentiating into three germ layers, are the programmable building blocks of life. PSC-derived cells and multicellular systems, particularly organoids, exhibit great potential for regenerative medicine. However, this field is still in its infancy, partly due to limited strategies to robustly and precisely control stem cell behaviors, which are tightly regulated by inner gene regulatory networks in response to stimuli from the extracellular environment. Synthetic receptors and genetic circuits are powerful tools to customize the cellular sense-and-response process, suggesting their underlying roles in precise control of cell fate decision and function reconstruction. Herein, we review the progress and challenges needed to be overcome in the fields of PSC-based cell therapy and multicellular system generation, respectively. Furthermore, we summarize several well-established synthetic biology tools and their applications in PSC engineering. Finally, we highlight the challenges and perspectives of harnessing synthetic biology to PSC engineering for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihuan Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Siqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Jiazhen Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Huang Dennis Z, Benman W, Dong L, Bugaj LJ. Rapid Optogenetic Clustering in the Cytoplasm with BcLOVclust. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168452. [PMID: 38246410 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Protein clustering is a powerful form of optogenetic control, yet remarkably few proteins are known to oligomerize with light. Recently, the photoreceptor BcLOV4 was found to form protein clusters in mammalian cells in response to blue light, although clustering coincided with its translocation to the plasma membrane, potentially constraining its application as an optogenetic clustering module. Herein we identify key amino acids that couple BcLOV4 clustering to membrane binding, allowing us to engineer a variant that clusters in the cytoplasm and does not associate with the membrane in response to blue light. This variant-called BcLOVclust-clustered over many cycles with substantially faster clustering and de-clustering kinetics compared to the widely used optogenetic clustering protein Cry2. The magnitude of clustering could be strengthened by appending an intrinsically disordered region from the fused in sarcoma (FUS) protein, or by selecting the appropriate fluorescent protein to which it was fused. Like wt BcLOV4, BcLOVclust activity was sensitive to temperature: light-induced clusters spontaneously dissolved at a rate that increased with temperature despite constant illumination. At low temperatures, BcLOVclust and Cry2 could be multiplexed in the same cells, allowing light control of independent protein condensates. BcLOVclust could also be applied to control signaling proteins and stress granules in mammalian cells. While its usage is currently best suited in cells and organisms that can be cultured below ∼30 °C, a deeper understanding of BcLOVclust thermal response will further enable its use at physiological mammalian temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikang Huang Dennis
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - William Benman
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Liang Dong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Lukasz J Bugaj
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Huang Z, Benman W, Dong L, Bugaj LJ. Rapid optogenetic clustering of a cytoplasmic BcLOV4 variant. bioRxiv 2023:2023.09.14.557726. [PMID: 37745456 PMCID: PMC10515924 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.14.557726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Protein clustering is a powerful form of optogenetic control, yet there is currently only one protein -Cry2-whose light-induced clustering has been harnessed for these purposes. Recently, the photoreceptor BcLOV4 was found to form protein clusters in mammalian cells in response to blue light, although clustering coincided with its translocation to the plasma membrane, potentially constraining its application as an optogenetic clustering module. Herein we identify key amino acids that couple clustering to membrane binding, allowing us to engineer a variant of BcLOV4 that clusters in the cytoplasm and does not associate with the membrane in response to blue light. This variant, BcLOVclust, clustered over many cycles with dramatically faster clustering and de-clustering kinetics compared to Cry2. The magnitude of BcLOVclust clustering could be strengthened by appending an intrinsically disordered region from the fused in sarcoma (FUS) protein, or by optimizing the fluorescent protein to which it was fused. BcLOVclust retained the temperature sensitivity of BcLOV4 such that light induced clustering was transient, and the rate of spontaneous declustering increased with temperature. At low temperatures, BcLOVclust and Cry2 could be multiplexed in the same cells, allowing light control of independent protein condensates. BcLOVclust could also be applied to control signaling proteins and stress granules in mammalian cells. Thus BcLOVclust provides an alternative to Cry2 for optogenetic clustering and a method for multiplexed clustering. While its usage is currently suited for organisms that can be cultured below ~30 °C, a deeper understanding of BcLOVclust thermal response will further enable its use at physiological mammalian temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikang Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - William Benman
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Liang Dong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Lukasz J. Bugaj
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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The people behind the papers - Nicole Repina and David Schaffer. Development 2023; 150:dev202180. [PMID: 37493026 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
During embryogenesis, cells differentiate and organise into spatially defined regions in response to varying patterns of signalling. A new paper in Development uses an optogenetic system (optoWnt) to investigate how cells organise into distinct domains in response to Wnt signalling in two-dimensional human embryonic stem cell cultures. To hear more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with the first author Nicole Repina and her PhD supervisor David Schaffer, Professor at University of California, Berkeley.
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