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Abstract
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Temperature is a
versatile input signal for the control of engineered
cellular functions. Sharp induction of gene expression with heat has
been established using bacteria- and phage-derived temperature-sensitive
transcriptional repressors with tunable switching temperatures. However,
few temperature-sensitive transcriptional activators have been reported
that enable direct gene induction with cooling. Such activators would
expand the application space for temperature control. In this technical
note, we show that temperature-dependent versions of the Lambda phage
repressor CI can serve as tunable cold-actuated transactivators. Natively,
CI serves as both a repressor and activator of transcription. Previously,
thermolabile mutants of CI, known as the TcI family, were used to
repress the cognate promoters PR and PL. We hypothesized that TcI
mutants can also serve as temperature-sensitive activators of transcription
at CI’s natural PRM promoter, creating cold-inducible operons
with a tunable response to temperature. Indeed, we demonstrate temperature-responsive
activation by two variants of TcI with set points at 35.5 and 38.5
°C in E. coli. In addition, we show that
TcI can serve as both an activator and a repressor of different genes
in the same genetic circuit, leading to opposite thermal responses.
Transcriptional activation by TcI expands the toolbox for control
of cellular function using globally or locally applied thermal inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lealia L Xiong
- Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Michael A Garrett
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Marjorie T Buss
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Julia A Kornfield
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Mikhail G Shapiro
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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Bar-Zion A, Nourmahnad A, Mittelstein DR, Shivaei S, Yoo S, Buss MT, Hurt RC, Malounda D, Abedi MH, Lee-Gosselin A, Swift MB, Maresca D, Shapiro MG. Acoustically triggered mechanotherapy using genetically encoded gas vesicles. Nat Nanotechnol 2021; 16:1403-1412. [PMID: 34580468 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-021-00971-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in molecular engineering and synthetic biology provide biomolecular and cell-based therapies with a high degree of molecular specificity, but limited spatiotemporal control. Here we show that biomolecules and cells can be engineered to deliver potent mechanical effects at specific locations inside the body through ultrasound-induced inertial cavitation. This capability is enabled by gas vesicles, a unique class of genetically encodable air-filled protein nanostructures. We show that low-frequency ultrasound can convert these biomolecules into micrometre-scale cavitating bubbles, unleashing strong local mechanical effects. This enables engineered gas vesicles to serve as remotely actuated cell-killing and tissue-disrupting agents, and allows genetically engineered cells to lyse, release molecular payloads and produce local mechanical damage on command. We demonstrate the capabilities of biomolecular inertial cavitation in vitro, in cellulo and in vivo, including in a mouse model of tumour-homing probiotic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinoam Bar-Zion
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Atousa Nourmahnad
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - David R Mittelstein
- Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Shirin Shivaei
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Sangjin Yoo
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Marjorie T Buss
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Robert C Hurt
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Dina Malounda
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Mohamad H Abedi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Audrey Lee-Gosselin
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Margaret B Swift
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - David Maresca
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Mikhail G Shapiro
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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Buss MT, Ramesh P, English MA, Lee-Gosselin A, Shapiro MG. Spatial Control of Probiotic Bacteria in the Gastrointestinal Tract Assisted by Magnetic Particles. Adv Mater 2021; 33:e2007473. [PMID: 33709508 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202007473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Engineered probiotics have the potential to diagnose and treat a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. However, these exogenous bacterial agents have limited ability to effectively colonize specific regions of the GI tract due to a lack of external control over their localization and persistence. Magnetic fields are well suited to providing such control, since they freely penetrate biological tissues. However, they are difficult to apply with sufficient strength to directly manipulate magnetically labeled cells in deep tissue such as the GI tract. Here, it is demonstrated that a composite biomagnetic material consisting of microscale magnetic particles and probiotic bacteria, when orally administered and combined with an externally applied magnetic field, enables the trapping and retention of probiotic bacteria within the GI tract of mice. This technology improves the ability of these probiotic agents to accumulate at specific locations and stably colonize without antibiotic treatment. By enhancing the ability of GI-targeted probiotics to be at the right place at the right time, cellular localization assisted by magnetic particles (CLAMP) adds external physical control to an important emerging class of microbial theranostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie T Buss
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Pradeep Ramesh
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Max Atticus English
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Audrey Lee-Gosselin
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Mikhail G Shapiro
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
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