CRISPR/Cpf1 enables fast and simple genome editing of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cpf1 represents a novel single RNA‐guided CRISPR/Cas endonuclease system suitable for genome editing with distinct features compared with Cas9. We demonstrate the functionality of three Cpf1 orthologues – Acidaminococcus spp. BV3L6 (AsCpf1), Lachnospiraceae bacterium ND2006 (LbCpf1) and Francisella novicida U112 (FnCpf1) – for genome editing of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These Cpf1‐based systems enable fast and reliable introduction of donor DNA on the genome using a two‐plasmid‐based editing approach together with linear donor DNA. LbCpf1 and FnCpf1 displayed editing efficiencies comparable with the CRISPR/Cas9 system, whereas AsCpf1 editing efficiency was lower. Further characterization showed that AsCpf1 and LbCpf1 displayed a preference for their cognate crRNA, while FnCpf1‐mediated editing with similar efficiencies was observed using non‐cognate crRNAs of AsCpf1 and LbCpf1. In addition, multiplex genome editing using a single LbCpf1 crRNA array is shown to be functional in yeast. This work demonstrates that Cpf1 broadens the genome editing toolbox available for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. © 2017 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

History of genome editing in yeast

For thousands of years humans have used the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of bread and alcohol; however, in the last 30–40 years our understanding of the yeast biology has dramatically increased, enabling us to modify its genome. Although S. cerevisiae has been the main focus of many research groups, other non‐conventional yeasts have also been studied and exploited for biotechnological purposes. Our experiments and knowledge have evolved from recombination to high‐throughput PCR‐based transformations to highly accurate CRISPR methods in order to alter yeast traits for either research or industrial purposes. Since the release of the genome sequence of S. cerevisiae in 1996, the precise and targeted genome editing has increased significantly. In this ‘Budding topic’ we discuss the significant developments of genome editing in yeast, mainly focusing on Cre‐loxP mediated recombination, delitto perfetto and CRISPR/Cas.     

CRISPR/Cas9介导烟草多基因编辑体系的应用

CRISPR/Cas9是一种新型的基因组定向编辑技术,近年来在烟草基因组的定向编辑中得到了广泛应用。CRISPR/Cas9介导的多基因编辑技术在许多物种中表现出很大的潜力,为了探索CRISPR/Cas9介导烟草多基因编辑的技术体系,本文针对烟草PCS1、HMA2、eIF4E、TOM3、TOM1 5个不同性状相关的基因构建了多靶点敲除的CRISPR/Cas9系统,并借助农杆菌介导的遗传转化技术转化烟草品种K326。对阳性植株的筛选、靶位点基因组的PCR扩增与测序分析表明,构建的CRISPR/Cas9多基因编辑系统成功转化到烟草中,能够同时靶向突变5个基因。5个基因同时突变的检出率为53.8%,单基因的突变检出率在76.9%与92.3%之间。进一步的脱靶检测分析显示,在所预测脱靶的候选位点上均未发生脱靶现象。本文构建的CRISPR/Cas9多基因编辑系统可将多个基因进行有效突变,为烟草基因功能研究和基于CRISPR/Cas9技术的多性状改良奠定了基础。      

A CRISPR/Cas9 method to generate heterozygous alleles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a genetically facile organism, yet multiple CRISPR/Cas9 techniques are widely used to edit its genome more efficiently and cost effectively than conventional methods. The absence of selective markers makes CRISPR/Cas9 editing particularly useful when making mutations within genes or regulatory sequences. Heterozygous mutations within genes frequently arise in the winners of evolution experiments. The genetic dissection of heterozygous alleles can be important to understanding gene structure and function. Unfortunately, the high efficiency of genome cutting and repair makes the introduction of heterozygous alleles by standard CRISPR/Cas9 technique impossible. To be able to quickly and reliably determine the individual phenotypes of the thousands of heterozygous mutations that can occur during directed evolutions is of particular interest to industrial strain improvement research. In this report, we describe a CRISPR/Cas9 method that introduces specific heterozygous mutations into the S. cerevisiae genome. This method relies upon creating silent point mutations in the protospacer adjacent motif site or removing the protospacer adjacent motif site entirely to stop the multiple rounds of genome editing that prevent heterozygous alleles from being generated. This technique should be able to create heterozygous alleles in other diploid yeasts and different allelic copy numbers in polyploid cells.     

The 50:50 method for PCR‐based seamless genome editing in yeast

The ability to edit the yeast genome with relative ease has contributed to the organism being a model eukaryote for decades. Most methods for deleting, inserting or altering genomic sequences require transformation with DNA that carries the desired change and a selectable marker. One‐step genome editing methods retain the selectable marker. Seamless genome editing methods require more steps and a marker that can be used for both positive and negative selection, such as URA3. Here we describe the PCR‐based 50:50 method for seamless genome editing, which requires only two primers, one PCR with a URA3 cassette, and a single yeast transformation. Our method is based on pop‐in/pop‐out gene replacement and is amenable to the facile creation of genomic deletions and short insertions or substitutions. We used the 50:50 method to make two conservative loss‐of‐function mutations in MATα1, with results suggesting that the wild‐type gene has a new function outside of that presently known. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CRISPR‐Based Technologies and the Future of Food Science

The on‐going CRISPR craze is focused on the use of Cas9‐based technologies for genome editing applications in eukaryotes, with high potential for translational medicine and next‐generation gene therapy. Nevertheless, CRISPR‐Cas systems actually provide adaptive immunity in bacteria, and have much promise for various applications in food bacteria that include high‐resolution typing of pathogens, vaccination of starter cultures against phages, and the genesis of programmable and specific antibiotics that can selectively modulate bacterial population composition. Indeed, the molecular machinery from these DNA‐encoded, RNA‐mediated, DNA‐targeting systems can be harnessed in native hosts, or repurposed in engineered systems for a plethora of applications that can be implemented in all organisms relevant to the food chain, including agricultural crops trait‐enhancement, livestock breeding, and fermentation‐based manufacturing, and for the genesis of next‐generation food products with enhanced quality and health‐promoting functionalities. CRISPR‐based applications are now poised to revolutionize many fields within food science, from farm to fork. In this review, we describe CRISPR‐Cas systems and highlight their potential for the development of enhanced foods.     

A history of genome editing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genome editing is a form of highly precise genetic engineering which produces alterations to an organism's genome as small as a single base pair with no incidental or auxiliary modifications; this technique is crucial to the field of synthetic biology, which requires such precision in the installation of novel genetic circuits into host genomes. While a new methodology for most organisms, genome editing capabilities have been used in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for decades. In this review, I will present a brief history of genome editing in S. cerevisiae, discuss the current gold standard method of Cas9‐mediated genome editing, and speculate on future directions of the field.     

Use of a fluoride channel as a new selection marker for fission yeast plasmids and application to fast genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9

Fission yeast is a powerful model organism that has provided insights into important cellular processes thanks to the ease of its genome editing by homologous recombination. However, creation of strains with a large number of targeted mutations or containing plasmids has been challenging because only a very small number of selection markers is available in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In this paper, we identify two fission yeast fluoride exporter channels (Fex1p and Fex2p) and describe the development of a new strategy using Fex1p as a selection marker for transformants in rich media supplemented with fluoride. To our knowledge this is the first positive selection marker identified in S. pombe that does not use auxotrophy or drug resistance and that can be used for plasmids transformation or genomic integration in rich media. We illustrate the application of our new marker by significantly accelerating the protocol for genome edition using CRISPR/Cas9 in S. pombe. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

IpO: plasmids and methods for simplified,PCR‐based DNA transplant in yeast

Many yeast experiments require strains modified by recombinant DNA methods. Some experiments require precise insertion of a DNA segment into the genome without a selectable marker remaining. For these applications, we developed a new PCR‐based method for marker‐free DNA transplant. The current PCR‐based method requires the labour‐intensive construction of a PCR template plasmid with repeats of the DNA segment flanking URA3. The design of a new vector, IpO, reduces the work in cloning a single copy of the DNA segment between overlapping URA3 fragments present in the vector. Two PCRs are performed that capture the DNA segment and one or the other URA3 fragment. When the PCR products are co‐transformed into yeast, recombination between the overlapping URA3 fragments restores URA3 and transposes the cloned DNA segment inside out, creating a repeat‐URA3‐repeat cassette. Sequences designed into the PCR primers target integration of the cassette into the genome. Subsequent selection with 5‐fluoro‐orotic acid yields strains that have 'popped out' URA3 via recombination between the DNA repeats, with the result being the precise insertion of the DNA segment minus the selectable marker. An additional advantage of the IpO method is that it eliminates PCR artifacts that can plague the current method's repeat‐containing templates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CRISPR核酸检测技术的研究进展

作为一种新兴的基因组编辑和调控工具,CRISPR技术的诞生和发展极大地改变了生物学领域的前进方向。近几年来,CRISPR系统及其相关蛋白(Cas效应蛋白)的工作原理被逐渐揭示,由于其优越的灵敏度和特异性,该技术在多个领域开始发挥至关重要的作用。借助其新颖的核酸酶活性,人们打开了研发核酸检测新方法的大门。本文总结了多种CRISPR/ Cas系统及其在核酸检测领域的应用和局限性,并对其后续发展方向进行了展望。随着该技术的不断成熟,CRISPR/ Cas系统将进一步推动基础生物学和应用生物学的研究,并有潜力成为下一代诊断生物传感平台的候选者。     

CRISPR-Cas系统在食品微生物中的应用研究进展

成簇的规律间隔的短回文重复序列(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,CRISPR)及其关联蛋白(CRISPR-associated proteins,Cas)构成CRISPR-Cas系统,该系统作为高效、灵活、易于操作的基因编辑技术,开始广泛应用于微生物基因组位点的靶向编辑中。本文针对CRISPR-Cas9系统在食品微生物领域,特别是在食品酿造微生物和食品病原微生物中的应用进行综述,并进一步讨论影响该系统基因编辑效率的主要因素及发展方向,为CRISPR-Cas9系统在食品微生物中的应用提供参考和依据。     

CRISPR/Cas9介导的酿酒酵母ADH2基因中断及反义RNA干扰GPD1的表达

CRISPR/Cas9是一个简单、高效的用于靶向目的基因和无标记的基因组工程的工具。本文通过构建酿酒酵母沉默组件PGK-SGPD1-CYC1,使甘油-3-磷酸脱氢酶I(Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase,GPD1)基因在PGK强启动子、CYC1终止子在特定区域内进行干扰和表达。应用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术,在中断乙醇脱氢酶Ⅱ(alcohol dehydrogenase Ⅱ,ADH2)基因的同时,定点敲入GPD1基因的反义干扰组件,从而特定地干扰GPD1的表达。采用高效的酵母化学转化法将反应组件敲入酿酒酵母Y1H中,CRISPR/Cas9介导的同源重组效率达43.48%,由此获得了ADH2基因中断和GPD1反义干扰的酿酒酵母突变株。发酵实验结果表明,酿酒酵母突变菌株SG1-1与出发菌株Y1H相比,乙醇产率提高了9.07%,甘油产率下降了12.05%,乙酸产率下降了12.30%,结果表明通过中断ADH2基因及插入GPD1反义干扰组件,既能够中断ADH2基因的功能,减少乙醇转化为乙醛,同时也能在一定程度上干扰GPD1基因的表达,提高乙醇产率。     

The YDp plasmids: a uniform set of vectors bearing versatile gene disruption cassettes for Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The YDp plasmids (Yeast Disruption plasmids) are pUC9 vectors bearing a set of yeast gene disruption cassettes, all uniform in structure and differing only in the selectable marker used (HIS3, LEU2, LYS2, TRP1 or URA3). The markers, surrounded by translational termination codons, are embedded in the slightly modified sequence of the pUC9 multiple cloning sites.     

CRISPR/Cas系统在食品质量安全检测中的应用研究进展

规律间隔成簇短回文重复序列(regularly spaced clustered short palindrome repeats-associated, CRISPR/Cas)系统是基于原核生物的一种适应性免疫系统, 因其可编程性和易操作的优点已被开发为基因编辑技术, 并且凭借其快速和高效的特点被广泛用于生物、医学等领域。目前, CRISPR/Cas系统已开始在基于核酸检测和单核苷酸多态性检测等食品安全检测技术中应用。本文就CRISPR/Cas系统中Cas9、Cas12a和Cas13a的原理以及其在掺假检测、溯源检测、食源性微生物和动物疫病等食品质量安全检测中的应用进展进行了综述, 以期为CRISPR/Cas系统应用于食品质量安全的快速现场检测提供理论和技术参考。     

基于CRISPR/Cas9技术的烟草烟碱相关基因敲除及功能研究

CRISPR/Cas9是一种重要的基因组定向编辑技术,近年来在植物基因组的定向敲除和分子育种材料创制中得到了广泛应用。为了发掘可用于分子育种的低烟碱烟草,以烤烟品种K326为试验材料,利用CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑技术对控制烟草烟碱合成和转运的5个基因（PMT1、QPT1、A622、NtNUP1和JAT1）进行定向敲除,并对T2代纯合基因型烟草植株进行烟碱含量检测。结果表明,定向敲除5个基因后获得100株成功编辑的T0代烟草植株,突变检出率为29.9%,突变类型以单碱基插入或删除为主。对定向敲除烟碱合成基因QPT1和转运基因JAT1的T1代纯合基因型烟草植株进行序列分析,发现存在4种突变类型,分别是插入一个T、C、A碱基的插入突变和一个缺失44个碱基的缺失突变,从而引发移码使得翻译的氨基酸链大幅缩短,其T2代植株上部叶烟碱含量显著低于野生型植株。综上所述,CRISPR/Cas9技术能够高效定向敲除烟碱关键基因,为低烟碱烟草分子育种提供了理论和技术支撑。     

New vectors for combinatorial deletions in yeast chromosomes and for gap-repair cloning using ‘split-marker’ recombination

New tools are needed for speedy and systematic study of the numerous genes revealed by the sequence of the yeast genome. We have developed a novel transformation strategy, based on ‘split-marker’ recombination, which allows generation of chromosomal deletions and direct gene cloning. For this purpose, pairs of yeast vectors have been constructed which offer a number of advantages for large-scale applications such as one-step cloning of target sequence homologs and combinatorial use. Gene deletions or gap-repair clonings are obtained by cotransformation of yeast by a pair of recombinant plasmids. Gap-repair vectors are based on the URA3 marker. Deletion vectors include the URA3, LYS2 and kanMX selection markers flanked by I-SceI sites, which allow their subsequent elimination from the transformant without the need for counter-selection. The application of the ‘split-marker’ vectors to the analysis of a few open reading frames of chromosome XI is described.     

Non‐homologous end joining‐mediated functional marker selection for DNA cloning in the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus

The cloning of DNA fragments into vectors or host genomes has traditionally been performed using Escherichia coli with restriction enzymes and DNA ligase or homologous recombination‐based reactions. We report here a novel DNA cloning method that does not require DNA end processing or homologous recombination, but that ensures highly accurate cloning. The method exploits the efficient non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) activity of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus and consists of a novel functional marker selection system. First, to demonstrate the applicability of NHEJ to DNA cloning, a C‐terminal‐truncated non‐functional ura3 selection marker and the truncated region were PCR‐amplified separately, mixed and directly used for the transformation. URA3⁺ transformants appeared on the selection plates, indicating that the two DNA fragments were correctly joined by NHEJ to generate a functional URA3 gene that had inserted into the yeast chromosome. To develop the cloning system, the shortest URA3 C‐terminal encoding sequence that could restore the function of a truncated non‐functional ura3 was determined by deletion analysis, and was included in the primers to amplify target DNAs for cloning. Transformation with PCR‐amplified target DNAs and C‐terminal truncated ura3 produced numerous transformant colonies, in which a functional URA3 gene was generated and was integrated into the chromosome with the target DNAs. Several K. marxianus circular plasmids with different selection markers were also developed for NHEJ‐based cloning and recombinant DNA construction. The one‐step DNA cloning method developed here is a relatively simple and reliable procedure among the DNA cloning systems developed to date. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

烟草单倍体基因编辑系统的建立

  背景和目的  单倍体材料作为转化受体具有不受同源染色体联会配对影响、转化效率较高、外源基因在后代基因组中稳定性较好、加倍后即可获得纯合转化植株等优点,结合基因编辑CRISPR/Cas9系统,可大大加快烟草品种选育进程。  方法  通过花粉离体培育获得单倍体,利用CRISPR/Cas9系统编辑八氢番茄红素脱氢酶基因位点,产生白化单倍体植株。  结果  （1）经过4℃处理4~6天的实验组,花药愈伤组织形成率最高可达11%;（2）获得转化后单倍体植株120株,其中白化86株（白化率71.67%）,红花大金元51株,其中白化24株（白化率47.06%）。  结论  （1）适当低温处理可提高花药培育单倍体效率;（2）以单倍体为受体的基因编辑效率有所提高。      

A CONVENIENT DOMINANT SELECTION MARKER FOR GENE TRANSFER IN INDUSTRIAL STRAINS OF SACCHAROMYCES YEAST: SMRI ENCODED RESISTANCE TO THE HERBICIDE SULFOMETURON METHYL

The SMR1-410 gene of S. cerevisiae, encoding resistance to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl (SM), was used as a dominant selection marker in yeast replicating and yeast integrating vectors for the transformation of wild type strains of baking, brewing (ale and lager), distilling, wine and sake Saccharomyces yeasts. Transformation of lithium treated cells by a YEp vector resulted in transformation frequencies ranging from 200 to 8,000 transformants per 10 ug of DNA. Utilizing a yeast integrating vector with SMR1–410 as the only yeast DNA sequences, it was demonstrated that a single copy of SMR1–410 is sufficient to confer stably inherited SM resistance. Thus the SMR1–410 sequence has the unique ability to act as a selectable marker and to also provide a site for chromosomal integration. Since transformants were resistant to levels at least seven fold higher than wild type strains the resistance phenotype was clearly expressed and easily scored in all industrial strains tested. Unlike other selection markers derived from mammalian or bacterial cells, SMR1–410 is derived from S. cerevisiae. Thus industrial utilization of this marker as a means of genetically improving food and beverage strains of Saccharomyces yeasts by recombinant DNA technology is enhanced, as government regulatory agencies are likely to view it in a more favourable light.