The present invention relates to synthetic biology and, in particular, to methods for programmable modification of DNA.
There is significant current interest in the field of Synthetic Biology, which is a genetic engineering discipline that aims to realize the tools and technologies required for programming biological organisms to perform new functions that they did not previously perform, a task that is somewhat analogous to programming a microprocessor to carry out a new function.
Currently in synthetic biology, exogenous DNA constructs (e.g., genes) are introduced into a biological cell by a number of possible means, including electroporation, opto-poration, chemical competency, conjugation, and viral packaging. These exogenous DNA constructs may then be incorporated into the biological cell's genome, or they may remain as a separate entity within the cell (e.g., as a plasmid). In turn, they may be transcribed into mRNA by the cell's RNA polymerase, which in turn may itself be translated into protein by the cells ribosomal machinery. The exogenous DNA, which codes for novel protein functionality, may ultimately result in programming the cell to carry out a range of new functions, including the incorporation of new exogenous genes that code for the expression of a protein of interest (e.g., protein drugs such as EPO or enzymes such as Amylase), for the incorporation of new exogenous genes that comprise metabolic pathways to program the cell to make a set of new enzymes that in turn synthesize a new compound of interest (e.g., 1,3 Propanediol, Artimisinin), or for the incorporation of sets of genes to perform logic functions (e.g., a ring oscillator causing the cell to blink on and off).
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) have previously been used in a system for programmable double stranded cutting of an integration site [Mali, Prashant, et al., “RNA-guided human genome engineering via Cas9”, Science 339.6121 pp. 823-826 (2013)].
A key missing component of synthetic biology as it currently exists is a means for the cell to programmatically modify its own DNA or genome, which is akin to a program rewriting its own memory (e.g., a Turing machine). Applications of this would include cells that can log data, cells that can carry out logic operations, and self-reconfiguring genomes for synthetic evolution and genomic engineering.
Layered logic in engineered genetic circuits is another longstanding goal of synthetic biology. Recent attempts have fallen short due to the difficulty of mining or applying directed evolution to find non-interacting recombinases or pairs of chaperone and transcription factor proteins.
The present invention is a methodology that provides the means for a biological cell to programmatically modify its own DNA. The invention is also self-reconfiguring genomes capable of carrying out the methodology of the invention in order to programmatically modify their own DNA. Applications include, but are not limited to, cells that can log data, cells that can carry out logic operations, and self-reconfiguring genomes for synthetic evolution and genomic engineering. The present invention is also a methodology providing the means for a biological cell to carry out cascadable and multiplexable digital logic using RNA as a universal input and output, a set of genetic logic gates usable in carrying out the methodology, and devices created using the set of genetic logic gates.
In one aspect of the invention, a self-reconfiguring genome is based on a self-reconfiguring cassette that comprises operons or DNA sequences that code for a guide RNA, a reverse transcriptase, donor RNA, and a cleavage enzyme from the CRISPR system. The self-reconfiguring genome may be configured to comprise a counter or data logger, which may be configured to log the presence of a small molecule, peptide, protein, DNA, RNA, heat, and/or light. The self-reconfiguring genome may be configured to reconfigure one or more of an organism's metabolic pathways.
In another aspect of the invention, a self-reconfiguring genome is based on lambda recombineering of in situ generated oligonucleotides. The self-reconfiguring genome based on lambda recombineering may be configured to reconfigure one or more of an organism's metabolic pathways. The self-reconfiguring genome based on lambda recombineering may be configured to comprise a data logger, which may be configured to log the presence of a small molecule, peptide, protein, DNA, RNA, heat, and/or light. The self-reconfiguring genome based on lambda recombineering may be configured so that in situ generated oligonucleotides are generated by means of in situ reverse transcription of RNA.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method for programmable self-modification of a cellular genome includes the steps of, for a self-reconfiguring cassette comprising operons or DNA sequences that code for a guide RNA, a reverse transcriptase, donor RNA, and a cleavage enzyme from the CRISPR system: transcribing the guide RNA from the cassette; associating the transcribed guideRNA with the CRISPR enzyme; intercalcating a region of complimentary sequence within an integration site of the cellular genome; cutting, using the CRISPR enzyme, upstream of a PAM site located within the integration site; transcribing the donor RNA from the cassette; translating the donorRNA to double-stranded DNA using the reverse transcriptase; and recombining the double-stranded DNA via homologous recombination at the cut site of the integration site, thereby producing a genomic modification within the integration site of the cellular genome. The steps of the method may be repeated a plurality of times in order to create serial insertions at the integration site, thereby producing further modification of the cellular genome.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a set of cascadable and multiplexable genetic logic gates with a universal RNA input/output based on single-strand annealing or non-homologous end joining, comprises transcription promoters or terminators, homologous regions, DNA sequences, RNA, and enzymes from the CRISPR system. A genetic logic device may be made of a plurality of genetic logic gates from the set. In the logic device, the genetic logic gates may be cascaded or multiplexed.
Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In some embodiments, means based on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) allow the cell to self-reconfigure its own genome. A self-reconfiguring cassette according to one aspect of the invention comprises operons or DNA sequences which code for i) a guide RNA to recognize and cleave at an integration site, ii) the CRISPR protein Cas9, iii) reverse transcriptase, and iv) Donor RNA, which is reverse transcribed into double stranded donor DNA.
In some embodiments, the cassette operates in the following manner. Guide RNA (guideRNA) is transcribed from the cassette, associates with the protein CAS9 and intercalates a region of complimentary sequence within the Integration site. Once intercalated, the Cas9 cuts upstream of a PAM site also located within the Integration site. In parallel, donor RNA, whose termini are homologous to the integration site cut site, is transcribed from the cassette by RNA polymerase and then translated to double stranded DNA by means of reverse transcriptase. The double stranded DNA is recombined via homologous recombination at the integration site cut site to produce a genomic modification within the integration site. This serves as a general means for the cell to modify its own genome.
Serial insertions at the integration site can act as a counter. Serial insertions triggered by a stimuli, such as, but not limited to, light small molecular protein, or RNA/DNA, comprise a data logger. Structuring guide RNA sequences and donor DNAs to target promoters or ribosome binding sites within metabolic pathways may comprise a system for carrying out synthetic evolution, diversity or library generation and genomic engineering.
In some other embodiments, means based on CRISPRs allow the cell to carry out cascadable and multiplexable digital logic. In such embodiments, input RNA combines with the Cas9 protein to cut a protospacer sequence, complementary to a spacer sequence in the RNA, followed by a PAM sequence in DNA of the genetic logic gate. This DNA break results in deletion of a transcription promoter or terminator by means of single-strand annealing (SSA) homologous recombination or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Output RNA either self-cleaves or is cleaved by Csy4 at CRISPR repeat sequences to improve its affinity for Cas9, thus serving as input for the next layer of gates. The sequence space of such RNA prevents interaction between gates.
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Designing guide RNA sequences and donor DNAs to target promoters or ribosome binding sites within metabolic pathways comprises a system for carrying out self-evolution, diversity or library generation, and self-genomic engineering analogous to the evolution, library generation, and genomic engineering carried out in the process known as MAGE, using exogenously introduced oligonucleotides [Wang, Harris H., et al., “Programming cells by multiplex genome engineering and accelerated evolution”, Nature 460.7257, pp. 894-898 (2009)].
Lambda phage protein (red locus) mediated recombineering can be used to incorporate exogenous oligonucleotides into a chromosome, a form of in vivo site-directed mutagenesis [D. Court et. al., “Genetic Engineering Using Homologous Recombination”, Annual Review of Genetics, Vol. 36, p. 361 (2002)]. The efficiency of this process can be high enough that antibiotic selection is unnecessary, as one can simply screen for recombinants. However, when multiple exogenous oligos are introduced into the cell simultaneously, such as by electroporation or chemical competency, the efficiency of incorporation of each oligo decreases substantially. One limiting factor can be the supply of available β protein. Another can be the amount of each oligo available in the cell. To remedy the second concern, the production of oligos intracellularly, from a plasmid template, is employed. The large plasmid (or BAC) is produced in vivo using gene synthesis techniques, and then transformed into the host. The plasmid is then induced to manufacture large numbers of each desired oligo, which in turn self-reconfigures the genome of the cell.
Referring to
Logic, universal input/output, and programmable gain are necessary properties for demonstrating computation by single-strand annealing (SSA) homologous recombination repair of CRISPR-induced cleavage. The elements for implementation of this logic have been described above. The parts that make up these elements are well defined: promoter, guide RNA, terminator, RNA processing, and homologous arm sequences.
To verify the ideal homologous arm length for instigating SSA, a reporter with the T7 promoter followed by the first 171 bases of GFP 1510 (highlighted), a protospacer and protospacer adjacent sequence 1520 (bold), transcription terminator 1530 (italicized), and the entire GFP gene 1540 were cloned into BL21 E. coli. The resulting construct 1550 (SEQ ID No. 23) is shown in
Upon introducing the corresponding guide RNA and Cas9, all colonies were found to have sequence 1610 (SEQ ID No. 24) shown in
Exemplary Implementations: This invention may be implemented in many ways. The items in the list of exemplary implementations that follows are not intended as patent claims. Instead, they are non-limiting examples of ways that this invention may be implemented or embodied. Following are some non-limiting examples of how this invention may be implemented:
Implementation 1. A self-reconfiguring genome based on a self-reconfiguring cassette comprising a guide RNA, a reverse transcriptase, a donor RNA, and a cleavage enzyme from the CRISPR system.
Implementation 2. The system of Implementation 1, configured to comprise a counter.
Implementation 3. The system of Implementation 1, configured to comprise a data logger.
Implementation 4. The system of Implementation 3, configured to comprise a data logger to log the presence of one or more of: small molecule, peptide, protein, DNA, RNA, heat, or light.
Implementation 5. The system of Implementation 1, configured to reconfigure one or more of an organism's metabolic pathways.
Implementation 6. A self-reconfiguring genome based on lambda recombineering of in-situ generated oligonucleotides.
Implementation 7. The system of Implementation 6, configured to reconfigure one or more of an organism's metabolic pathways.
Implementation 8. The system of Implementation 6, configured to comprise a data logger to log the presence of one or more of: small molecule, peptide, protein, DNA, RNA, heat, or light.
Implementation 9. The system of Implementation 6, in which the in situ generated oligonucleotides are generated by means of in situ reverse transcription of RNA.
Implementation 10. Cascadable and multiplexable genetic logic gates with a universal RNA input/output based on single-strand annealing or non-homologous end joining comprising transcription promoters or terminators, homologous regions, as well as DNA sequences, RNA, and enzymes from the CRISPR system.
Implementation 11. The system of Implementation 10, configured to cascade genetic logic gates.
Implementation 12. The system of Implementation 10, configured to multiplex genetic logic gates.
While preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, many other implementations will occur to one of ordinary skill in the art and are all within the scope of the invention. Each of the various embodiments described above may be combined with other described embodiments in order to provide multiple features. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number of separate embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention, what has been described herein is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements, methods, modifications, and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are therefore also considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/217,426, filed Mar. 17, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/789,524, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entire disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61789524 | Mar 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14217426 | Mar 2014 | US |
Child | 15905817 | US |