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Nikitchina N, Ulashchik E, Shmanai V, Heckel AM, Tarassov I, Mazunin I, Entelis N. Targeting of CRISPR-Cas12a crRNAs into human mitochondria. Biochimie 2024; 217:74-85. [PMID: 37690471 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.09.006] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial gene editing holds great promise as a therapeutic approach for mitochondrial diseases caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Current strategies focus on reducing mutant mtDNA heteroplasmy levels through targeted cleavage or base editing. However, the delivery of editing components into mitochondria remains a challenge. Here we investigate the import of CRISPR-Cas12a system guide RNAs (crRNAs) into human mitochondria and study the structural requirements for this process by northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from nucleases-treated mitoplasts. To investigate whether the fusion of crRNA with known RNA import determinants (MLS) improve its mitochondrial targeting, we added MLS hairpin structures at 3'-end of crRNA and demonstrated that this did not impact crRNA ability to program specific cleavage of DNA in lysate of human cells expressing AsCas12a nuclease. Surprisingly, mitochondrial localization of the fused crRNA molecules was not improved compared to non-modified version, indicating that structured scaffold domain of crRNA can probably function as MLS, assuring crRNA mitochondrial import. Then, we designed a series of crRNAs targeting different regions of mtDNA and demonstrated their ability to program specific cleavage of mtDNA fragments in cell lysate and their partial localization in mitochondrial matrix in human cells transfected with these RNA molecules. We hypothesize that mitochondrial import of crRNAs may depend on their secondary structure/sequence. We presume that imported crRNA allow reconstituting the active crRNA/Cas12a system in human mitochondria, which can contribute to the development of effective strategies for mitochondrial gene editing and potential future treatment of mitochondrial diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Nikitchina
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Egor Ulashchik
- Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Belarus, Minsk, 220072, Belarus
| | - Vadim Shmanai
- Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Belarus, Minsk, 220072, Belarus
| | - Anne-Marie Heckel
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Ivan Tarassov
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Ilya Mazunin
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 143026, Russia
| | - Nina Entelis
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France.
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Vasilev R, Gunitseva N, Shebanova R, Korzhenkov A, Vlaskina A, Evteeva M, Polushkina I, Nikitchina N, Toshchakov S, Kamenski P, Patrushev M, Mazunin I. Targeted Modification of Mammalian DNA by a Novel Type V Cas12a Endonuclease from Ruminococcus bromii. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169289. [PMID: 36012553 PMCID: PMC9409102 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Type V Cas12a nucleases are DNA editors working in a wide temperature range and using expanded protospacer-adjacent motifs (PAMs). Though they are widely used, there is still a demand for discovering new ones. Here, we demonstrate a novel ortholog from Ruminococcus bromii sp. entitled RbCas12a, which is able to efficiently cleave target DNA templates, using the particularly high accessibility of PAM 5′-YYN and a relatively wide temperature range from 20 °C to 42 °C. In comparison to Acidaminococcus sp. (AsCas12a) nuclease, RbCas12a is capable of processing DNA more efficiently, and can be active upon being charged by spacer-only RNA at lower concentrations in vitro. We show that the human-optimized RbCas12a nuclease is also active in mammalian cells, and can be applied for efficient deletion incorporation into the human genome. Given the advantageous properties of RbCas12a, this enzyme shows potential for clinical and biotechnological applications within the field of genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruslan Vasilev
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (R.V.); (I.M.)
| | - Natalia Gunitseva
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Regina Shebanova
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 143026 Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksei Korzhenkov
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Vlaskina
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Marta Evteeva
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina Polushkina
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Natalia Nikitchina
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 143026 Moscow, Russia
- UMR7156–Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Stepan Toshchakov
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Piotr Kamenski
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim Patrushev
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 123098 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya Mazunin
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 143026 Moscow, Russia
- Medical Genomics LLC, 119192 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (R.V.); (I.M.)
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Shebanova R, Nikitchina N, Shebanov N, Mekler V, Kuznedelov K, Ulashchik E, Vasilev R, Sharko O, Shmanai V, Tarassov I, Severinov K, Entelis N, Mazunin I. Efficient target cleavage by Type V Cas12a effectors programmed with split CRISPR RNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:1162-1173. [PMID: 34951459 PMCID: PMC8789034 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that direct target DNA cleavage by Type V Cas12a nucleases consist of constant repeat-derived 5′-scaffold moiety and variable 3′-spacer moieties. Here, we demonstrate that removal of most of the 20-nucleotide scaffold has only a slight effect on in vitro target DNA cleavage by a Cas12a ortholog from Acidaminococcus sp. (AsCas12a). In fact, residual cleavage was observed even in the presence of a 20-nucleotide crRNA spacer moiety only. crRNAs split into separate scaffold and spacer RNAs catalyzed highly specific and efficient cleavage of target DNA by AsCas12a in vitro and in lysates of human cells. In addition to dsDNA target cleavage, AsCas12a programmed with split crRNAs also catalyzed specific ssDNA target cleavage and non-specific ssDNA degradation (collateral activity). V-A effector nucleases from Francisella novicida (FnCas12a) and Lachnospiraceae bacterium (LbCas12a) were also functional with split crRNAs. Thus, the ability of V-A effectors to use split crRNAs appears to be a general property. Though higher concentrations of split crRNA components are needed to achieve efficient target cleavage, split crRNAs open new lines of inquiry into the mechanisms of target recognition and cleavage and may stimulate further development of single-tube multiplex and/or parallel diagnostic tests based on Cas12a nucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Shebanova
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia
| | - Natalia Nikitchina
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia.,UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N.R.S.), Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Nikita Shebanov
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia
| | - Vladimir Mekler
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854, USA
| | - Konstantin Kuznedelov
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854, USA
| | - Egor Ulashchik
- Laboratory of Bioconjugate Chemistry, Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Belarus, Minsk 220072, Belarus
| | - Ruslan Vasilev
- Kurchatov Genomics Center, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123098, Russia.,Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Olga Sharko
- Laboratory of Bioconjugate Chemistry, Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Belarus, Minsk 220072, Belarus
| | - Vadim Shmanai
- Laboratory of Bioconjugate Chemistry, Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Belarus, Minsk 220072, Belarus
| | - Ivan Tarassov
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N.R.S.), Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia.,Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854, USA.,Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Nina Entelis
- UMR7156 - Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, University of Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N.R.S.), Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Ilya Mazunin
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia
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Verechshagina N, Nikitchina N, Yamada Y, Harashima Н, Tanaka M, Orishchenko K, Mazunin I. Future of human mitochondrial DNA editing technologies. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2018; 30:214-221. [PMID: 29764251 DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2018.1472773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
ATP and other metabolites, which are necessary for the development, maintenance, and functioning of bodily cells are all synthesized in the mitochondria. Multiple copies of the genome, present within the mitochondria, together with its maternal inheritance, determine the clinical manifestation and spreading of mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The main obstacle in the way of thorough understanding of mitochondrial biology and the development of gene therapy methods for mitochondrial diseases is the absence of systems that allow to directly change mtDNA sequence. Here, we discuss existing methods of manipulating the level of mtDNA heteroplasmy, as well as the latest systems, that could be used in the future as tools for human mitochondrial genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Verechshagina
- a Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Technologies , Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University , Kaliningrad , Russia
| | - N Nikitchina
- a Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Technologies , Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University , Kaliningrad , Russia
| | - Y Yamada
- b Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular Design of Pharmaceutics , Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Н Harashima
- b Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular Design of Pharmaceutics , Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - M Tanaka
- c Department for Health and Longevity Research , National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition , Ibaraki City, Osaka , Japan.,d Department of Neurology , Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan
| | - K Orishchenko
- a Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Technologies , Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University , Kaliningrad , Russia.,e Laboratory of Cell Technologies , Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS , Novosibirsk , Russia
| | - I Mazunin
- a Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Technologies , Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University , Kaliningrad , Russia
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