WO2015089364A1 - Crystal structure of a crispr-cas system, and uses thereof - Google Patents
Crystal structure of a crispr-cas system, and uses thereof Download PDFInfo
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- WO2015089364A1 WO2015089364A1 PCT/US2014/069925 US2014069925W WO2015089364A1 WO 2015089364 A1 WO2015089364 A1 WO 2015089364A1 US 2014069925 W US2014069925 W US 2014069925W WO 2015089364 A1 WO2015089364 A1 WO 2015089364A1
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- G16B15/00—ICT specially adapted for analysing two-dimensional or three-dimensional molecular structures, e.g. structural or functional relations or structure alignment
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- G—PHYSICS
- G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
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- G16B15/00—ICT specially adapted for analysing two-dimensional or three-dimensional molecular structures, e.g. structural or functional relations or structure alignment
- G16B15/20—Protein or domain folding
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- G16B15/00—ICT specially adapted for analysing two-dimensional or three-dimensional molecular structures, e.g. structural or functional relations or structure alignment
- G16B15/30—Drug targeting using structural data; Docking or binding prediction
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Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to systems, methods and compositions used for the control of gene expression involving sequence targeting, such as genome perturbation or gene-editing, that may use vector systems related to Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and components thereof.
- sequence targeting such as genome perturbation or gene-editing
- CRISPR Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
- the CRISPR/Cas or the CRISPR-Cas system does not require the generation of customized proteins to target specific sequences but rather a single Cas enzyme can be programmed by a short RNA molecule to recognize a specific DNA target, in other words the Cas enzyme can be recruited to a specific DNA target using said short RNA molecule.
- Adding the CRISPR-Cas system to the repertoire of genome sequencing techniques and analysis methods may significantly simplify the methodology and accelerate the ability to catalog and map genetic factors associated with a diverse range of biological functions and diseases.
- the invention provides a method for altering or modifying expression of a gene product.
- the said method may comprise introducing into a cell containing and expressing a DNA molecule encoding the gene product an engineered, non-naturally occurring CRISPR-Cas system comprising a Cas protein and guide RNA that targets the DNA molecule, whereby the guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together.
- the invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence.
- the invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell.
- the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell.
- the expression of the gene product is decreased.
- the invention provides an engineered, non-naturally occurring CRISPR-Cas system comprising a Cas protein and a guide RNA that targets a DNA molecule encoding a gene product in a cell, whereby the guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together.
- the invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence.
- the Cas protein is a type II CRISPR-Cas protein and in a preferred embodiment the Cas protein is a Cas9 protein.
- the invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell.
- the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell.
- the expression of the gene product is decreased.
- the invention provides an engineered, non-naturally occurring vector system comprising one or more vectors comprising a first regulatory element operably linked to a CRISPR-Cas system guide RNA that targets a DNA molecule encoding a gene product and a second regulatory element operably linked to a Cas protein.
- Components (a) and (b) may be located on same or different vectors of the system.
- the guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product in a cell and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together.
- the invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence.
- the Cas protein is a type II CRISPR-Cas protein and in a preferred embodiment the Cas protein is a Cas9 protein.
- the invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell.
- the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell.
- the expression of the gene product is decreased.
- the invention provides a vector system comprising one or more vectors.
- the system comprises: (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence; wherein components (a) and (b) are located on the same or different vectors of the system.
- component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element.
- component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell.
- the system comprises the tracr sequence under the control of a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter.
- the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned.
- the CRISPR complex comprises one or more nuclear localization sequences of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of said CRISPR complex in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell.
- a nuclear localization sequence is not necessary for CRISPR complex activity in eukaryotes, but that including such sequences enhances activity of the system, especially as to targeting nucleic acid molecules in the nucleus.
- the CRISPR enzyme is a type II CRISPR system enzyme. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is a Cas9 enzyme. In some embodiments, the Cas9 enzyme is S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, or S. thermophilus Cas9, and may include mutated Cas9 derived from these organisms. The enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence. In some embodiments, the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter.
- the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter.
- the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length.
- the term“vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked. Vectors include, but are not limited to, nucleic acid molecules that are single-stranded, double- stranded, or partially double-stranded; nucleic acid molecules that comprise one or more free ends, no free ends (e.g.
- vectors refer to a circular double stranded DNA loop into which additional DNA segments can be inserted, such as by standard molecular cloning techniques.
- viral vector wherein virally-derived DNA or RNA sequences are present in the vector for packaging into a virus (e.g. retroviruses, replication defective retroviruses, adenoviruses, replication defective adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses).
- Viral vectors also include polynucleotides carried by a virus for transfection into a host cell.
- vectors are capable of autonomous replication in a host cell into which they are introduced (e.g. bacterial vectors having a bacterial origin of replication and episomal mammalian vectors). Other vectors (e.g., non-episomal mammalian vectors) are integrated into the genome of a host cell upon introduction into the host cell, and thereby are replicated along with the host genome. Moreover, certain vectors are capable of directing the expression of genes to which they are operatively- linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as“expression vectors.” Common expression vectors of utility in recombinant DNA techniques are often in the form of plasmids.
- Recombinant expression vectors can comprise a nucleic acid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell, which means that the recombinant expression vectors include one or more regulatory elements, which may be selected on the basis of the host cells to be used for expression, that is operatively-linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed.
- “operably linked” is intended to mean that the nucleotide sequence of interest is linked to the regulatory element(s) in a manner that allows for expression of the nucleotide sequence (e.g. in an in vitro transcription/translation system or in a host cell when the vector is introduced into the host cell).
- regulatory element is intended to include promoters, enhancers, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES), and other expression control elements (e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences).
- IRES internal ribosomal entry sites
- regulatory elements e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences.
- Regulatory elements include those that direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of host cell and those that direct expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences).
- a tissue-specific promoter may direct expression primarily in a desired tissue of interest, such as muscle, neuron, bone, skin, blood, specific organs (e.g. liver, pancreas), or particular cell types (e.g. lymphocytes). Regulatory elements may also direct expression in a temporal-dependent manner, such as in a cell-cycle dependent or developmental stage-dependent manner, which may or may not also be tissue or cell-type specific.
- a vector comprises one or more pol III promoter (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol I promoters), one or more pol II promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol II promoters), one or more pol I promoters (e.g.
- pol III promoters include, but are not limited to, U6 and H1 promoters.
- pol II promoters include, but are not limited to, the retroviral Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR promoter (optionally with the RSV enhancer), the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (optionally with the CMV enhancer) [see, e.g., Boshart et al, Cell, 41:521 -530 (1985)], the SV40 promoter, the dihydrofolate reductase promoter, the ⁇ -actin promoter, the phosphoglycerol kinase (PGK) promoter, and the EF1 ⁇ promoter.
- RSV Rous sarcoma virus
- CMV cytomegalovirus
- PGK phosphoglycerol kinase
- enhancer elements such as WPRE; CMV enhancers; the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I (Mol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 8(1), p. 466-472, 1988); SV40 enhancer; and the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit ⁇ -globin (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981).
- WPRE WPRE
- CMV enhancers the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I
- SV40 enhancer SV40 enhancer
- the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit ⁇ -globin Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981.
- a vector can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce transcripts, proteins, or peptides, including fusion proteins or peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein (e.g., clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) transcripts, proteins, enzymes, mutant forms thereof, fusion proteins thereof, etc.).
- CRISPR clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats
- Advantageous vectors include lentiviruses and adeno-associated viruses, and types of such vectors can also be selected for targeting particular types of cells.
- the invention provides a eukaryotic host cell comprising (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and/or (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence.
- the host cell comprises components (a) and (b).
- component (a), component (b), or components (a) and (b) are stably integrated into a genome of the host eukaryotic cell.
- component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element.
- component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell.
- the eukaryotic host cell further comprises a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter, operably linked to said tracr sequence.
- the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned.
- the enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog.
- the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell.
- the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence.
- the CRISPR enzyme lacks DNA strand cleavage activity.
- the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter.
- the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter.
- the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length.
- the invention provides a non-human eukaryotic organism; preferably a multicellular eukaryotic organism, comprising a eukaryotic host cell according to any of the described embodiments.
- the invention provides a eukaryotic organism; preferably a multicellular eukaryotic organism, comprising a eukaryotic host cell according to any of the described embodiments.
- the organism in some embodiments of these aspects may be an animal; for example a mammal. Also, the organism may be an arthropod such as an insect. The organism also may be a plant. Further, the organism may be a fungus.
- the invention provides a kit comprising one or more of the components described herein.
- the kit comprises a vector system and instructions for using the kit.
- the vector system comprises (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and/or (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence.
- the kit comprises components (a) and (b) located on the same or different vectors of the system.
- component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element.
- component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell.
- the system further comprises a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter, operably linked to said tracr sequence.
- the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned.
- the CRISPR enzyme comprises one or more nuclear localization sequences of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of said CRISPR enzyme in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell.
- the CRISPR enzyme is a type II CRISPR system enzyme.
- the CRISPR enzyme is a Cas9 enzyme.
- the Cas9 enzyme is S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes or S.
- thermophilus Cas9 and may include mutated Cas9 derived from these organisms.
- the enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog.
- the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell.
- the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence.
- the CRISPR enzyme lacks DNA strand cleavage activity.
- the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter.
- the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter.
- the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length.
- the invention provides a method of modifying a target polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell.
- the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide thereby modifying the target polynucleotide, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said target polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence.
- said cleavage comprises cleaving one or two strands at the location of the target sequence by said CRISPR enzyme. In some embodiments, said cleavage results in decreased transcription of a target gene. In some embodiments, the method further comprises repairing said cleaved target polynucleotide by homologous recombination with an exogenous template polynucleotide, wherein said repair results in a mutation comprising an insertion, deletion, or substitution of one or more nucleotides of said target polynucleotide. In some embodiments, said mutation results in one or more amino acid changes in a protein expressed from a gene comprising the target sequence.
- the method further comprises delivering one or more vectors to said eukaryotic cell, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: the CRISPR enzyme, the guide sequence linked to the tracr mate sequence, and the tracr sequence.
- said vectors are delivered to the eukaryotic cell in a subject.
- said modifying takes place in said eukaryotic cell in a cell culture.
- the method further comprises isolating said eukaryotic cell from a subject prior to said modifying.
- the method further comprises returning said eukaryotic cell and/or cells derived therefrom to said subject.
- the invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell.
- the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the polynucleotide such that said binding results in increased or decreased expression of said polynucleotide; wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence.
- the method further comprises delivering one or more vectors to said eukaryotic cells, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: the CRISPR enzyme, the guide sequence linked to the tracr mate sequence, and the tracr sequence.
- the invention provides a method of generating a model eukaryotic cell comprising a mutated disease gene.
- a disease gene is any gene associated an increase in the risk of having or developing a disease.
- the method comprises (a) introducing one or more vectors into a eukaryotic cell, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: a CRISPR enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr mate sequence, and a tracr sequence; and (b) allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to a target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of the target polynucleotide within said disease gene, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence within the target polynucleotide, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence, thereby generating a model eukaryotic
- said cleavage comprises cleaving one or two strands at the location of the target sequence by said CRISPR enzyme. In some embodiments, said cleavage results in decreased transcription of a target gene. In some embodiments, the method further comprises repairing said cleaved target polynucleotide by homologous recombination with an exogenous template polynucleotide, wherein said repair results in a mutation comprising an insertion, deletion, or substitution of one or more nucleotides of said target polynucleotide. In some embodiments, said mutation results in one or more amino acid changes in a protein expression from a gene comprising the target sequence.
- the invention provides a method for developing a biologically active agent that modulates a cell signaling event associated with a disease gene.
- a disease gene is any gene associated an increase in the risk of having or developing a disease.
- the method comprises (a) contacting a test compound with a model cell of any one of the described embodiments; and (b) detecting a change in a readout that is indicative of a reduction or an augmentation of a cell signaling event associated with said mutation in said disease gene, thereby developing said biologically active agent that modulates said cell signaling event associated with said disease gene.
- the invention provides a recombinant polynucleotide comprising a guide sequence upstream of a tracr mate sequence, wherein the guide sequence when expressed directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a corresponding target sequence present in a eukaryotic cell.
- the target sequence is a viral sequence present in a eukaryotic cell.
- the target sequence is a proto-oncogene or an oncogene.
- the invention provides for a method of selecting one or more cell(s) by introducing one or more mutations in a gene in the one or more cell (s), the method comprising: introducing one or more vectors into the cell (s), wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: a CRISPR enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr mate sequence, a tracr sequence, and an editing template; wherein the editing template comprises the one or more mutations that abolish CRISPR enzyme cleavage; allowing homologous recombination of the editing template with the target polynucleotide in the cell(s) to be selected; allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to a target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of the target polynucleotide within said gene, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence within the target polynucleotide, and (2) the
- the CRISPR enzyme is Cas9.
- the cell to be selected may be a eukaryotic cell. Aspects of the invention allow for selection of specific cells without requiring a selection marker or a two-step process that may include a counter-selection system.
- the invention comprehends a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) system having an X-ray diffraction pattern corresponding to or resulting from any or all of the foregoing and/or a crystal having the structure defined by the co-ordinates of the Crystral Structure Table in Example 1 (the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure).
- the invention involves a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential compounds to fit within or bind to CRISPR-cas9 system or a functional portion thereof or vice versa (a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems or a functional portion thereof for binding to desired compounds) or a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems (e.g., with regard to predicting areas of the CRISPR-cas9 system to be able to be manipulated—for instance, based on crystral structure data or based on data of cas9 orthologs, or with respect to where a functional group such as an activator or repressor can be attached to the CRISPR-cas9 system, or as to cas9 truncations or as to designing nickases), said method comprising:
- a computer system e.g., a programmed computer comprising a processor, a data storage system, an input device, and an output device, the steps of:
- structure(s) e.g., CRISPR- cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, truncated cas9s, novel nickases or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems;
- structure(s) e.g., CRISPR- cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, truncated cas9s, novel nickases or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-
- said method comprising: providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure, e.g., at least two atoms of the herein Crystral Structure Table of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure or co-ordinates of at least a sub-domain of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure (“selected co-ordinates”), providing the structure of a candidate comprising a binding molecule or of portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, or the structure of functional groups, and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co- ordinates, to thereby obtain product data comprising CRISPR-cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, truncated cas9s, novel nicka
- the testing can comprise analyzing the CRISPR-cas9 system resulting from said synthesized selected structure(s), e.g., with respect to binding, or performing a desired function.
- the output in the foregoing methods can comprise data transmission, e.g., transmission of information via telecommunication, telephone, video conference, mass communication, e.g., presentation such as a computer presentation (eg POWERPOINT), internet, email, documentary communication such as a computer program (eg WORD) document and the like.
- the invention also comprehends computer readable media containing: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures.
- the computer readable media can also contain any data of the foregoing methods.
- the invention further comprehends methods a computer system for generating or performing rational design as in the foregoing methods containing either: atomic co-ordinate data according to herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures.
- the invention further comprehends a method of doing business comprising providing to a user the computer system or the media or the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure set forth in and said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, or the herein computer media or a herein data transmission.
- A“binding site” or an“active site” comprises or consists essentially of a site (such as an atom, a functional group of an amino acid residue or a plurality of such atoms and/or groups) in a binding cavity or region, which may bind to a compound such as a nucleic acid molecule, which is/are involved in binding.
- fitting is meant determining by automatic, or semi-automatic means, interactions between one or more atoms of a candidate molecule and at least one atom of a structure of the invention, and calculating the extent to which such interactions are stable. Interactions include attraction and repulsion, brought about by charge, steric considerations and the like. Various computer-based methods for fitting are described further
- a“computer system” is meant the hardware means, software means and data storage means used to analyze atomic coordinate data.
- the minimum hardware means of the computer-based systems of the present invention typically comprises a central processing unit (CPU), input means, output means and data storage means. Desirably a display or monitor is provided to visualize structure data.
- the data storage means may be RAM or means for accessing computer readable media of the invention. Examples of such systems are computer and tablet devices running Unix, Windows or Apple operating systems.
- By“computer readable media” is meant any medium or media, which can be read and accessed directly or indirectly by a computer e.g. so that the media is suitable for use in the above-mentioned computer system.
- Such media include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage media such as floppy discs, hard disc storage medium and magnetic tape; optical storage media such as optical discs or CD-ROM; electrical storage media such as RAM and ROM; thumb drive devices; cloud storage devices and hybrids of these categories such as magnetic/optical storage media.
- Figures 1A-M provide: a diagram showing the topology of the Cas9 protein. Helices are shown as tubes and beta sheets are shown as arrows and various views of the CRISPR-cas complex crystal structure (A-I), chimeric RNA architecture from the crystal structure (J-K), an interaction schematic from the crystal structure (L) and a topology schematic from the crystal structure (M).
- A-I CRISPR-cas complex crystal structure
- J-K chimeric RNA architecture from the crystal structure
- L interaction schematic from the crystal structure
- M topology schematic from the crystal structure
- Figures 2A-C show, from the crystal structure, a schematic of showing catalytic domains of SpCas9, sites of mutagenesis for new nickases (A), a schematic showing locations of sgRNAs for testing double nicking (B), and results of a Surveyor gel test results showing 1 HNH mutant N854A that retains nickase activity, and 1 HNH mutant that shows nickase activity (N863A), and 2 RuvCIII mutants that show nickase activity (H983A, D986A) (C).
- Figures 3A-B show Surveyor gel test results of SpCas9 truncation mutants from the crystal structure that retain cleavage activity (A) and a table showing the amino acid truncations and flexible (GGGS) or rigid (A(EAAAK)) linker substitutions of the lanes of the gels of Figure 25A (B).
- Figures 4A-B show SpCas9 sgRNAs from the crystal structure including those mutated to investigate contribution to activity of specific bases or groups to basses.
- Figures 5A-C show truncation and creation of chimeric (S. pyogenes) Cas9s based on the herein crystal structure, including mutants for mapping essential functional domains (A), chimeras that contain regions from S. thermophilus Cas9 (B), and designs for chemically inducible dimerization of SpCas9 (C).
- S. pyogenes chimeric Cas9s based on the herein crystal structure, including mutants for mapping essential functional domains (A), chimeras that contain regions from S. thermophilus Cas9 (B), and designs for chemically inducible dimerization of SpCas9
- Figure 6 shows a picture of Cas9 crystals (0.2 mm).
- Figure 7 shows a structural figure of showing Cas9 in a surface representation; red, sgRNA; cyan, the guide region of sgRNA; gold, target DNA.
- Figure 8A-D shows the overall structure.
- A Domain organization of S. pyogenes Cas9, and schematic of the sgRNA:target DNA complex.
- B Ribbon representation of the Cas9– sgRNA–DNA complex. Disordered linkers are shown as red dotted lines.
- C Surface representation of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA complex. The active sites of the RuvC (D10A) and HNH (H840A) domains are indicated by dashed yellow circles.
- D Electrostatic surface potential of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA complex. The HNH domain is omitted for clarity.
- Molecular graphic images were prepared using CueMol (see website at cuemol.org). Also refer to Figs. 37 and 38.
- Figure 9A-E shows the REC lobe and PI domain.
- A Structure of the REC lobe.
- the REC2 domain and Bridge helix are colored dark gray and green, respectively.
- the REC1 domain is colored gray, with the repeat-interacting and anti-repeat-interacting regions colored pale blue and pink, respectively.
- the bound sgRNA:DNA is shown as semi-transparent ribbon representation.
- FIG. 39–41 Western blot showing expression of truncation mutants in HEK 293FT cells.
- D Structure of the PI domain. The bound sgRNA is shown as semi-transparent ribbon representation.
- Figure 10A-F shows the NUC lobe.
- A Structure of the RuvC domain. The core structure of the RNase H fold core is highlighted in cyan. The active-site residues are shown as stick models.
- B Structure of the T. thermophilus RuvC dimer in complex with a Holliday junction (PDB ID 4LD0). The two protomers are colored cyan and gray, respectively.
- C Sequence (top) illustrates Cas9 nicking targets on opposite strands of DNA. Targets 1 and 2 are offset by a distance of 4-bp in between. Heatmap (bottom) shows the ability of each catalytic mutant to induce double- (with either sgRNA 1 or 2) or single-stranded breaks (only with both sgRNA together).
- E Structure of the HNH domain. The core structure of the ⁇ -metal fold is highlighted in magenta. The active-site residues are shown as stick models.
- F Structure of the T4 Endo VII dimer in complex with a Holliday junction (PDB ID 2QNC).
- FIG. 11A-D shows sgRNA and its target DNA.
- A Schematic of the sgRNA:DNA complex. The guide and repeat regions of the crRNA sequence are colored skyblue and blue, respectively. The tracrRNA sequence is colored red, with the linker region colored violet. The target DNA and tetraloop are colored yellow and black, respectively. The numbering of the 3′ tails of tracrRNA is shown on red background. Watson-Crick and non-Watson-Crick base pairs are indicated by black and gray lines, respectively.
- Disordered nucleotides are boxed by dashed lines.
- B Structure of the sgRNA:DNA complex.
- C Structure of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and three-way junction. Key interactions are shown as gray dashed lines.
- Figure 12A-K shows Recognition of the sgRNA:DNA.
- A Schematic of sgRNA:DNA recognition by Cas9. Residues that interact with the sgRNA:DNA via their main chain are shown in parentheses.
- B and C–K Recognition of the guide (B), guide:DNA duplex (D), repeat (E), anti-repeat (F), three-way junction (G), stem loop 1 (H) , linker (I) , stem loop 2 (J) and stem loop 3 (K). Hydrogen bonds and salt bridges are shown as dashed lines.
- Figure 13A-D shows Structural flexibility of the complex.
- A Structural comparison of Mol A and Mol B.
- Mol A left
- disordered linker between the RuvC and HNH domain is indicated by a dotted line.
- Mol B the disordered HNH domain is shown as a dashed circle.
- the flexible connecting segment (D40 and D41) in the RuvC domain is highlighted in orange.
- B Superimposition of the Cas9 proteins in Mol A and Mol B. The two complexes are superimposed based on the core E-sheet of their RuvC domains. The HNH domain and bound sgRNA:DNA are omitted for clarity.
- C Superimposition of the bound sgRNA:DNA in Mol A and Mol B.
- Figure 14 shows a Model of RNA-guided DNA cleavage by Cas9.
- Figure 15 shows Electron density map. The 2mF O – DF C electron density map around the three-way junction is shown as a gray mesh (contoured at 2.5 ⁇ ).
- Figure 16A-C shows Di-cysteine mutant (C80L/C574E) is functional in HEK 293FT cells.
- A Schematic illustrating positions of cysteine mutations (C80L and C574E) in Cas9.
- B Sequence of the target site used to test the function of the C80L/C574E mutant of Cas9.
- Figure 17 shows a schematic drawing of the secondary structural elements of Cas9.
- Figure 18A-B shows the sequence alignment of Cas9 orthologs in families II-A and II-C.
- the catalytic residues are shown in red triangles.
- Critical arginine residues on Bridge helix are shown in green triangles.
- the secondary structure of S. pyogenes Cas9 is shown above the sequences.
- the figure was prepared using TCoffee (Notredame et al., 2000) and ESPript (Gouet et al., 1999). Sp, S.
- Figure 19 shows the sequence alignment of Cas9 orthologs in families II-A, II-B and II-C.
- 35 Cas9 orthologs from families IIA, IIB and IIC are aligned (BLOSUM62) and clustered (Jukes-Cantor model Neighbor-Joining method, with S. pyogenes Cas9 as outgroup). Bars on top show conservation by amino acid. In each line, black bars show residues with at least 75% consensus, and gray bars non-conserved residues.
- Figure 20 shows the comparison of the sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex with a canonical A-form RNA duplex.
- the sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex are superimposed on an A-form RNA duplex based on their phosphorus atoms.
- the A-form RNA duplex is colored dark gray. Nucleotides 51–97 of the sgRNA are omitted for clarity.
- ⁇ Konermann et al. addressed the need in the art for versatile and robust technologies that enable optical and chemical modulation of DNA-binding domains based CRISPR Cas9 enzyme and also Transcriptional Activator Like Effectors ⁇
- the Cas9 nuclease from the microbial CRISPR- Cas system is targeted to specific genomic loci by a 20 nt guide sequence, which can tolerate certain mismatches to the DNA target and thereby promote undesired off-target mutagenesis.
- Ran et al. described an approach that combined a Cas9 nickase mutant with paired guide RNAs to introduce targeted double-strand breaks.
- Nishimasu et al. reported the crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 in complex with sgRNA and its target DNA at 2.5 A° resolution.
- the structure revealed a bilobed architecture composed of target recognition and nuclease lobes, accommodating the sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex in a positively charged groove at their interface.
- the recognition lobe is essential for binding sgRNA and DNA
- the nuclease lobe contains the HNH and RuvC nuclease domains, which are properly positioned for cleavage of the complementary and non-complementary strands of the target DNA, respectively.
- the nuclease lobe also contains a carboxyl-terminal domain responsible for the interaction with the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM).
- PAM protospacer adjacent motif
- Hsu 2014 is a review article that discusses generally CRISPR-Cas9 history from yogurt to genome editing, including genetic screening of cells, that is in the information, data and findings of the applications in the lineage of this specification filed prior to June 5, 2014.
- the general teachings of Hsu 2014 do not involve the specific models, animals of the instant specification.
- CRISPR-Cas or CRISPR system is as used in the foregoing documents, such as WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667) and refers collectively to transcripts and other elements involved in the expression of or directing the activity of CRISPR- associated (“Cas”) genes, including sequences encoding a Cas gene, a tracr (trans-activating CRISPR) sequence (e.g.
- RNA(s) as that term is herein used (e.g., RNA(s) to guide Cas9, e.g. CRISPR RNA and transactivating (tracr) RNA or a single guide RNA (sgRNA) (chimeric RNA)) or other sequences and transcripts from a CRISPR locus.
- RNA(s) to guide Cas9 e.g. CRISPR RNA and transactivating (tracr) RNA or a single guide RNA (sgRNA) (chimeric RNA)
- sgRNA single guide RNA
- a CRISPR system is characterized by elements that promote the formation of a CRISPR complex at the site of a target sequence (also referred to as a protospacer in the context of an endogenous CRISPR system).
- target sequence refers to a sequence to which a guide sequence is designed to have complementarity, where hybridization between a target sequence and a guide sequence promotes the formation of a CRISPR complex.
- a target sequence may comprise any polynucleotide, such as DNA or RNA polynucleotides.
- a target sequence is located in the nucleus or cytoplasm of a cell.
- direct repeats may be identified in silico by searching for repetitive motifs that fulfill any or all of the following criteria: 1. found in a 2Kb window of genomic sequence flanking the type II CRISPR locus; 2. span from 20 to 50 bp; and 3. interspaced by 20 to 50 bp. In some embodiments, 2 of these criteria may be used, for instance 1 and 2, 2 and 3, or 1 and 3. In some embodiments, all 3 criteria may be used.
- the tracr sequence has one or more hairpins and is 30 or more nucleotides in length, 40 or more nucleotides in length, or 50 or more nucleotides in length; the guide sequence is between 10 to 30 nucleotides in length, the CRISPR/Cas enzyme is a Type II Cas9 enzyme.
- a guide sequence is any polynucleotide sequence having sufficient complementarity with a target polynucleotide sequence to hybridize with the target sequence and direct sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to the target sequence.
- the degree of complementarity between a guide sequence and its corresponding target sequence when optimally aligned using a suitable alignment algorithm, is about or more than about 50%, 60%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97.5%, 99%, or more.
- Optimal alignment may be determined with the use of any suitable algorithm for aligning sequences, non-limiting example of which include the Smith-Waterman algorithm, the Needleman-Wunsch algorithm, algorithms based on the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (e.g. the Burrows Wheeler Aligner), ClustalW, Clustal X, BLAT, Novoalign (Novocraft Technologies; available at www.novocraft.com), ELAND (Illumina, San Diego, CA), SOAP (available at soap.genomics.org.cn), and Maq (available at maq.sourceforge.net).
- Burrows-Wheeler Transform e.g. the Burrows Wheeler Aligner
- ClustalW Clustal X
- BLAT Novoalign
- ELAND Illumina, San Diego, CA
- SOAP available at soap.genomics.org.cn
- Maq available at maq.sourceforge.net.
- a guide sequence is about or more than about 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, or more nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, a guide sequence is less than about 75, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 12, or fewer nucleotides in length. The ability of a guide sequence to direct sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence may be assessed by any suitable assay.
- the components of a CRISPR system sufficient to form a CRISPR complex may be provided to a host cell having the corresponding target sequence, such as by transfection with vectors encoding the components of the CRISPR sequence, followed by an assessment of preferential cleavage within the target sequence, such as by Surveyor assay as described herein.
- cleavage of a target polynucleotide sequence may be evaluated in a test tube by providing the target sequence, components of a CRISPR complex, including the guide sequence to be tested and a control guide sequence different from the test guide sequence, and comparing binding or rate of cleavage at the target sequence between the test and control guide sequence reactions.
- Other assays are possible, and will occur to those skilled in the art.
- a guide sequence may be selected to target any target sequence.
- the target sequence is a sequence within a genome of a cell. Exemplary target sequences include those that are unique in the target genome.
- a guide sequence is selected to reduce the degree secondary structure within the guide sequence. In some embodiments, about or less than about 75%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, 1%, or fewer of the nucleotides of the guide sequence participate in self-complementary base pairing when optimally folded. Optimal folding may be determined by any suitable polynucleotide folding algorithm. Some programs are based on calculating the minimal Gibbs free energy.
- mFold as described by Zuker and Stiegler (Nucleic Acids Res. 9 (1981), 133-148).
- Another example folding algorithm is the online webserver RNAfold, developed at Institute for Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Vienna, using the centroid structure prediction algorithm (see e.g. A.R. Gruber et al., 2008, Cell 106(1): 23-24; and PA Carr and GM Church, 2009, Nature Biotechnology 27(12): 1151-62).
- a tracr mate sequence includes any sequence that has sufficient complementarity with a tracr sequence to promote one or more of: (1) excision of a guide sequence flanked by tracr mate sequences in a cell containing the corresponding tracr sequence; and (2) formation of a CRISPR complex at a target sequence, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the tracr mate sequence hybridized to the tracr sequence.
- degree of complementarity is with reference to the optimal alignment of the tracr mate sequence and tracr sequence, along the length of the shorter of the two sequences.
- Optimal alignment may be determined by any suitable alignment algorithm, and may further account for secondary structures, such as self-complementarity within either the tracr sequence or tracr mate sequence.
- the degree of complementarity between the tracr sequence and tracr mate sequence along the length of the shorter of the two when optimally aligned is about or more than about 25%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97.5%, 99%, or higher.
- the tracr sequence is about or more than about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or more nucleotides in length.
- the tracr sequence and tracr mate sequence are contained within a single transcript, such that hybridization between the two produces a transcript having a secondary structure, such as a hairpin.
- the transcript or transcribed polynucleotide sequence has at least two or more hairpins.
- the transcript has two, three, four or five hairpins.
- the transcript has at most five hairpins.
- the portion of the sequence 5’ of the final“N” and upstream of the loop corresponds to the tracr mate sequence
- the portion of the sequence 3’ of the loop corresponds to the tracr sequence
- “N” represents a base of a guide sequence
- the first block of lower case letters represent the tracr mate sequence
- the second block of lower case letters represent the tracr sequence
- the final poly-T sequence represents the transcription terminator: (1) NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNgttttgtactctcaagatttaGAAAtaaatcttgcagaagctacaaagataaagataaa
- candidate tracrRNA may be subsequently predicted by sequences that fulfill any or all of the following criteria: 1. sequence homology to direct repeats (motif search in Geneious with up to 18-bp mismatches); 2. presence of a predicted Rho- independent transcriptional terminator in direction of transcription; and 3. stable hairpin secondary structure between tracrRNA and direct repeat.
- 2 of these criteria may be used, for instance 1 and 2, 2 and 3, or 1 and 3.
- all 3 criteria may be used.
- chimeric synthetic guide RNAs may incorporate at least 12 bp of duplex structure between the direct repeat and tracrRNA.
- CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA For minimization of toxicity and off-target effect, it will be important to control the concentration of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA delivered. Optimal concentrations of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA can be determined by testing different concentrations in a cellular or non-human eukaryote animal model and using deep sequencing the analyze the extent of modification at potential off-target genomic loci.
- deep sequencing can be used to assess the level of modification at the following two off-target loci, 1: 5’-GAGTCCTAGCAGGAGAAGAA-3’ and 2: 5’-GAGTCTAAGCAGAAGAAGAA- 3’.
- concentration that gives the highest level of on-target modification while minimizing the level of off-target modification should be chosen for in vivo delivery.
- CRISPR enzyme nickase mRNA for example S.
- pyogenes Cas9 with the D10A mutation can be delivered with a pair of guide RNAs targeting a site of interest.
- the two guide RNAs need to be spaced as follows.
- Guide sequences and strategies to mimize toxicity and off-target effects can be as in WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667).
- the CRISPR system is derived advantageously from a type II CRISPR system.
- one or more elements of a CRISPR system is derived from a particular organism comprising an endogenous CRISPR system, such as Streptococcus pyogenes.
- the CRISPR system is a type II CRISPR system and the Cas enzyme is Cas9, which catalyzes DNA cleavage.
- Cas proteins include Cas1, Cas1B, Cas2, Cas3, Cas4, Cas5, Cas6, Cas7, Cas8, Cas9 (also known as Csn1 and Csx12), Cas10, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, Cse1, Cse2, Csc1, Csc2, Csa5, Csn2, Csm2, Csm3, Csm4, Csm5, Csm6, Cmr1, Cmr3, Cmr4, Cmr5, Cmr6, Csb1, Csb2, Csb3, Csx17, Csx14, Csx10, Csx16, CsaX, Csx3, Csx1, Csx15, Csf1, Csf2, Csf3, Csf4, homologues thereof, or modified versions thereof.
- the unmodified CRISPR enzyme has DNA cleavage activity, such as Cas9.
- the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or both strands at the location of a target sequence, such as within the target sequence and/or within the complement of the target sequence.
- the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or both strands within about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, or more base pairs from the first or last nucleotide of a target sequence.
- a vector encodes a CRISPR enzyme that is mutated to with respect to a corresponding wild-type enzyme such that the mutated CRISPR enzyme lacks the ability to cleave one or both strands of a target polynucleotide containing a target sequence.
- an aspartate-to-alanine substitution (D10A) in the RuvC I catalytic domain of Cas9 from S. pyogenes converts Cas9 from a nuclease that cleaves both strands to a nickase (cleaves a single strand).
- mutations that render Cas9 a nickase include, without limitation, H840A, N854A, and N863A.
- two or more catalytic domains of Cas9 may be mutated to produce a mutated Cas9 substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity.
- a D10A mutation is combined with one or more of H840A, N854A, or N863A mutations to produce a Cas9 enzyme substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity.
- a CRISPR enzyme is considered to substantially lack all DNA cleavage activity when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated enzyme is about no more than 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.01%, or less of the DNA cleavage activity of the non- mutated form of the enzyme; an example can be when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated form is nil or negligible as compared with the non-mutated form.
- the enzyme is not SpCas9
- mutations may be made at any or all residues corresponding to positions 10, 762, 840, 854, 863 and/or 986 of SpCas9 (which may be ascertained for instance by standard sequence comparison tools).
- any or all of the following mutations are preferred in SpCas9: D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A; as well as conservative substitution for any of the replacement amino acids is also envisaged.
- the same (or conservative substitutions of these mutations) at corresponding positions in other Cas9s are also preferred.
- Particularly preferred are D10 and H840 in SpCas9.
- residues corresponding to SpCas9 D10 and H840 are also preferred.
- Orthologs of SpCas9 can be used in the practice of the invention.
- a Cas enzyme may be identified Cas9 as this can refer to the general class of enzymes that share homology to the biggest nuclease with multiple nuclease domains from the type II CRISPR system.
- the Cas9 enzyme is from, or is derived from, spCas9 (S. pyogenes Cas9) or saCas9 (S. aureus Cas9).
- StCas9 refers to wild type Cas9 from S. thermophilus, the protein sequence of which is given in the SwissProt database under accession number G3ECR1.
- S pyogenes Cas9 or spCas9 is included in SwissProt under accession number Q99ZW2.
- Cas and CRISPR enzyme are generally used herein interchangeably, unless otherwise apparent.
- residue numberings used herein refer to the Cas9 enzyme from the type II CRISPR locus in Streptococcus pyogenes.
- this invention includes many more Cas9s from other species of microbes, such as SpCas9, SaCa9, St1Cas9 and so forth.
- Enzymatic action by Cas9 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes or any closely related Cas9 generates double stranded breaks at target site sequences which hybridize to 20 nucleotides of the guide sequence and that have a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequence (examples include NGG/NRG or a PAM that can be determined as described herein) following the 20 nucleotides of the target sequence.
- PAM protospacer-adjacent motif
- the CRISPR system small RNA- guided defence in bacteria and archaea, Mole Cell 2010, January 15; 37(1): 7.
- the type II CRISPR locus from Streptococcus pyogenes SF370 which contains a cluster of four genes Cas9, Cas1, Cas2, and Csn1, as well as two non-coding RNA elements, tracrRNA and a characteristic array of repetitive sequences (direct repeats) interspaced by short stretches of non-repetitive sequences (spacers, about 30bp each).
- DSB DNA double-strand break
- RNAs two non-coding RNAs, the pre-crRNA array and tracrRNA, are transcribed from the CRISPR locus.
- tracrRNA hybridizes to the direct repeats of pre-crRNA, which is then processed into mature crRNAs containing individual spacer sequences.
- the mature crRNA:tracrRNA complex directs Cas9 to the DNA target consisting of the protospacer and the corresponding PAM via heteroduplex formation between the spacer region of the crRNA and the protospacer DNA.
- Cas9 mediates cleavage of target DNA upstream of PAM to create a DSB within the protospacer.
- Cas9 may be constitutively present or inducibly present or conditionally present or administered or delivered. Cas9 optimization may be used to enhance function or to develop new functions, one can generate chimeric Cas9 proteins. And Cas9 may be used as a generic DNA binding protein.
- mutations of the CRISPR enzyme when the enzyme is not SpCas9, mutations may be made at any or all residues corresponding to positions 10, 762, 840, 854, 863 and/or 986 of SpCas9 (which may be ascertained for instance by standard sequence comparison tools).
- any or all of the following mutations are preferred in SpCas9: D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A; as well as conservative substitution for any of the replacement amino acids is also envisaged.
- the invention provides as to any or each or all embodiments herein-discussed wherein the CRISPR enzyme comprises at least one or more, or at least two or more mutations, wherein the at least one or more mutation or the at least two or more mutations is as to D10, E762, H840, N854, N863, or D986 according to SpCas9 protein, e.g., D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A as to SpCas9, or N580 according to SaCas9, e.g., N580A as to SaCas9, or any corresponding mutation(s) in a Cas9 of an ortholog to Sp or Sa, or the CRISPR enzyme comprises at least one mutation wherein at least H840 or N863A as to Sp Cas9 or N580A as to Sa Cas9 is mutated; e.g., wherein the CRISPR enzyme comprises H840A, or D10A, where
- a CRISPR complex comprising a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence and complexed with one or more Cas proteins
- formation of a CRISPR complex results in cleavage of one or both strands in or near (e.g. within 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 50, or more base pairs from) the target sequence.
- the tracr sequence which may comprise or consist of all or a portion of a wild- type tracr sequence (e.g.
- a wild-type tracr sequence may also form part of a CRISPR complex, such as by hybridization along at least a portion of the tracr sequence to all or a portion of a tracr mate sequence that is operably linked to the guide sequence.
- a codon optimized sequence is in this instance a sequence optimized for expression in a eukaryote, e.g., humans (i.e. being optimized for expression in humans), or for another eukaryote, animal or mammal as herein discussed; see, e.g., SaCas9 human codon optimized sequence in WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667). Whilst this is preferred, it will be appreciated that other examples are possible and codon optimization for a host species other than human, or for codon optimization for specific organs is known.
- an enzyme coding sequence encoding a CRISPR enzyme is codon optimized for expression in particular cells, such as eukaryotic cells.
- the eukaryotic cells may be those of or derived from a particular organism, such as a mammal, including but not limited to human, or non-human eukaryote or animal or mammal as herein discussed, e.g., mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, livestock, or non-human mammal or primate.
- processes for modifying the germ line genetic identity of human beings and/or processes for modifying the genetic identity of animals which are likely to cause them suffering without any substantial medical benefit to man or animal, and also animals resulting from such processes may be excluded.
- codon optimization refers to a process of modifying a nucleic acid sequence for enhanced expression in the host cells of interest by replacing at least one codon (e.g.
- Codon bias differences in codon usage between organisms
- mRNA messenger RNA
- tRNA transfer RNA
- genes can be tailored for optimal gene expression in a given organism based on codon optimization.
- Codon usage tables are readily available, for example, at the“Codon Usage Database” available at www.kazusa.orjp/codon/ and these tables can be adapted in a number of ways. See Nakamura, Y., et al.“Codon usage tabulated from the international DNA sequence databases: status for the year 2000” Nucl. Acids Res. 28:292 (2000).
- Computer algorithms for codon optimizing a particular sequence for expression in a particular host cell are also available, such as Gene Forge (Aptagen; Jacobus, PA), are also available.
- one or more codons e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, or more, or all codons
- one or more codons e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, or more, or all codons
- one or more codons e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50,
- a vector encodes a CRISPR enzyme comprising one or more nuclear localization sequences (NLSs), such as about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more NLSs.
- the CRISPR enzyme comprises about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more NLSs at or near the amino-terminus, about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more NLSs at or near the carboxy-terminus, or a combination of these (e.g. zero or at least one or more NLS at the amino-terminus and zero or at one or more NLS at the carboxy terminus).
- the CRISPR enzyme comprises at most 6 NLSs.
- an NLS is considered near the N- or C-terminus when the nearest amino acid of the NLS is within about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or more amino acids along the polypeptide chain from the N- or C-terminus.
- Non-limiting examples of NLSs include an NLS sequence derived from: the NLS of the SV40 virus large T-antigen, having the amino acid sequence PKKKRKV; the NLS from nucleoplasmin (e.g. the nucleoplasmin bipartite NLS with the sequence KRPAATKKAGQAKKKK); the c-myc NLS having the amino acid sequence PAAKRVKLD or RQRRNELKRSP; the hRNPA1 M9 NLS having the sequence NQSSNFGPMKGGNFGGRSSGPYGGGGQYFAKPRNQGGY; the sequence RMRIZFKNKGKDTAELRRRRVEVSVELRKAKKDEQILKRRNV of the IBB domain from importin-alpha; the sequences VSRKRPRP and PPKKARED of the myoma T protein; the sequence POPKKKPL of human p53; the sequence SALIKKKKKMAP of mouse c-abl IV; the sequences DRLRR and PKQKKRK of the influenza
- the one or more NLSs are of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of the CRISPR enzyme in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell.
- strength of nuclear localization activity may derive from the number of NLSs in the CRISPR enzyme, the particular NLS(s) used, or a combination of these factors.
- Detection of accumulation in the nucleus may be performed by any suitable technique.
- a detectable marker may be fused to the CRISPR enzyme, such that location within a cell may be visualized, such as in combination with a means for detecting the location of the nucleus (e.g. a stain specific for the nucleus such as DAPI).
- Cell nuclei may also be isolated from cells, the contents of which may then be analyzed by any suitable process for detecting protein, such as immunohistochemistry, Western blot, or enzyme activity assay. Accumulation in the nucleus may also be determined indirectly, such as by an assay for the effect of CRISPR complex formation (e.g. assay for DNA cleavage or mutation at the target sequence, or assay for altered gene expression activity affected by CRISPR complex formation and/or CRISPR enzyme activity), as compared to a control no exposed to the CRISPR enzyme or complex, or exposed to a CRISPR enzyme lacking the one or more NLSs.
- an assay for the effect of CRISPR complex formation e.g. assay for DNA cleavage or mutation at the target sequence, or assay for altered gene expression activity affected by CRISPR complex formation and/or CRISPR enzyme activity
- aspects of the invention relate to the expression of the gene product being decreased or a template polynucleotide being further introduced into the DNA molecule encoding the gene product or an intervening sequence being excised precisely by allowing the two 5’ overhangs to reanneal and ligate or the activity or function of the gene product being altered or the expression of the gene product being increased.
- the gene product is a protein. sgRNA pairs creating 5’ overhangs with less than 8bp overlap between the guide sequences (offset greater than -8 bp) were able to mediate detectable indel formation.
- each guide used in these assays is able to efficiently induce indels when paired with wildtype Cas9, indicating that the relative positions of the guide pairs are the most important parameters in predicting double nicking activity.
- Cas9n and Cas9H840A nick opposite strands of DNA
- substitution of Cas9n with Cas9H840A with a given sgRNA pair should have resulted in the inversion of the overhang type; but no indel formation is observed as with Cas9H840A indicating that Cas9H840A is a CRISPR enzyme substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity (which is when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated enzyme is about no more than 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.01%, or less of the DNA cleavage activity of the non- mutated form of the enzyme; whereby an example can be when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated form is nil or negligible as compared with the non-mutated form, e
- a recombination template is also provided.
- a recombination template may be a component of another vector as described herein, contained in a separate vector, or provided as a separate polynucleotide.
- a recombination template is designed to serve as a template in homologous recombination, such as within or near a target sequence nicked or cleaved by a CRISPR enzyme as a part of a CRISPR complex.
- a template polynucleotide may be of any suitable length, such as about or more than about 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 500, 1000, or more nucleotides in length.
- the template polynucleotide is complementary to a portion of a polynucleotide comprising the target sequence.
- a template polynucleotide When optimally aligned, a template polynucleotide might overlap with one or more nucleotides of a target sequences (e.g. about or more than about 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, or more nucleotides). In some embodiments, when a template sequence and a polynucleotide comprising a target sequence are optimally aligned, the nearest nucleotide of the template polynucleotide is within about 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, or more nucleotides from the target sequence.
- one or more vectors driving expression of one or more elements of a CRISPR system are introduced into a host cell such that expression of the elements of the CRISPR system direct formation of a CRISPR complex at one or more target sites.
- a Cas enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr-mate sequence, and a tracr sequence could each be operably linked to separate regulatory elements on separate vectors.
- RNA(s) of the CRISPR System can be delivered to a transgenic Cas9 animal or mammal, e.g., an animal or mammal that constitutively or inducibly or conditionally expresses Cas9; or an animal or mammal that is otherwise expressing Cas9 or has cells containing Cas9, such as by way of prior administration thereto of a vector or vectors that code for and express in vivo Cas9.
- a transgenic Cas9 animal or mammal e.g., an animal or mammal that constitutively or inducibly or conditionally expresses Cas9; or an animal or mammal that is otherwise expressing Cas9 or has cells containing Cas9, such as by way of prior administration thereto of a vector or vectors that code for and express in vivo Cas9.
- two or more of the elements expressed from the same or different regulatory elements may be combined in a single vector, with one or more additional vectors providing any components of the CRISPR system not included in the first vector.
- CRISPR system elements that are combined in a single vector may be arranged in any suitable orientation, such as one element located 5’ with respect to (“upstream” of) or 3’ with respect to (“downstream” of) a second element.
- the coding sequence of one element may be located on the same or opposite strand of the coding sequence of a second element, and oriented in the same or opposite direction.
- a single promoter drives expression of a transcript encoding a CRISPR enzyme and one or more of the guide sequence, tracr mate sequence (optionally operably linked to the guide sequence), and a tracr sequence embedded within one or more intron sequences (e.g. each in a different intron, two or more in at least one intron, or all in a single intron).
- the CRISPR enzyme, guide sequence, tracr mate sequence, and tracr sequence are operably linked to and expressed from the same promoter.
- Delivery vehicles, vectors, particles, nanoparticles, formulations and components thereof for expression of one or more elements of a CRISPR system are as used in the foregoing documents, such as WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667).
- a vector comprises one or more insertion sites, such as a restriction endonuclease recognition sequence (also referred to as a “cloning site”).
- one or more insertion sites e.g.
- a vector comprises an insertion site upstream of a tracr mate sequence, and optionally downstream of a regulatory element operably linked to the tracr mate sequence, such that following insertion of a guide sequence into the insertion site and upon expression the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell.
- a vector comprises two or more insertion sites, each insertion site being located between two tracr mate sequences so as to allow insertion of a guide sequence at each site.
- the two or more guide sequences may comprise two or more copies of a single guide sequence, two or more different guide sequences, or combinations of these.
- a single expression construct may be used to target CRISPR activity to multiple different, corresponding target sequences within a cell.
- a single vector may comprise about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, or more guide sequences. In some embodiments, about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more such guide-sequence-containing vectors may be provided, and optionally delivered to a cell.
- a vector comprises a regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme- coding sequence encoding a CRISPR enzyme, such as a Cas protein.
- CRISPR enzyme or CRISPR enzyme mRNA or CRISPR guide RNA or RNA(s) can be delivered separately; and advantageously at least one of these is delivered via a nanoparticle complex.
- CRISPR enzyme mRNA can be delivered prior to the guide RNA to give time for CRISPR enzyme to be expressed.
- CRISPR enzyme mRNA might be administered 1 -12 hours (preferably around 2-6 hours) prior to the administration of guide RNA.
- CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA can be administered together.
- a second booster dose of guide RNA can be administered 1 -12 hours (preferably around 2-6 hours) after the initial administration of CRISPR enzyme mRNA + guide RNA. Additional administrations of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and/or guide RNA might be useful to achieve the most efficient levels of genome modification.
- the invention provides methods for using one or more elements of a CRISPR system.
- the CRISPR complex of the invention provides an effective means for modifying a target polynucleotide.
- the CRISPR complex of the invention has a wide variety of utility including modifying (e.g., deleting, inserting, translocating, inactivating, activating) a target polynucleotide in a multiplicity of cell types.
- the CRISPR complex of the invention has a broad spectrum of applications in, e.g., gene therapy, drug screening, disease diagnosis, and prognosis.
- An exemplary CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within the target polynucleotide.
- the guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence, which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence.
- this invention provides a method of cleaving a target polynucleotide.
- the method comprises modifying a target polynucleotide using a CRISPR complex that binds to the target polynucleotide and effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide.
- the CRISPR complex of the invention when introduced into a cell, creates a break (e.g., a single or a double strand break) in the genome sequence.
- the method can be used to cleave a disease gene in a cell.
- the break created by the CRISPR complex can be repaired by a repair processes such as the error prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway or the high fidelity homology-directed repair (HDR).
- NHEJ error prone non-homologous end joining
- HDR high fidelity homology-directed repair
- an exogenous polynucleotide template can be introduced into the genome sequence.
- the HDR process is used modify genome sequence.
- an exogenous polynucleotide template comprising a sequence to be integrated flanked by an upstream sequence and a downstream sequence is introduced into a cell.
- the upstream and downstream sequences share sequence similarity with either side of the site of integration in the chromosome.
- a donor polynucleotide can be DNA, e.g., a DNA plasmid, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), a viral vector, a linear piece of DNA, a PCR fragment, a naked nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid complexed with a delivery vehicle such as a liposome or poloxamer.
- the exogenous polynucleotide template comprises a sequence to be integrated (e.g., a mutated gene).
- the sequence for integration may be a sequence endogenous or exogenous to the cell.
- sequences to be integrated include polynucleotides encoding a protein or a non-coding RNA (e.g., a microRNA).
- the sequence for integration may be operably linked to an appropriate control sequence or sequences.
- the sequence to be integrated may provide a regulatory function.
- the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template are selected to promote recombination between the chromosomal sequence of interest and the donor polynucleotide.
- the upstream sequence is a nucleic acid sequence that shares sequence similarity with the genome sequence upstream of the targeted site for integration.
- the downstream sequence is a nucleic acid sequence that shares sequence similarity with the chromosomal sequence downstream of the targeted site of integration.
- the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template can have 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence.
- the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template have about 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence.
- the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template have about 99% or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence.
- An upstream or downstream sequence may comprise from about 20 bp to about 2500 bp, for example, about 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, or 2500 bp.
- the exemplary upstream or downstream sequence have about 200 bp to about 2000 bp, about 600 bp to about 1000 bp, or more particularly about 700 bp to about 1000 bp.
- the exogenous polynucleotide template may further comprise a marker. Such a marker may make it easy to screen for targeted integrations.
- exogenous polynucleotide template of the invention can be constructed using recombinant techniques (see, for example, Sambrook et al., 2001 and Ausubel et al., 1996).
- a double stranded break is introduced into the genome sequence by the CRISPR complex, the break is repaired via homologous recombination an exogenous polynucleotide template such that the template is integrated into the genome.
- the presence of a double-stranded break facilitates integration of the template.
- this invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell.
- the method comprises increasing or decreasing expression of a target polynucleotide by using a CRISPR complex that binds to the polynucleotide.
- a target polynucleotide can be inactivated to effect the modification of the expression in a cell. For example, upon the binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a cell, the target polynucleotide is inactivated such that the sequence is not transcribed, the coded protein is not produced, or the sequence does not function as the wild-type sequence does.
- a protein or microRNA coding sequence may be inactivated such that the protein or microRNA or pre-microRNA transcript is not produced.
- a control sequence can be inactivated such that it no longer functions as a control sequence.
- control sequence refers to any nucleic acid sequence that effects the transcription, translation, or accessibility of a nucleic acid sequence. Examples of a control sequence include, a promoter, a transcription terminator, and an enhancer are control sequences.
- the target polynucleotide of a CRISPR complex can be any polynucleotide endogenous or exogenous to the eukaryotic cell.
- the target polynucleotide can be a polynucleotide residing in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell.
- the target polynucleotide can be a sequence coding a gene product (e.g., a protein) or a non-coding sequence (e.g., a regulatory polynucleotide or a junk DNA).
- Examples of target polynucleotides include a sequence associated with a signaling biochemical pathway, e.g., a signaling biochemical pathway- associated gene or polynucleotide.
- target polynucleotides include a disease associated gene or polynucleotide.
- A“disease-associated” gene or polynucleotide refers to any gene or polynucleotide which is yielding transcription or translation products at an abnormal level or in an abnormal form in cells derived from a disease-affected tissues compared with tissues or cells of a non disease control. It may be a gene that becomes expressed at an abnormally high level; it may be a gene that becomes expressed at an abnormally low level, where the altered expression correlates with the occurrence and/or progression of the disease.
- a disease-associated gene also refers to a gene possessing mutation(s) or genetic variation that is directly responsible or is in linkage disequilibrium with a gene(s) that is responsible for the etiology of a disease.
- the transcribed or translated products may be known or unknown, and may be at a normal or abnormal level.
- the target polynucleotide of a CRISPR complex can be any polynucleotide endogenous or exogenous to the eukaryotic cell.
- the target polynucleotide can be a polynucleotide residing in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell.
- the target polynucleotide can be a sequence coding a gene product (e.g., a protein) or a non-coding sequence (e.g., a regulatory polynucleotide or a junk DNA).
- the target sequence should be associated with a PAM (protospacer adjacent motif); that is, a short sequence recognized by the CRISPR complex.
- PAM protospacer adjacent motif
- the precise sequence and length requirements for the PAM differ depending on the CRISPR enzyme used, but PAMs are typically 2-5 base pair sequences adjacent the protospacer (that is, the target sequence) Examples of PAM sequences are given in the examples section below, and the skilled person will be able to identify further PAM sequences for use with a given CRISPR enzyme.
- the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide thereby modifying the target polynucleotide, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said target polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence.
- the invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell.
- the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the polynucleotide such that said binding results in increased or decreased expression of said polynucleotide; wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence.
- Similar considerations and conditions apply as above for methods of modifying a target polynucleotide. In fact, these sampling, culturing and re-introduction options apply across the aspects of the present invention.
- the invention provides for methods of modifying a target polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell, which may be in vivo, ex vivo or in vitro.
- the method comprises sampling a cell or population of cells from a human or non- human animal, and modifying the cell or cells. Culturing may occur at any stage ex vivo.
- the cell or cells may even be re-introduced into the non-human animal or plant. For re-introduced cells it is particularly preferred that the cells are stem cells.
- the CRISPR complex may comprise a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence, wherein said guide sequence may be linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn may hybridize to a tracr sequence.
- the invention relates to the engineering and optimization of systems, methods and compositions used for the control of gene expression involving sequence targeting, such as genome perturbation or gene-editing, that relate to the CRISPR-Cas system and components thereof.
- the Cas enzyme is Cas9.
- Crystallization of CRISPR-cas9 and Characterization of Crystal Structure can be obtained by techniques of protein crystallography, including batch, liquid bridge, dialysis, vapor diffusion and hanging drop methods. Generally, the crystals of the invention are grown by dissolving substantially pure CRISPR-cas9 and a nucleic acid molecule to which it binds in an aqueous buffer containing a precipitant at a concentration just below that necessary to precipitate. Water is removed by controlled evaporation to produce precipitating conditions, which are maintained until crystal growth ceases.
- the crystals of the invention and particularly the atomic structure co-ordinates obtained therefrom, have a wide variety of uses.
- the crystals and structure co-ordinates are particularly useful for identifying compounds (nucleic acid molecules) that bind to CRISPR-cas9, and CRISPR-cas9s that can bind to particular compounds (nucleic acid molecules).
- the structure co-ordinates described herein can be used as phasing models in determining the crystal structures of additional synthetic or mutated CRISPR-cas9s, cas9s, nickases, binding domains.
- the crystal structure demonstrates that there is a flexible loop between approximately CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) residues 534-676 which is suitable for attachment of a functional group such as an activator or repressor. Attachment can be via a linker, e.g., a flexible glycine- serine (GlyGlyGlySer) or (GGGS) 3 or a rigid alpha-helical linker such as (Ala(GluAlaAlaAlaLys)Ala).
- a linker e.g., a flexible glycine- serine (GlyGlyGlySer) or (GGGS) 3 or a rigid alpha-helical linker such as (Ala(GluAlaAlaAlaLys)Ala).
- GGGS flexible glycine- serine
- helix or“helical”, is meant a helix as known in the art, including, but not limited to an alpha-helix. Additionally, the term helix or helical may also be used to indicate a c-terminal helical element with an N-terminal turn.
- CRISPR-cas9 complexed with a nucleic acid molecule
- the invention provides tools useful in diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of conditions or diseases of multicellular organisms, e.g., algae, plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, avians, mammals; for example domesticated plants, animals (e.g., production animals such as swine, bovine, chicken; companion animal such as felines, canines, rodents (rabbit, gerbil, hamster); laboratory animals such as mouse, rat), and humans.
- multicellular organisms e.g., algae, plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, avians, mammals
- domesticated plants, animals e.g., production animals such as swine, bovine, chicken; companion animal such as felines, canines, rodents (rabbit, gerbil, hamster); laboratory animals such as mouse, rat), and humans.
- the invention provides a computer-based method of rational design of CRISPR-cas9 complexes.
- This rational design can comprise: providing the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all (e.g., at least 2 or more, e.g., at least 5, advantageously at least 10, more advantageously at least 50 and even more advantageously at least 100 atoms of the structure) co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figure(s); providing a structure of a desired nucleic acid molecule as to which a CRISPR-cas9 complex is desired; and fitting the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures to the desired nucleic acid molecule, including in said fitting obtaining putative modification(s) of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures for said desired nucleic acid molecule to bind for CRISPR-cas9 complex
- the method or fitting of the method may use the co-ordinates of atoms of interest of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures which are in the vicinity of the active site or binding region (e.g., at least 2 or more, e.g., at least 5, advantageously at least 10, more advantageously at least 50 and even more advantageously at least 100 atoms of the structure) in order to model the vicinity of the active site or binding region.
- These co-ordinates may be used to define a space which is then screened“in silico” against a desired or candidate nucleic acid molecule.
- the invention provides a computer- based method of rational design of CRISPR-cas9 complexes.
- This method may include: providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the herein Crystal Structure Table (“selected co-ordinates”); providing the structure of a candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule; and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co-ordinates.
- selected co-ordinates the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the herein Crystal Structure Table
- fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co-ordinates the skilled person may also fit a functional group and a candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule.
- the invention can be practiced using co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures which are in the vicinity of the active site or binding region; and therefore, the methods of the invention can employ a sub-domain of interest of the CRISPR-cas9 complex.
- Methods of the invention can be practiced using coordinates of a domain or sub-domain.
- the methods can optionally include synthesizing the candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule and/or the CRISPR-cas9 systems from the“in silico” output and testing binding and/or activity of“wet” or actual a functional group linked to a“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system bound to a“wet” or actual candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule.
- the methods can include synthesizing the CRISPR-cas9 systems (including a functional group) from the“in silico” output and testing binding and/or activity of “wet” or actual a functional group linked to a“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system bound to an in vivo“wet” or actual candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule, e.g., contacting“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system including a functional group from the“in silico” output with a cell containing the desired or candidate nucleic acid molecule.
- These methods can include observing the cell or an organism containing the cell for a desired reaction, e.g., reduction of symptoms or condition or disease.
- the step of providing the structure of a candidate nucleic acid molecule may involve selecting the compound by computationally screening a database containing nucleic acid molecule data, e.g., such data as to conditions or diseases.
- a 3-D descriptor for binding of the candidate nucleic acid molecule may be derived from geometric and functional constraints derived from the architecture and chemical nature of the CRISPR-cas9 complex or domains or regions thereof from the herein crystal structure. In effect, the descriptor can be a type of virtual modification(s) of the CRISPR-cas9 complex crystal structure herein for binding CRISPR-cas9 to the candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule.
- the descriptor may then be used to interrogate the nucleic acid molecule database to ascertain those nucleic acid molecules of the database that have putatively good binding to the descriptor.
- the herein“wet” steps can then be performed using the descriptor and nucleic acid molecules that have putatively good binding.
- “Fitting” can mean determining, by automatic or semi-automatic means, interactions between at least one atom of the candidate and at least one atom of the CRISPR-cas9 complex and calculating the extent to which such an interaction is stable. Interactions can include attraction, repulsion, brought about by charge, steric considerations, and the like.
- A“sub- domain” can mean at least one, e.g., one, two, three, or four, complete element(s) of secondary structure. Particular regions or domains of the CRISPR-cas9 include those identified in the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures.
- CRISPR-cas 9 S. pyogenes cas9
- the functional group may be a regulatory or functional domain which may be selected from the group consisting of a transcriptional repressor, a transcriptional activator, a nuclease domain, a DNA methyl transferase, a protein acetyltransferase, a protein deacetylase, a protein methyltransferase, a protein deaminase, a protein kinase, and a protein phosphatas
- CRISPR-cas9 S. pyogenes cas9
- the herewith CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes cas9) crystal structure has a multitude of uses. For example, from knowing the three-dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes cas9) crystal structure, computer modelling programs may be used to design or identify different molecules expected to interact with possible or confirmed sites such as binding sites or other structural or functional features of the CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9).
- Binder Compound that potentially bind
- Docking programs are known; for example GRAM, DOCK or AUTODOCK (see Walters et al. Drug Discovery Today, vol. 3, no. 4 (1998), 160-178, and Dunbrack et al. Folding and Design 2 (1997), 27-42).
- This procedure can include computer fitting of potential binders ascertain how well the shape and the chemical structure of the potential binder will bind to a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9).
- Computer-assisted, manual examination of the active site or binding site of a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) may be performed.
- Programs such as GRID P. Goodford, J. Med. Chem, 1985, 28, 849- 57—a program that determines probable interaction sites between molecules with various functional groups—may also be used to analyze the active site or binding site to predict partial structures of binding compounds.
- Computer programs can be employed to estimate the attraction, repulsion or steric hindrance of the two binding partners, e.g., CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) and a candidate nucleic acid molecule or a nucleic acid molecule and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9); and the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure (S.
- the invention provides for a method for determining the structure of a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S.
- a method comprising, (a) providing a first crystal of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (S. pyogenes cas9) according to the invention or a second crystal of a candidate a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), (b) contacting the first crystal or second crystal with said binder under conditions whereby a complex may form; and (c) determining the structure of said a candidate (e.g., CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) or CRISPR-cas9 system (S.
- a candidate e.g., CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) or CRISPR-cas9 system (S.
- the second crystal may have essentially the same coordinates discussed herein, however due to minor alterations in CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., from the cas9 of such a system being e.g., S. pyogenes cas9 versus being S. pyogenes cas9), wherein“e.g., S. pyogenes cas9” indicates that the cas9 is a cas9 and can be of or derived from S. pyogenes or an ortholog thereof), the crystal may form in a different space group.
- the invention further involves, in place of or in addition to“in silico” methods, other “wet” methods, including high throughput screening of a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S.
- pyogenes cas9 the foregoing CRISPR-cas9 system(s) with or without one or more functional group(s)
- Those pairs of binder and CRISPR-cas9 system which show binding activity may be selected and further crystallized with the CRISPR- cas9 crystal having a structure herein, e.g., by co-crystallization or by soaking, for X-ray analysis.
- the resulting X-ray structure may be compared with that of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the information in the Figures for a variety of purposes, e.g., for areas of overlap.
- the invention can involve: obtaining or synthesizing the possible pairs; and contacting a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S.
- a binder e.g., target nucleic acid molecule
- a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system e.g., S. pyogenes cas9
- a candidate binder e.g., target nucleic acid molecule
- CRISPR-cas9 system e.g., S.
- the contacting is advantageously under conditions to determine function.
- the invention may comprise: obtaining or synthesizing complex(es) from said contacting and analyzing the complex(es), e.g., by X-ray diffraction or NMR or other means, to determine the ability to bind or interact.
- CRISPR-cas9 systems from or in the foregoing methods can be with nucleic acid molecules in vivo, including without limitation by way of administration to an organism (including non-human animal and human) to ascertain or confirm function, including whether a desired outcome (e.g., reduction of symptoms, treatment) results therefrom.
- a desired outcome e.g., reduction of symptoms, treatment
- the invention further involves a method of determining three dimensional structures of CRISPR-cas systems or complex(es) of unknown structure by using the structural co-ordinates of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the information in the Figures.
- the structure of a CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined in the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures may be used to interpret that data to provide a likely structure for the unknown system or complex by such techniques as by phase modeling in the case of X-ray crystallography.
- an inventive method can comprise: aligning a representation of the CRISPR-cas system or complex having an unknown crystral structure with an analogous representation of the CRISPR-cas(9) system and complex of the crystal structure herein to match homologous or analogous regions (e.g., homologous or analogous sequences); modeling the structure of the matched homologous or analogous regions (e.g., sequences) of the CRISPR-cas system or complex of unknown crystal structure based on the structure as defined in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in the Figures of the corresponding regions (e.g., sequences); and, determining a conformation (e.g.
- homologous regions describes, for example as to amino acids, amino acid residues in two sequences that are identical or have similar, e.g., aliphatic, aromatic, polar, negatively charged, or positively charged, side-chain chemical groups. Homologous regions as ot nucleic acid molecules can include at least 85% or 86% or 87% or 88% or 89% or 90% or 91% or 92% or 93% or 94% or 95% or 96% or 97% or 98% or 99% homology or identity.
- the first and third steps are performed by computer modeling.
- Homology modeling is a technique that is well known to those skilled in the art (see, e.g., Greer, Science vol. 228 (1985) 1055, and Blundell et al. Eur J Biochem vol 172 (1988), 513).
- the computer representation of the conserved regions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure herein and those of a CRISPR-cas system of unknown crystral structure aid in the prediction and determination of the crystral structure of the CRISPR-cas system of unknown crystal structure.
- the invention further provides systems, such as computer systems, intended to generate structures and/or perform rational design of a CRISPR-cas system or complex.
- the system can contain: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures or be derived therefrom e.g., by modeling, said data defining the three-dimensional structure of a CRISPR-cas system or complex or at least one domain or sub- domain thereof, or structure factor data therefor, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures.
- the invention also involves computer readable media with: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures or derived therefrom e.g., by homology modeling, said data defining the three-dimensional structure of a CRISPR-cas system or complex or at least one domain or sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data therefor, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures.
- “Computer readable media” refers to any media which can be read and accessed directly by a computer, and includes, but is not limited to: magnetic storage media; optical storage media; electrical storage media; cloud storage and hybrids of these categories.
- the atomic co-ordinate data can be routinely accessed for modeling or other“in silico” methods.
- the invention further comprehends methods of doing business by providing access to such computer readable media, for instance on a subscription basis, via the Internet or a global communication/computer network; or, the computer system can be available to a user, on a subscription basis.
- A“computer system” refers to the hardware means, software means and data storage means used to analyze the atomic co-ordinate data of the present invention.
- the minimum hardware means of computer-based systems of the invention may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), input means, output means, and data storage means. Desirably, a display or monitor is provided to visualize structure data.
- the invention further comprehends methods of transmitting information obtained in any method or step thereof described herein or any information described herein, e.g., via telecommunications, telephone, mass communications, mass media, presentations, internet, email, etc.
- the crystal structures of the invention can be analyzed to generate Fourier electron density map(s) of CRISPR-cas systems or complexes; advantageously, the three-dimensional structure being as defined by the atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures.
- Fourier electron density maps can be calculated based on X-ray diffraction patterns. These maps can then be used to determine aspects of binding or other interactions.
- Electron density maps can be calculated using known programs such as those from the CCP4 computer package (Collaborative Computing Project, No. 4.
- the CCP4 Suite Programs for Protein Crystallography, Acta Crystallographica, D50, 1994, 760-763).
- map visualization and model building programs such as "QUANTA” (1994, San Diego, Calif.: Molecular Simulations, Jones et al., Acta Crystallography A47 (1991), 110-119) can be used.
- the herein Crystal Structure Table gives atomic co-ordinate data for a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes), and lists each atom by a unique number; the chemical element and its position for each amino acid residue (as determined by electron density maps and antibody sequence comparisons), the amino acid residue in which the element is located, the chain identifier, the number of the residue, co-ordinates (e.g., X, Y, Z) which define with respect to the crystallographic axes the atomic position (in angstroms) of the respective atom, the occupancy of the atom in the respective position, "B", isotropic displacement parameter (in angstroms 2 ) which accounts for movement of the atom around its atomic center, and atomic number. See also the text herein and the Figures.
- nucleic acids, amino acids and proteins The invention uses nucleic acids to bind target DNA sequences. This is advantageous as nucleic acids are much easier and cheaper to produce than proteins, and the specificity can be varied according to the length of the stretch where homology is sought. Complex 3-D positioning of multiple fingers, for example is not required.
- the terms“polynucleotide”,“nucleotide”,“nucleotide sequence”,“nucleic acid” and “oligonucleotide” are used interchangeably. They refer to a polymeric form of nucleotides of any length, either deoxyribonucleotides or ribonucleotides, or analogs thereof.
- Polynucleotides may have any three dimensional structure, and may perform any function, known or unknown.
- the following are non-limiting examples of polynucleotides: coding or non-coding regions of a gene or gene fragment, loci (locus) defined from linkage analysis, exons, introns, messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA, short interfering RNA (siRNA), short-hairpin RNA (shRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), ribozymes, cDNA, recombinant polynucleotides, branched polynucleotides, plasmids, vectors, isolated DNA of any sequence, isolated RNA of any sequence, nucleic acid probes, and primers.
- loci locus
- a polynucleotide may comprise one or more modified nucleotides, such as methylated nucleotides and nucleotide analogs. If present, modifications to the nucleotide structure may be imparted before or after assembly of the polymer.
- the sequence of nucleotides may be interrupted by non-nucleotide components.
- a polynucleotide may be further modified after polymerization, such as by conjugation with a labeling component.
- wild type is a term of the art understood by skilled persons and means the typical form of an organism, strain, gene or characteristic as it occurs in nature as distinguished from mutant or variant forms.
- A“wild type” can be a base line.
- variant should be taken to mean the exhibition of qualities that have a pattern that deviates from what occurs in nature.
- non-naturally occurring” or“engineered” are used interchangeably and indicate the involvement of the hand of man.
- nucleic acid molecules or polypeptides mean that the nucleic acid molecule or the polypeptide is at least substantially free from at least one other component with which they are naturally associated in nature and as found in nature. “Complementarity” refers to the ability of a nucleic acid to form hydrogen bond(s) with another nucleic acid sequence by either traditional Watson-Crick base pairing or other non-traditional types.
- a percent complementarity indicates the percentage of residues in a nucleic acid molecule which can form hydrogen bonds (e.g., Watson-Crick base pairing) with a second nucleic acid sequence (e.g., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 out of 10 being 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% complementary).“Perfectly complementary” means that all the contiguous residues of a nucleic acid sequence will hydrogen bond with the same number of contiguous residues in a second nucleic acid sequence.
- “Substantially complementary” as used herein refers to a degree of complementarity that is at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% over a region of 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, or more nucleotides, or refers to two nucleic acids that hybridize under stringent conditions.
- “stringent conditions” for hybridization refer to conditions under which a nucleic acid having complementarity to a target sequence predominantly hybridizes with the target sequence, and substantially does not hybridize to non-target sequences. Stringent conditions are generally sequence-dependent, and vary depending on a number of factors.
- the T m is the temperature at which 50% of specific target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly complementary probe in solution at a defined ionic strength and pH.
- highly stringent washing conditions are selected to be about 5 to 15° C lower than the T m .
- moderately-stringent washing conditions are selected to be about 15 to 30° C lower than the T m .
- Highly permissive (very low stringency) washing conditions may be as low as 50° C below the T m , allowing a high level of mis-matching between hybridized sequences.
- hybridization and wash stages can also be altered to affect the outcome of a detectable hybridization signal from a specific level of homology between target and probe sequences.
- Preferred highly stringent conditions comprise incubation in 50% formamide, 5 ⁇ SSC, and 1% SDS at 42° C, or incubation in 5 ⁇ SSC and 1% SDS at 65° C, with wash in 0.2 ⁇ SSC and 0.1% SDS at 65° C.
- “Hybridization” refers to a reaction in which one or more polynucleotides react to form a complex that is stabilized via hydrogen bonding between the bases of the nucleotide residues.
- the hydrogen bonding may occur by Watson Crick base pairing, Hoogstein binding, or in any other sequence specific manner.
- the complex may comprise two strands forming a duplex structure, three or more strands forming a multi stranded complex, a single self-hybridizing strand, or any combination of these.
- a hybridization reaction may constitute a step in a more extensive process, such as the initiation of PCR, or the cleavage of a polynucleotide by an enzyme.
- a sequence capable of hybridizing with a given sequence is referred to as the“complement” of the given sequence.
- the term“genomic locus” or“locus” is the specific location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome.
- A“gene” refers to stretches of DNA or RNA that encode a polypeptide or an RNA chain that has functional role to play in an organism and hence is the molecular unit of heredity in living organisms.
- genes include regions which regulate the production of the gene product, whether or not such regulatory sequences are adjacent to coding and/or transcribed sequences.
- a gene includes, but is not necessarily limited to, promoter sequences, terminators, translational regulatory sequences such as ribosome binding sites and internal ribosome entry sites, enhancers, silencers, insulators, boundary elements, replication origins, matrix attachment sites and locus control regions.
- “expression of a genomic locus” or“gene expression” is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product.
- the products of gene expression are often proteins, but in non-protein coding genes such as rRNA genes or tRNA genes, the product is functional RNA.
- expression of a gene or nucleic acid encompasses not only cellular gene expression, but also the transcription and translation of nucleic acid(s) in cloning systems and in any other context.
- expression also refers to the process by which a polynucleotide is transcribed from a DNA template (such as into and mRNA or other RNA transcript) and/or the process by which a transcribed mRNA is subsequently translated into peptides, polypeptides, or proteins.
- Transcripts and encoded polypeptides may be collectively referred to as“gene product.” If the polynucleotide is derived from genomic DNA, expression may include splicing of the mRNA in a eukaryotic cell.
- the terms“polypeptide”,“peptide” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein to refer to polymers of amino acids of any length. The polymer may be linear or branched, it may comprise modified amino acids, and it may be interrupted by non amino acids. The terms also encompass an amino acid polymer that has been modified; for example, disulfide bond formation, glycosylation, lipidation, acetylation, phosphorylation, or any other manipulation, such as conjugation with a labeling component.
- amino acid includes natural and/or unnatural or synthetic amino acids, including glycine and both the D or L optical isomers, and amino acid analogs and peptidomimetics.
- domain or“protein domain” refers to a part of a protein sequence that may exist and function independently of the rest of the protein chain.
- sequence identity is related to sequence homology. Homology comparisons may be conducted by eye, or more usually, with the aid of readily available sequence comparison programs. These commercially available computer programs may calculate percent (%) homology between two or more sequences and may also calculate the sequence identity shared by two or more amino acid or nucleic acid sequences.
- the capping region of the dTALEs described herein have sequences that are at least 95% identical or share identity to the capping region amino acid sequences provided herein.
- Sequence homologies may be generated by any of a number of computer programs known in the art, for example BLAST or FASTA, etc.
- a suitable computer program for carrying out such an alignment is the GCG Wisconsin Bestfit package (University of Wisconsin, U.S.A; Devereux et al., 1984, Nucleic Acids Research 12:387). Examples of other software than may perform sequence comparisons include, but are not limited to, the BLAST package (see Ausubel et al., 1999 ibid– Chapter 18), FASTA (Atschul et al., 1990, J.
- BLAST and FASTA are available for offline and online searching (see Ausubel et al., 1999 ibid, pages 7-58 to 7-60). However it is preferred to use the GCG Bestfit program. Percentage (%) sequence homology may be calculated over contiguous sequences, i.e., one sequence is aligned with the other sequence and each amino acid or nucleotide in one sequence is directly compared with the corresponding amino acid or nucleotide in the other sequence, one residue at a time. This is called an“ungapped” alignment. Typically, such ungapped alignments are performed only over a relatively short number of residues.
- the default gap penalty for amino acid sequences is -12 for a gap and -4 for each extension. Calculation of maximum % homology therefore first requires the production of an optimal alignment, taking into consideration gap penalties.
- a suitable computer program for carrying out such an alignment is the GCG Wisconsin Bestfit package (Devereux et al., 1984 Nuc. Acids Research 12 p387). Examples of other software than may perform sequence comparisons include, but are not limited to, the BLAST package (see Ausubel et al., 1999 Short Protocols in Molecular Biology, 4 th Ed.– Chapter 18), FASTA (Altschul et al., 1990 J. Mol. Biol. 403-410) and the GENEWORKS suite of comparison tools.
- BLAST and FASTA are available for offline and online searching (see Ausubel et al., 1999, Short Protocols in Molecular Biology, pages 7-58 to 7-60). However, for some applications, it is preferred to use the GCG Bestfit program.
- a new tool, called BLAST 2 Sequences is also available for comparing protein and nucleotide sequences (see FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999 174(2): 247-50; FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999 177(1): 187-8 and the website of the National Center for Biotechnology information at the website of the National Institutes for Health). Although the final % homology may be measured in terms of identity, the alignment process itself is typically not based on an all-or- nothing pair comparison.
- a scaled similarity score matrix is generally used that assigns scores to each pair-wise comparison based on chemical similarity or evolutionary distance.
- An example of such a matrix commonly used is the BLOSUM62 matrix - the default matrix for the BLAST suite of programs.
- GCG Wisconsin programs generally use either the public default values or a custom symbol comparison table, if supplied (see user manual for further details). For some applications, it is preferred to use the public default values for the GCG package, or in the case of other software, the default matrix, such as BLOSUM62.
- percentage homologies may be calculated using the multiple alignment feature in DNASIS TM (Hitachi Software), based on an algorithm, analogous to CLUSTAL (Higgins DG & Sharp PM (1988), Gene 73(1), 237-244).
- % homology preferably % sequence identity.
- the software typically does this as part of the sequence comparison and generates a numerical result.
- the sequences may also have deletions, insertions or substitutions of amino acid residues which produce a silent change and result in a functionally equivalent substance. Deliberate amino acid substitutions may be made on the basis of similarity in amino acid properties (such as polarity, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and/or the amphipathic nature of the residues) and it is therefore useful to group amino acids together in functional groups. Amino acids may be grouped together based on the properties of their side chains alone. However, it is more useful to include mutation data as well.
- the sets of amino acids thus derived are likely to be conserved for structural reasons. These sets may be described in the form of a Venn diagram (Livingstone C.D. and Barton G.J. (1993)“Protein sequence alignments: a strategy for the hierarchical analysis of residue conservation” Comput. Appl. Biosci. 9: 745-756) (Taylor W.R. (1986)“The classification of amino acid conservation” J. Theor. Biol. 119; 205-218). Conservative substitutions may be made, for example according to the table below which describes a generally accepted Venn diagram grouping of amino acids.
- polypeptide which may comprise homologous substitution (substitution and replacement are both used herein to mean the interchange of an existing amino acid residue or nucleotide, with an alternative residue or nucleotide) that may occur i.e., like-for-like substitution in the case of amino acids such as basic for basic, acidic for acidic, polar for polar, etc.
- Non-homologous substitution may also occur i.e., from one class of residue to another or alternatively involving the inclusion of unnatural amino acids such as ornithine (hereinafter referred to as Z), diaminobutyric acid ornithine (hereinafter referred to as B), norleucine ornithine (hereinafter referred to as O), pyriylalanine, thienylalanine, naphthylalanine and phenylglycine.
- Z ornithine
- B diaminobutyric acid ornithine
- O norleucine ornithine
- pyriylalanine pyriylalanine
- thienylalanine thienylalanine
- naphthylalanine phenylglycine
- Variant amino acid sequences may include suitable spacer groups that may be inserted between any two amino acid residues of the sequence including alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl groups in addition to amino acid spacers such as glycine or E-alanine residues.
- alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl groups
- amino acid spacers such as glycine or E-alanine residues.
- a further form of variation which involves the presence of one or more amino acid residues in peptoid form, may be well understood by those skilled in the art.
- the peptoid form is used to refer to variant amino acid residues wherein the D-carbon substituent group is on the residue’s nitrogen atom rather than the D-carbon.
- amplification means any method employing a primer and a polymerase capable of replicating a target sequence with reasonable fidelity.
- Amplification may be carried out by natural or recombinant DNA polymerases such as TaqGoldTM, T7 DNA polymerase, Klenow fragment of E.coli DNA polymerase, and reverse transcriptase.
- a preferred amplification method is PCR.
- a“vector” is a tool that allows or facilitates the transfer of an entity from one environment to another. It is a replicon, such as a plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment may be inserted so as to bring about the replication of the inserted segment.
- a vector is capable of replication when associated with the proper control elements.
- the term“vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked.
- Vectors include, but are not limited to, nucleic acid molecules that are single-stranded, double-stranded, or partially double-stranded; nucleic acid molecules that comprise one or more free ends, no free ends (e.g. circular); nucleic acid molecules that comprise DNA, RNA, or both; and other varieties of polynucleotides known in the art.
- a“plasmid” refers to a circular double stranded DNA loop into which additional DNA segments can be inserted, such as by standard molecular cloning techniques.
- viral vector wherein virally-derived DNA or RNA sequences are present in the vector for packaging into a virus (e.g.
- Viral vectors also include polynucleotides carried by a virus for transfection into a host cell.
- Certain vectors are capable of autonomous replication in a host cell into which they are introduced (e.g. bacterial vectors having a bacterial origin of replication and episomal mammalian vectors).
- Other vectors e.g., non-episomal mammalian vectors are integrated into the genome of a host cell upon introduction into the host cell, and thereby are replicated along with the host genome.
- vectors are capable of directing the expression of genes to which they are operatively- linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as“expression vectors.”
- expression vectors Common expression vectors of utility in recombinant DNA techniques are often in the form of plasmids.
- Recombinant expression vectors can comprise a nucleic acid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell, which means that the recombinant expression vectors include one or more regulatory elements, which may be selected on the basis of the host cells to be used for expression, that is operatively-linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed.
- “operably linked” is intended to mean that the nucleotide sequence of interest is linked to the regulatory element(s) in a manner that allows for expression of the nucleotide sequence (e.g. in an in vitro transcription/translation system or in a host cell when the vector is introduced into the host cell).
- aspects of the invention relate to bicistronic vectors for chimeric RNA and Cas9.
- Bicistronic expression vectors for chimeric RNA and Cas9 are preferred.
- Cas9 is preferably driven by the CBh promoter.
- the chimeric RNA may preferably be driven by a Pol III promoter, such as a U6 promoter. Ideally the two are combined.
- the chimeric guide RNA typically consists of a 20bp guide sequence (Ns) and this may be joined to the tracr sequence (running from the first“U” of the lower strand to the end of the transcript). The tracr sequence may be truncated at various positions as indicated.
- the guide and tracr sequences are separated by the tracr-mate sequence, which may be GUUUUAGAGCUA. This may be followed by the loop sequence GAAA as shown. Both of these are preferred examples.
- Applicants have demonstrated Cas9-mediated indels at the human EMX1 and PVALB loci by SURVEYOR assays.
- ChiRNAs are indicated by their“+n” designation, and crRNA refers to a hybrid RNA where guide and tracr sequences are expressed as separate transcripts.
- chimeric RNA may also be called single guide, or synthetic guide RNA (sgRNA).
- the loop is preferably GAAA, but it is not limited to this sequence or indeed to being only 4bp in length.
- preferred loop forming sequences for use in hairpin structures are four nucleotides in length, and most preferably have the sequence GAAA. However, longer or shorter loop sequences may be used, as may alternative sequences.
- the sequences preferably include a nucleotide triplet (for example, AAA), and an additional nucleotide (for example C or G). Examples of loop forming sequences include CAAA and AAAG.
- a suitable vector can be introduced to a cell or an embryo via one or more methods known in the art, including without limitation, microinjection, electroporation, sonoporation, biolistics, calcium phosphate-mediated transfection, cationic transfection, liposome transfection, dendrimer transfection, heat shock transfection, nucleofection transfection, magnetofection, lipofection, impalefection, optical transfection, proprietary agent-enhanced uptake of nucleic acids, and delivery via liposomes, immunoliposomes, virosomes, or artificial virions.
- the vector is introduced into an embryo by microinjection.
- the vector or vectors may be microinjected into the nucleus or the cytoplasm of the embryo.
- the vector or vectors may be introduced into a cell by nucleofection.
- regulatory element is intended to include promoters, enhancers, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES), and other expression control elements (e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences).
- IRES internal ribosomal entry sites
- regulatory elements e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences.
- Regulatory elements include those that direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of host cell and those that direct expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences).
- a tissue-specific promoter may direct expression primarily in a desired tissue of interest, such as muscle, neuron, bone, skin, blood, specific organs (e.g. liver, pancreas), or particular cell types (e.g. lymphocytes). Regulatory elements may also direct expression in a temporal-dependent manner, such as in a cell-cycle dependent or developmental stage-dependent manner, which may or may not also be tissue or cell-type specific.
- a vector comprises one or more pol III promoter (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol III promoters), one or more pol II promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol II promoters), one or more pol I promoters (e.g.
- pol III promoters include, but are not limited to, U6 and H1 promoters.
- pol II promoters include, but are not limited to, the retroviral Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR promoter (optionally with the RSV enhancer), the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (optionally with the CMV enhancer) [see, e.g., Boshart et al, Cell, 41:521-530 (1985)], the SV40 promoter, the dihydrofolate reductase promoter, the ⁇ -actin promoter, the phosphoglycerol kinase (PGK) promoter, and the EF1 ⁇ promoter.
- RSV Rous sarcoma virus
- CMV cytomegalovirus
- PGK phosphoglycerol kinase
- enhancer elements such as WPRE; CMV enhancers; the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I (Mol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 8(1), p. 466-472, 1988); SV40 enhancer; and the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit ⁇ -globin (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981).
- WPRE WPRE
- CMV enhancers the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I
- SV40 enhancer SV40 enhancer
- the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit ⁇ -globin Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981.
- a vector can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce transcripts, proteins, or peptides, including fusion proteins or peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein (e.g., clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) transcripts, proteins, enzymes, mutant forms thereof, fusion proteins thereof, etc.).
- CRISPR clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats
- Vectors can be designed for expression of CRISPR transcripts (e.g. nucleic acid transcripts, proteins, or enzymes) in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.
- CRISPR transcripts e.g. nucleic acid transcripts, proteins, or enzymes
- CRISPR transcripts can be expressed in bacterial cells such as Escherichia coli, insect cells (using baculovirus expression vectors), yeast cells, or mammalian cells. Suitable host cells are discussed further in Goeddel, GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990).
- the recombinant expression vector can be transcribed and translated in vitro, for example using T7 promoter regulatory sequences and T7 polymerase.
- Vectors may be introduced and propagated in a prokaryote or prokaryotic cell.
- a prokaryote is used to amplify copies of a vector to be introduced into a eukaryotic cell or as an intermediate vector in the production of a vector to be introduced into a eukaryotic cell (e.g. amplifying a plasmid as part of a viral vector packaging system).
- a prokaryote is used to amplify copies of a vector and express one or more nucleic acids, such as to provide a source of one or more proteins for delivery to a host cell or host organism.
- Fusion vectors add a number of amino acids to a protein encoded therein, such as to the amino terminus of the recombinant protein.
- Such fusion vectors may serve one or more purposes, such as: (i) to increase expression of recombinant protein; (ii) to increase the solubility of the recombinant protein; and (iii) to aid in the purification of the recombinant protein by acting as a ligand in affinity purification.
- a proteolytic cleavage site is introduced at the junction of the fusion moiety and the recombinant protein to enable separation of the recombinant protein from the fusion moiety subsequent to purification of the fusion protein.
- Such enzymes, and their cognate recognition sequences include Factor Xa, thrombin and enterokinase.
- Example fusion expression vectors include pGEX (Pharmacia Biotech Inc; Smith and Johnson, 1988.
- GST glutathione S-transferase
- suitable inducible non-fusion E. coli expression vectors include pTrc (Amrann et al., (1988) Gene 69:301-315) and pET 11d (Studier et al., GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990) 60-89).
- a vector is a yeast expression vector.
- yeast Saccharomyces cerivisae examples include pYepSec1 (Baldari, et al., 1987. EMBO J. 6: 229-234), pMFa (Kuijan and Herskowitz, 1982. Cell 30: 933- 943), pJRY88 (Schultz et al., 1987. Gene 54: 113-123), pYES2 (Invitrogen Corporation, San Diego, Calif.), and picZ (InVitrogen Corp, San Diego, Calif.).
- a vector drives protein expression in insect cells using baculovirus expression vectors.
- Baculovirus vectors available for expression of proteins in cultured insect cells include the pAc series (Smith, et al., 1983. Mol. Cell. Biol. 3: 2156-2165) and the pVL series (Lucklow and Summers, 1989. Virology 170: 31-39).
- a vector is capable of driving expression of one or more sequences in mammalian cells using a mammalian expression vector.
- mammalian expression vectors include pCDM8 (Seed, 1987. Nature 329: 840) and pMT2PC (Kaufman, et al., 1987. EMBO J. 6: 187-195).
- the expression vector’s control functions are typically provided by one or more regulatory elements.
- commonly used promoters are derived from polyoma, adenovirus 2, cytomegalovirus, simian virus 40, and others disclosed herein and known in the art.
- the recombinant mammalian expression vector is capable of directing expression of the nucleic acid preferentially in a particular cell type (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory elements are used to express the nucleic acid).
- tissue-specific regulatory elements are known in the art.
- suitable tissue-specific promoters include the albumin promoter (liver-specific; Pinkert, et al., 1987. Genes Dev. 1: 268-277), lymphoid-specific promoters (Calame and Eaton, 1988. Adv. Immunol. 43: 235-275), in particular promoters of T cell receptors (Winoto and Baltimore, 1989. EMBO J.
- a regulatory element is operably linked to one or more elements of a CRISPR system so as to drive expression of the one or more elements of the CRISPR system.
- CRISPRs Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
- SPIDRs Sacer Interspersed Direct Repeats
- SSRs interspersed short sequence repeats
- the CRISPR loci typically differ from other SSRs by the structure of the repeats, which have been termed short regularly spaced repeats (SRSRs) (Janssen et al., OMICS J. Integ. Biol., 6:23-33 [2002]; and Mojica et al., Mol. Microbiol., 36:244-246 [2000]).
- SRSRs short regularly spaced repeats
- the repeats are short elements that occur in clusters that are regularly spaced by unique intervening sequences with a substantially constant length (Mojica et al., [2000], supra).
- CRISPR loci have been identified in more than 40 prokaryotes (See e.g., Jansen et al., Mol.
- the CRISPR enzyme is part of a fusion protein comprising one or more heterologous protein domains (e.g. about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more domains in addition to the CRISPR enzyme).
- a CRISPR enzyme fusion protein may comprise any additional protein sequence, and optionally a linker sequence between any two domains.
- protein domains that may be fused to a CRISPR enzyme include, without limitation, epitope tags, reporter gene sequences, and protein domains having one or more of the following activities: methylase activity, demethylase activity, transcription activation activity, transcription repression activity, transcription release factor activity, histone modification activity, RNA cleavage activity and nucleic acid binding activity.
- epitope tags include histidine (His) tags, V5 tags, FLAG tags, influenza hemagglutinin (HA) tags, Myc tags, VSV-G tags, and thioredoxin (Trx) tags.
- reporter genes include, but are not limited to, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, luciferase, green fluorescent protein (GFP), HcRed, DsRed, cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), and autofluorescent proteins including blue fluorescent protein (BFP).
- GST glutathione-S-transferase
- HRP horseradish peroxidase
- CAT chloramphenicol acetyltransferase
- beta-galactosidase beta-galactosidase
- beta-glucuronidase beta-galactosidase
- luciferase green fluorescent protein
- GFP green fluorescent protein
- HcRed HcRed
- DsRed cyan fluorescent protein
- a CRISPR enzyme may be fused to a gene sequence encoding a protein or a fragment of a protein that bind DNA molecules or bind other cellular molecules, including but not limited to maltose binding protein (MBP), S-tag, Lex A DNA binding domain (DBD) fusions, GAL4 DNA binding domain fusions, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) BP16 protein fusions. Additional domains that may form part of a fusion protein comprising a CRISPR enzyme are described in US20110059502, incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, a tagged CRISPR enzyme is used to identify the location of a target sequence.
- MBP maltose binding protein
- DBD Lex A DNA binding domain
- HSV herpes simplex virus
- a CRISPR enzyme may form a component of an inducible system.
- the inducible nature of the system would allow for spatiotemporal control of gene editing or gene expression using a form of energy.
- the form of energy may include but is not limited to electromagnetic radiation, sound energy, chemical energy and thermal energy.
- inducible system examples include tetracycline inducible promoters (Tet-On or Tet-Off), small molecule two-hybrid transcription activations systems (FKBP, ABA, etc), or light inducible systems (Phytochrome, LOV domains, or cryptochrome).
- the CRISPR enzyme may be a part of a Light Inducible Transcriptional Effector (LITE) to direct changes in transcriptional activity in a sequence-specific manner.
- the components of a light may include a CRISPR enzyme, a light-responsive cytochrome heterodimer (e.g. from Arabidopsis thaliana), and a transcriptional activation/repression domain.
- LITE Light Inducible Transcriptional Effector
- Figures 1A-M provide: various views of the CRISPR-cas complex crystal structure (A-I), chemieric RNA architecture from the crystal structure (J-K), an interaction schematic from the crystal structure (L) and a topology schematic from the crystal structure (M).
- Figures 1J-K concern a SpCas9 sgRNA structural study
- Figures 4A-B also pertain to sgRNA mutations.
- SpCas9 sgRNAs were mutated to investigate contribution of specific bases or groups of bases to activity.
- DR direct repeat
- tracrRNA regions of the sgRNA include mutations in the direct repeat (DR) and tracrRNA regions of the sgRNA, divided into: stem 1 (base-pairing region between DR and tracrRNA), bulge (un-paired bases between DR and tracrRNA), loop 1 (artificial GAAA connector between DR and tracrRNA), linker 1 (between stem 1 and stem 2), stem 2 (first hairpin formed by tracrRNA tail), loop 2 (loop in between stem 2), stem 3 (second, or last hairpin formed by tracrRNA tail), and loop 3 (loop in between stem 3). Mutations were chosen based on predicted secondary structure as well as secondary structure as illustrated in Figures 1A-M, especially Figure 1J.
- sgRNA scaffolds were designed to incorporate MS2 loops in loop regions for interaction/binding to recruit functional domains fused to MBP.
- sgRNAs were synthesized as U6::PCR amplicon and tested in co-transfection with wildtype SpCas9.
- the invention thus comprehends the invention comprehends a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) system having a crystal having the structure defined by the co-ordinates of following Cystral Structure Table (the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure).
- Figures 2A-C pertain to new SpCas9 nickases and provide
- A Schematic showing catalytic domains of SpCas9, and sites of mutagenesis for putative new nickases. RuvC domains I, II, and III are shown in orange, HNH domain in white between RuvCII and RuvCIII. Domain sizes not drawn to scale.
- B Schematic showing locations of sgRNAs used for testing double nicking: when sgRNAs are transfected singly (A1 or C1 alone) with SpCas9 nickases, no indels should result.
- nickases were tested in HEK 293FT cells as follows: co-transfection of 400ng of nickase and 100 ng of U6-driven sgRNA (100ng for one guide, or 50ng each for a pair of sgRNAs) by Lipofectamine 2000 into ⁇ 200,000 cells. DNAs from transfected cells were collected for SURVEYOR analysis. Nickases do not result in indel mutations when co-transfected with a single sgRNA, but do when co-transfected with a pair of appropriately off-set sgRNAs.
- Figures 5A-C pertain to truncating and creating chimeric Cas9s based on the herein crystal structure. These figures provide schematics illustrating A. SpCas9 mutants designed for mapping out essential functional domains of Cas9 for truncation of protein. B. chimeric Cas9s that contain sequences (regions in pink) from Cas9 from S. thermophilus CRISPR 1, S. thermophilus CRISPR 3, Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria meningiditis, or other Cas9 orthologs. C. Designs for creating chemically inducible dimerization of SpCas9. The chemically inducible SpCas9 functions.
- DNA sequences for chimeric Cas9s are optimized for human expression by GenScript and synthesized de novo.
- Chimeric Cas9 proteins can be constructed by cloning and ligating individual functional domains from Cas9 orthologs (i.e. by PCR-amplifying individual functional domains from a desired Cas9 ortholog, then assemblying the pieces together by either Gibson or Golden Gate-cloning). Additionallly, a set of chemically-inducible Cas9s were constructed as two-component systems, where one portion of the Cas9 protein is fused to FKBP, and the remainder fused to FRB (e.g. FKBP-Cas9(amino acids 1-1098), FRB-Cas(1099-1368)).
- Cas9 is an RNA-guided nuclease from the microbial CRISPR-Cas system that can be targeted to specific genomic loci by single guide RNAs (sgRNAs).
- sgRNAs single guide RNAs
- Applicants report the crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 in complex with sgRNA and its target DNA at 2.4 ⁇ resolution.
- the structure revealed a bilobed architecture composed of target recognition and nuclease lobes, accommodating a sgRNA:DNA duplex in a positively-charged groove at their interface.
- the recognition lobe is essential for sgRNA and DNA binding
- the nuclease lobe contains the HNH and RuvC nuclease domains, which are properly positioned for the cleavage of complementary and non-complementary strands of the target DNA, respectively.
- the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat)-Cas system is a naturally occurring microbial adaptive immune system for defense against invading phages and other mobile genetic elements (Deveau et al., 2010; Horvath and Barrangou, 2010; Marraffini and Sontheimer, 2010; Terns and Terns, 2011).
- Three types (I–III) of CRISPR-Cas systems have been functionally identified across a wide range of microbial species (Barrangou et al., 2007; Brouns et al., 2008; Marraffini and Sontheimer, 2008), each containing a cluster of CRISPR- associated (Cas) genes and its corresponding CRISPR array.
- CRISPR arrays consist of repetitive sequences (direct repeats, referred to as repeats) interspaced by short stretches of non-repetitive sequences (spacers) derived from short segments of foreign genetic material (protospacers).
- the CRISPR array is transcribed and processed into short CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs), which direct Cas proteins to the target nucleic acids, DNA or RNA, via Watson-Crick base pairing to facilitate the nucleic acid destruction.
- Type I and III CRISPR systems utilize ensembles of Cas proteins in complex with crRNA to mediate recognition and subsequent degradation of target nucleic acids (Spilman et al., 2013; Wiedenheft et al., 2011).
- Type II CRISPR system achieves recognition and cleavage of the target DNA (Garneau et al., 2010) via a single enzyme called Cas9 (Sapranauskas et al., 2011) along with two non-coding RNAs, the crRNA and a trans-activating crRNA (tracrRNA) (Deltcheva et al., 2011).
- the crRNA hybridizes with the tracrRNA to form a crRNA:tracrRNA duplex, which is then loaded onto Cas9 to direct cleavage of cognate DNA sequences bearing appropriate protospacer adjacent motifs (PAM) (Mojica et al., 2009).
- PAM protospacer adjacent motifs
- the Type II CRISPR system was the first to be adapted for facilitating genome editing in eukaryotic cells (Cong et al., 2013; Mali et al., 2013b).
- the Cas9 protein from Streptococcus pyogenes, along with a single guide RNA (sgRNA), a synthetic fusion of crRNA and minimal tracrRNA (Jinek et al., 2012), could be programmed to instruct cleavage of virtually any sequence preceding a 5′-NGG PAM sequence in mammalian cells (Cong et al., 2013; Mali et al., 2013b).
- a catalytically inactive Cas9 can serve as a RNA-guided DNA-binding platform to target effector domains and modulate endogenous transcription (Gilbert et al., 2013; Konermann et al., 2013; Maeder et al., 2013; Perez-Pinera et al., 2013; Qi et al., 2013).
- These Cas9 engineering advances represent just the first steps of what is possible in fully realizing the potential of this flexible RNA-guided genome positioning system.
- Cas9 A precise structural information on Cas9 will thus not only enhance the understanding of how this elegant RNA-guided microbial adaptive immune system functions, but also inform further improvements of Cas9 targeting specificity, simplification of in vitro and in vivo delivery, and engineering of Cas9 for novel functions and optimized features.
- This C80L/C574E mutant retained the ability to efficiently cleave genomic DNA in human embryonic kidney 293FT (HEK293FT) cells, confirming that these mutations have no effects on Cas9 nuclease function (Fig. 16). Additionally, to prevent cleavage of the target DNA during crystallization, Applicants replaced the two catalytic residues, Asp10 from the RuvC domain and His840 from the HNH domain, with alanine.
- Cas9 consists of two lobes, a recognition (REC) lobe and a nuclease (NUC) lobe (Fig. 8A–C).
- the REC lobe can be divided into three regions, a long ⁇ -helix referred to as Bridge helix (BH) (residues 60–93), the REC1 (residues 94–179 and 308–713), and REC2 (residues 180–307) domains (Fig. 8A–C).
- BH Bridge helix
- the NUC lobe consists of the RuvC (residues 1–59, 718–769, and 909–1098), HNH (residues 775–908), and PAM-interacting (PI) (residues 1099–1368) domains (Fig. 8A–C).
- the negatively-charged sgRNA:DNA hybrid duplex is accommodated in a positively-charged groove at the interface between the REC and NUC lobes (Fig. 8D).
- the RuvC domain is assembled from the three split RuvC motifs (RuvC I–III), which interfaces with the PI domain to form a positively-charged surface that interacts with the 3′ tail of the sgRNA (Fig. 8D).
- the HNH domain lies in between the RuvC II–III motifs and forms only a few contacts with the rest of the protein.
- the REC lobe of Cas9 interacted with the repeat:anti-repeat duplex comprises the REC1 and REC2 domains.
- REC1 adopted an elongated, D-helical structure comprising 26 D-helices (D2–D5 and D12–D33) and two E-sheets (E6/E10 and E7–E9)
- REC2 adopted a six-helix bundle structure (D6–D11) (Figs. 9A and 17).
- a Dali search revealed that the REC lobe did not share structural similarity with other known proteins, indicating that it is a Cas9-specific functional domain.
- the REC lobe is one of the least conserved regions across the three families of Cas9 within the Type II CRISPR system (IIA, IIB and IIC) and many Cas9s contain significantly shorter REC lobes (Figs. 18, 19). Applicants hypothesized that truncations in the REC lobe could be tolerated. As expected, and consistent with the observation that the REC2 domain does not contact the bound sgRNA:DNA hybrid duplex, a Cas9 mutant lacking the REC2 domain ( ⁇ 175– 307) showed ⁇ 50% of the wild-type Cas9 activity (Fig. 9B), indicating that the REC2 domain is not critical for DNA cleavage.
- the lower cleavage efficiency may be attributed in part to the reduced levels of Cas9 ( ⁇ 175–307) expression relative to that of the wild-type protein (Fig. 9C).
- deletion of the crRNA repeat-interacting region ( ⁇ 97–150) or tracrRNA anti- repeat-interacting region ( ⁇ 312–409) of the REC1 domain abolished DNA cleavage activity (Fig. 9B), indicating that the recognition of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex by the REC1 domain is critical for Cas9 function.
- the PAM-interacting (PI) domain confers PAM specificity:
- the NUC lobe contains the PI domain, which adopts an elongated structure comprising seven D-helices (D47–D53), a three-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E18–E20), a five-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E21–E23, E26 and E27), and two-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E24 and E25) (Figs. 9D and 17). Similar to the REC lobe, the PI domain also represents a novel protein fold unique to the Cas9 family.
- the Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR-3 Cas9 (St3Cas9) shares ⁇ 60% sequence identity with SpCas9; furthermore, their crRNA repeats and tracrRNAs are interchangeable (Fonfara et al., 2013).
- SpCas9 and St3Cas9 require different PAM sequences (5′-NGG for Cas9 and 5′-NGGNG for St3Cas9) for target DNA cleavage (Fonfara et al., 2013).
- the RuvC domain targets the non-complementary strand DNA:
- the RuvC domain consists of a six-stranded mixed E-sheet (E1, E2, E5, E11, E14 and E17) flanked by D-helices (D34, D35 and D40–D46) and two additional two-stranded antiparallel E-sheets (E3/E4 and E15/E16) (Figs. 10A and 17).
- RuvC nucleases have four catalytic residues (e.g., Asp7, Glu70, His143 and Asp146 in T. thermophilus RuvC), and cleave Holliday junctions through a two-metal mechanism (Ariyoshi et al., 1994; Chen et al., 2013; Gorecka et al., 2013). Asp10 (Ala), Glu762, His983 and Asp986 of the Cas9 RuvC domain are located at positions similar to those of the catalytic residues of T. thermophilus RuvC (Fig.
- the HNH domain targets the complementary strand DNA:
- the HNH domain comprises a two-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E12 and E13) flanked by four D-helices (D36– D42) (Fig. 10E).
- HNH endonucleases characterized by a EED-metal fold, such as the phage T4 endonuclease VII (Endo VII) (Biertumpfel et al., 2007) (PDB code 2QNC, 8% identity, rmsd of 2.6 ⁇ for 60 equivalent C ⁇ atoms) (Fig.
- HNH nucleases have three catalytic residues (e.g., Asp40, His41, and Asn62 in Endo VII), and cleave nucleic acid substrates through a single-metal mechanism (Biertumpfel et al., 2007; Li et al., 2003).
- a Mg2+ ion is coordinated by Asp40, Asp62, and oxygen atoms of the scissile phosphate group of the substrate, while His41 acts as a general base to activate a water molecule for catalysis (Fig. 10F).
- Asp839, His840, and Asn863 of the Cas9 HNH domain correspond to Asp40, His41, and Asn62 of Endo VII, respectively (Fig. 10E), consistent with the observation that His840 is critical for the cleavage of the complementary DNA strand (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012).
- the N863A mutant functions as a nickase (Fig. 10C, D), indicating that Asn863 participates in catalysis.
- Fig. 10C, D The N863A mutant functions as a nickase (Fig. 10C, D), indicating that Asn863 participates in catalysis.
- the Cas9 HNH domain may cleave the complementary strand of the target DNA through a single-metal mechanism as observed for other HNH superfamily nucleases.
- Asn863 of Cas9 is located at a position different from that of Asn62 in Endo VII (Biertumpfel et al., 2007), whereas Asp839 and His840 (Ala) of Cas9 are located at positions similar to those of Asp40 and His41 of Endo VII, respectively (Fig. 10E, F).
- sgRNA recognizes target DNA via Watson-Crick base pairing:
- the sgRNA consists of crRNA- and tracrRNA-derived sequences connected by an artificial tetraloop (Fig. 11A).
- the crRNA sequence can be subdivided into guide (20-nt) and repeat (12-nt) regions, and the tracrRNA sequence likewise into anti-repeat (14-nt) and three tracrRNA stem loops (Fig. 11A).
- the crystal structure reveals that the sgRNA binds the target DNA to form a T-shaped architecture comprising a guide:DNA duplex, repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loops 1–3 (Fig. 11A, B).
- the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loop 1 are connected by a single nucleotide (A51), and stem loops 1 and 2 are connected by a 5-nt single-stranded linker (nucleotides 63– 67).
- the guide (nucleotides 1–20) and target DNA (nucleotides 3′–23′) form the guide:DNA hybrid duplex via 20 Watson-Crick base pairs, with the conformation of the duplex distorted from a canonical A-form RNA duplex (Figs. 11B and 20).
- the crRNA repeat (nucleotides 21–32) and tracrRNA anti-repeat (nucleotides 37–50) form the repeat:anti-repeat duplex via nine Watson-Crick base pairs (U22:A49–A26:U45 and G29:C40–A32:U37) (Fig. 11A, B).
- G27, A28, A41, A42, G43, and U44 are unpaired, with A28 and U44 flipped out from the duplex (Fig. 11C).
- the nucleobases of G27 and A41 stack with the A26:U45 and G29:C40 pairs, respectively, and the 2-amino group of G27 interacts with the backbone phosphate group between G43 and U44, stabilizing the duplex structure (Fig. 11C).
- G21 and U50 form a wobble base pair at the three-way junction between the guide:DNA/repeat:anti-repeat duplexes and stem loop 1, stabilizing the T-shaped architecture (Fig. 11C).
- nucleotides 68–81 and 82–96 form stem loops 2 and 3 via four and six Watson-Crick base pairs (A69:U80–U72:A77 and G82:C96–G87:C91), respectively (Fig. 11A, B).
- nucleotides 52–62 also form a stem loop (stem loop 1) via three Watson-Crick base pairs (G53:C61, G54:C60 and C55:G58), with U59 flipped out from the stem (Fig. 11A, B).
- Stem loop 1 is stabilized by the G62–G53:C61 stacking interaction and the G62–A51/A52 polar interactions (Fig. 11C).
- the guide:DNA and repeat:anti-repeat duplexes are accommodated and deeply buried in a positively-charged groove at the interface of the two lobes, while the rest of the sgRNA extensively interacts with the positively-charged surface on the back side of the protein (Fig. 8D).
- the 3′-terminal bases of the target DNA (3′-ACC complementary to the PAM) are not visible in the electron density map.
- the two adjacent bases (3′-AC) in Mol B are not recognized by Cas9, although they are structurally ordered due to the crystal packing interactions and are visible in the electron density map.
- sgRNA(+48) sgRNA with a 48-nt tracrRNA tail
- sgRNA(+67) and sgRNA(+85) dramatically improved Cas9 cleavage activity in vivo
- the present structure revealed that sgRNA(+48), sgRNA(+67) and sgRNA(+85) contain stem loop 1, stem loops 1–2 and stem loops 1–3, respectively (Fig. 11A, B).
- the crRNA guide region is recognized by Cas9 in a sequence-independent manner except for the U16–Arg447 and G18–Arg71 interactions (Fig. 12A, B). This base-specific G18– Arg71 interaction may partly explain the observed preference of Cas9 for sgRNAs having guanines in the four PAM-proximal guide sequences (Wang et al., 2014).
- the REC1 and RuvC domains facilitate RNA-guided DNA targeting: Cas9 recognizes the 20-bp DNA target site in a sequence-independent manner (Fig. 12A).
- the backbone phosphate groups of the target DNA (nucleotides 1′, 9′–11′, 13′, and 20′) interact with the REC1 (Asn497, Trp659, Arg661 and Gln695), RuvC (Gln926), and PI (Glu1108) domains.
- the C2′ atoms of the target DNA form van der Waals interactions with the REC1 domain (Leu169, Tyr450, Met495, Met694 and His698) and RuvC domain (Ala728) (Fig. 12D). These interactions are likely to contribute towards discriminating between DNA vs. RNA targets by Cas9.
- the terminal base pair of the guide:DNA duplex (G1:C20′) is recognized by the RuvC domain via end-capping interactions (Fig.
- the repeat:anti-repeat duplex is recognized by the REC and NUC lobes in a sequence-dependent manner: The repeat:anti-repeat duplex is extensively recognized by the REC and NUC lobes (Fig. 12A).
- the backbone phosphate groups of the crRNA repeat (nucleotides 24, 26, and 27) and anti-repeat (nucleotides 41, 45, 46, and 48–50) interact with the REC1 domain (Arg115, His116, His160, Lys163, Arg340, and Arg403), PI domain (Lys1113), and Bridge helix (Lys76) (Fig. 12E, F).
- the 2′-hydroxyl groups of the crRNA repeat (nucleotides 22–24) and anti-repeat (nucleotides 43–45 and 47) hydrogen bond with the REC1 domain (Leu101, Ser104, Phe105, Ile135, Tyr359, and Gln402) and the PI domain (Ile1110 and Tyr1131).
- the repeat:anti-repeat duplex is recognized primarily by the REC lobe, which is divergent in sequence and length among Cas9 orthologs within the Type II- A–C systems (Figs. 18, 19), consistent with the previous observation that Cas9 and sgRNA are interchangeable only between closely related Type II systems (Fonfara et al., 2013).
- the three PAM-distal base pairs (C30:G39–A32:U37) are not recognized by Cas9 and protrude from the complex (Fig. 12A), consistent with a proposed model in which a Cas9-bound repeat:anti-repeat duplex is processed by the host RNase III enzyme (Deltcheva et al., 2011).
- nucleobases of G21 and U50 in the G21:U50 wobble pair stack with the terminal C20:G1′ pair in the guide:DNA duplex and the side chain of Tyr72 on Bridge helix, respectively, with the U50 O4 atom hydrogen bonded with the side chain of Arg75 (Fig. 12E).
- A51 adopts the syn-conformation, and is oriented in the direction opposite to U50 (Figs. 11C and 12G).
- the nucleobase of A51 is sandwiched between the Phe1105 side chain in the PI domain and the U63 nucleobase in the linker, with its N7 and N1 atoms hydrogen bonded with the main- chain amide group of Phe1105 and the G62 2′-hydroxyl group in stem loop 1, respectively (Fig. 12G).
- a repeat:anti-repeat duplex is diverse in sequence and length among the Type II- A–C systems
- the G21:U50 base pair is highly conserved among Cas9s (Fonfara et al., 2013), suggesting that this wobble pairing is a universal structural feature involved in the three-way junction formation.
- sgRNA stem loops 1–3 interact with Cas9: Stem loop 1 is primarily recognized by the REC lobe together with the PI domain (Fig. 12A).
- the backbone phosphate groups of stem loop 1 (nucleotides 52, 53, and 59–61) interact with the REC1 domain (Leu455, Ser460, Arg467, Thr472, and Ile473), PI domain (Lys1123 and Lys1124), and Bridge helix (Arg70 and Arg74), with the 2′-hydroxyl group of G58 hydrogen bonded with Leu455 in the REC1 domain.
- A52 interacts with Phe1105 through a face-to-edge S–S stacking interaction (Fig. 12G), and the flipped U59 nucleobase hydrogen bonds with the side chain of Asn77 (Fig. 12H).
- Stem loops 2 and 3, and the single-stranded linker are primarily recognized by the NUC lobe (Fig. 12A); this contrasts with stem loop 1 and the guide:DNA/repeat:anti-repeat duplexes, which are recognized by both of the NUC and REC lobes.
- the backbone phosphate groups of the linker (nucleotides 63–65 and 67) interact with the RuvC domain (Glu57, Lys742, and Lys1097), PI domain (Thr1102), and Bridge helix (Arg69), with the 2′-hydroxyl groups of U64 and A65 hydrogen bonded with Glu57 and His721, respectively (Fig. 12I).
- the nucleobase of C67 hydrogen bonds with the main-chain amide group of Val1100 (Fig. 12I).
- Stem loop 2 is recognized by Cas9 via the interactions between the NUC lobe and the non-Watson-Crick A68:G81 pair, which is formed by direct (between the A68 N6 and G81 O6 atoms) and water-mediated (between the A68 N1 and G81 N1 atoms) hydrogen-bonding interactions (Fig. 12J).
- the nucleobases of A68 and G81 contact the side chains of Ser1351 and Tyr1356, respectively, with the A68:G81 pair recognized by Thr1358 via a water-mediated hydrogen bond (Fig. 12J).
- the 2′-hydroxyl group of A68 hydrogen bonds with the side chain of His1349, and the 2-amino group of G81 hydrogen bonds with the main-chain carbonyl group of Lys33 (Fig. 12J).
- Stem loop 3 interacts with the NUC lobe more extensively relative to stem loop 2 (Fig. 12K).
- the backbone phosphate groups of C91 and G92 interact with the RuvC domain (Arg40 and Lys44) (Fig. 12K), while the nucleobases of G89 and U90 hydrogen bond with Gln1272 and Glu1225/Ala1227, respectively (Fig. 12K).
- the nucleobases of A88 and C91 are recognized by the side chain of Asn46 via multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions (Fig. 12K).
- the HNH domain is followed by the D40 helix of the RuvC domain, which is connected with the D41 helix by an D40–D41 linker (residues 919–925) (Fig. 13A).
- residues 913–925 form the C-terminal portion of the D43 helix and D43–D44 linker
- Mol B these residues form an extended D-helix, which is directed toward the cleavage site of the complementary strand (Fig. 13A).
- the present structure does not contain the non- complementary DNA strand, the position of the bound complementary strand suggests that the scissile phosphate of the non-complementary strand is located in the vicinity of the active site of the RuvC domain, consistent with previous biochemical data (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012). Furthermore, Applicants’ structural and functional analyses indicate that the PI domain participates in the recognition of the PAM sequence of the non-complementary strand.
- Cas9 recognizes the PAM-proximal guide region and repeat:anti-repeat duplex of sgRNA to form a Cas9–sgRNA binary complex.
- the binary complex subsequently recognizes the DNA sequence complementary to the 20-nt guide region of the bound sgRNA, forming the final Cas9–sgRNA–target DNA ternary complex.
- the PI domain recognizes the PAM sequence of the non- complementary strand, facilitating the R-loop formation.
- the mobile HNH domain approaches and cleaves the complementary strand in the guide:DNA duplex
- the RuvC domain cleaves the single-stranded, non-complementary strand.
- Protein preparation The gene encoding full-length S. pyogenes Cas9 (residues 1–1368) was cloned between the NdeI and XhoI sites of the modified pCold-GST vector (TaKaRa). The protein was expressed at 20°C in Escherichia coli Rosetta 2 (DE3) (Novagen), and was purified by Ni-NTA Superflow resin (QIAGEN). The eluted protein was incubated overnight at 4oC with TEV protease to remove the GST-tag, and further purified by chromatography on Ni-NTA, Mono S (GE Healthcare) and HiLoad Superdex 200 16/60 (GE Healthcare) columns.
- the SeMet-labeled protein was prepared using a similar protocol for the native protein.
- the sgRNA was in vitro transcribed by T7 polymerase using a PCR-amplified template, and was purified on 10% denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
- the target DNA was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich.
- the purified Cas9 protein was mixed with sgRNA and DNA (molar ratio 1:1.5:2), and then the complex was purified using a Superdex 200 Increase column (GE Healthcare) in a buffer containing 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 150 mM NaCl and 1 mM DTT.
- the crystals were cryoprotected in reservoir solution supplemented with 25% ethylene glycol.
- X-ray diffraction data were processed using XDS (Kabsch, 2010) .
- the structure was determined by the SAD method, using the 2.8 ⁇ resolution data from the SeMet-labeled crystal.
- Forty of the potential 44 Se atoms were located using SHELXD (Sheldrick, 2008) and autoSHARP (delaFortelle and Bricogne, 1997).
- the initial phases were calculated using autoSHARP, and further improved by 2-fold NCS averaging using DM (Winn et al., 2011).
- the model was automatically built using PHENIX AutoSol (Adams et al., 2002), followed by manual model building using COOT (Emsley and Cowtan, 2004) and refinement using PHENIX (Adams et al., 2002).
- the resulting model was further refined using for native 2.4 ⁇ resolution data.
- HEK Human embryonic kidney
- DMEM Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s Medium
- HyClone 10% fetal bovine serum
- 2 mM GlutaMAX 20 mM GlutaMAX
- 100 U/ml penicillin 100 Pg/ml streptomycin at 37°C with 5% CO 2 incubation.
- Cells were seeded onto 24-well plates (Corning) at a density of 120,000 cells/well, 24 h prior to transfection.
- Cells were transfected using Lipofectamine 2000 (Life Technologies) at 70–80% confluency following the manufacturer’s recommended protocol.
- a total of 400 ng Cas9 plasmid and 100 ng of U6::sgRNA PCR product was transfected.
- SURVEYOR nuclease assay for genome modification 293FT cells were transfected with DNA as described above. Cells were incubated at 37oC for 72 h post-transfection prior to genomic DNA extraction. Genomic DNA was extracted using the QuickExtract DNA Extraction Solution (Epicentre) following the manufacturer’s protocol. Briefly, pelleted cells were resuspended in QuickExtract solution and incubated at 65oC for 15 min, 68°C for 15 min, and 98oC for 10 min.
- the genomic region flanking the CRISPR target site for each gene was PCR amplified, and products were purified using QiaQuick Spin Column (Qiagen) following the manufacturer’s protocol. 400 ng total of the purified PCR products were mixed with 2 Pl 10X Taq DNA Polymerase PCR buffer (Enzymatics) and ultrapure water to a final volume of 20 Pl, and subjected to a re-annealing process to enable heteroduplex formation: 95oC for 10 min, 95oC to 85oC ramping at– 2oC/s, 85oC to 25oC at– 0.25oC/s, and 25oC hold for 1 min.
- RNA length is measured by a ruler mechanism anchored at the precursor processing site.
- RNA-guided gene activation by CRISPR-Cas9-based transcription factors Nature methods 10, 973-976.
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Abstract
The invention provides for systems, methods, and compositions for altering expression of target gene sequences and related gene products. Provided are structural information on the Cas protein of the CRISPR-Cas system, use of this information in generating modified components of the CRISPR complex, vectors and vector systems which encode one or more components or modified components of a CRISPR complex, as well as methods for the design and use of such vectors and components. Also provided are methods of directing CRISPR complex formation in eukaryotic cells and methods for utilizing the CRISPR-Cas system.
Description
CRISPR-CAS SYSTEMS, CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND USES THEREOF
RELATED APPLICATIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims priority from US provisional patent applications: 61/915,251, filed December 12, 2013; and 61/930,214 filed January 22, 2014.
[0002] The foregoing applications, and all documents cited therein or during their prosecution (“appln cited documents”) and all documents cited or referenced in the appln cited documents, and all documents cited or referenced herein (“herein cited documents”), and all documents cited or referenced in herein cited documents, together with any manufacturer’s instructions, descriptions, product specifications, and product sheets for any products mentioned herein or in any document incorporated by reference herein, are hereby incorporated herein by reference, and may be employed in the practice of the invention. More specifically, all referenced documents are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual document was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention generally relates to systems, methods and compositions used for the control of gene expression involving sequence targeting, such as genome perturbation or gene-editing, that may use vector systems related to Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and components thereof.
STATEMENT AS TO FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0004] This invention was made with government support under NIH Pioneer Award 1DP1MH100706, awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The government has certain rights in the invention.
[0005] This invention was made with government support under PRESTO (Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Sakigake) in the field of“Structural life science and advanced core technologies for innovative life science research”, awarded by JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) in 2012. JST has certain rights in the invention.
[0006] This invention was made with government support under CREST in the field of “Creation of Basic Medical Technologies to Clarify and Control the Mechanisms Underlying
Chronic Inflammation”, awarded by JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) in 2013. JST has certain rights in the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Recent advances in genome sequencing techniques and analysis methods have significantly accelerated the ability to catalog and map genetic factors associated with a diverse range of biological functions and diseases. Precise genome targeting technologies are needed to enable systematic reverse engineering of causal genetic variations by allowing selective perturbation of individual genetic elements, as well as to advance synthetic biology, biotechnological, and medical applications. Although genome-editing techniques such as designer zinc fingers, transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), or homing meganucleases are available for producing targeted genome perturbations, there remains a need for new genome engineering technologies that are affordable, easy to set up, scalable, and amenable to targeting multiple positions within the eukaryotic genome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] There exists a pressing need for alternative and robust systems and techniques for sequence targeting with a wide array of applications. This invention addresses this need and provides related advantages. The CRISPR/Cas or the CRISPR-Cas system (both terms are used interchangeably throughout this application) does not require the generation of customized proteins to target specific sequences but rather a single Cas enzyme can be programmed by a short RNA molecule to recognize a specific DNA target, in other words the Cas enzyme can be recruited to a specific DNA target using said short RNA molecule. Adding the CRISPR-Cas system to the repertoire of genome sequencing techniques and analysis methods may significantly simplify the methodology and accelerate the ability to catalog and map genetic factors associated with a diverse range of biological functions and diseases. To utilize the CRISPR-Cas system effectively for genome editing without deleterious effects, it is critical to understand aspects of engineering and optimization of these genome engineering tools, which are aspects of the claimed invention.
[0009] In one aspect, the invention provides a method for altering or modifying expression of a gene product. The said method may comprise introducing into a cell containing and expressing a DNA molecule encoding the gene product an engineered, non-naturally occurring CRISPR-Cas
system comprising a Cas protein and guide RNA that targets the DNA molecule, whereby the guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together. The invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence. The invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell. In a preferred embodiment the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell. In a further embodiment of the invention, the expression of the gene product is decreased.
[0010] In one aspect, the invention provides an engineered, non-naturally occurring CRISPR-Cas system comprising a Cas protein and a guide RNA that targets a DNA molecule encoding a gene product in a cell, whereby the guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together. The invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence. In an embodiment of the invention the Cas protein is a type II CRISPR-Cas protein and in a preferred embodiment the Cas protein is a Cas9 protein. The invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell. In a preferred embodiment the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell. In a further embodiment of the invention, the expression of the gene product is decreased.
[0011] In another aspect, the invention provides an engineered, non-naturally occurring vector system comprising one or more vectors comprising a first regulatory element operably linked to a CRISPR-Cas system guide RNA that targets a DNA molecule encoding a gene product and a second regulatory element operably linked to a Cas protein. Components (a) and (b) may be located on same or different vectors of the system. The guide RNA targets the DNA molecule encoding the gene product in a cell and the Cas protein cleaves the DNA molecule encoding the gene product, whereby expression of the gene product is altered; and, wherein the Cas protein and the guide RNA do not naturally occur together. The invention comprehends the guide RNA comprising a guide sequence fused to a tracr sequence. In an embodiment of the invention the Cas protein is a type II CRISPR-Cas protein and in a preferred embodiment the Cas
protein is a Cas9 protein. The invention further comprehends the Cas protein being codon optimized for expression in a Eukaryotic cell. In a preferred embodiment the Eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell and in a more preferred embodiment the mammalian cell is a human cell. In a further embodiment of the invention, the expression of the gene product is decreased.
[0012] In one aspect, the invention provides a vector system comprising one or more vectors. In some embodiments, the system comprises: (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence; wherein components (a) and (b) are located on the same or different vectors of the system. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the system comprises the tracr sequence under the control of a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter. In some embodiments, the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned. Determining optimal alignment is within the purview of one of skill in the art. For example, there are publically and commercially available alignment algorithms and programs such as, but not limited to, ClustalW, Smith-Waterman in matlab, Bowtie, Geneious, Biopython and SeqMan. In some embodiments, the CRISPR complex comprises one or more nuclear localization sequences of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of said CRISPR complex in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that a nuclear localization sequence is not necessary for CRISPR complex activity in eukaryotes, but that including such sequences enhances activity of the system, especially as to targeting
nucleic acid molecules in the nucleus. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is a type II CRISPR system enzyme. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is a Cas9 enzyme. In some embodiments, the Cas9 enzyme is S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, or S. thermophilus Cas9, and may include mutated Cas9 derived from these organisms. The enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence. In some embodiments, the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter. In some embodiments, the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter. In some embodiments, the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length. In general, and throughout this specification, the term“vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked. Vectors include, but are not limited to, nucleic acid molecules that are single-stranded, double- stranded, or partially double-stranded; nucleic acid molecules that comprise one or more free ends, no free ends (e.g. circular); nucleic acid molecules that comprise DNA, RNA, or both; and other varieties of polynucleotides known in the art. One type of vector is a“plasmid,” which refers to a circular double stranded DNA loop into which additional DNA segments can be inserted, such as by standard molecular cloning techniques. Another type of vector is a viral vector, wherein virally-derived DNA or RNA sequences are present in the vector for packaging into a virus (e.g. retroviruses, replication defective retroviruses, adenoviruses, replication defective adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses). Viral vectors also include polynucleotides carried by a virus for transfection into a host cell. Certain vectors are capable of autonomous replication in a host cell into which they are introduced (e.g. bacterial vectors having a bacterial origin of replication and episomal mammalian vectors). Other vectors (e.g., non-episomal mammalian vectors) are integrated into the genome of a host cell upon introduction into the host cell, and thereby are replicated along with the host genome. Moreover, certain vectors are capable of directing the expression of genes to which they are operatively- linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as“expression vectors.” Common expression vectors of utility in recombinant DNA techniques are often in the form of plasmids.
[0013] Recombinant expression vectors can comprise a nucleic acid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell, which means that the recombinant
expression vectors include one or more regulatory elements, which may be selected on the basis of the host cells to be used for expression, that is operatively-linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed. Within a recombinant expression vector,“operably linked” is intended to mean that the nucleotide sequence of interest is linked to the regulatory element(s) in a manner that allows for expression of the nucleotide sequence (e.g. in an in vitro transcription/translation system or in a host cell when the vector is introduced into the host cell).
[0014] The term“regulatory element” is intended to include promoters, enhancers, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES), and other expression control elements (e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences). Such regulatory elements are described, for example, in Goeddel, GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990). Regulatory elements include those that direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of host cell and those that direct expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences). A tissue-specific promoter may direct expression primarily in a desired tissue of interest, such as muscle, neuron, bone, skin, blood, specific organs (e.g. liver, pancreas), or particular cell types (e.g. lymphocytes). Regulatory elements may also direct expression in a temporal-dependent manner, such as in a cell-cycle dependent or developmental stage-dependent manner, which may or may not also be tissue or cell-type specific. In some embodiments, a vector comprises one or more pol III promoter (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol I promoters), one or more pol II promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol II promoters), one or more pol I promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol I promoters), or combinations thereof. Examples of pol III promoters include, but are not limited to, U6 and H1 promoters. Examples of pol II promoters include, but are not limited to, the retroviral Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR promoter (optionally with the RSV enhancer), the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (optionally with the CMV enhancer) [see, e.g., Boshart et al, Cell, 41:521 -530 (1985)], the SV40 promoter, the dihydrofolate reductase promoter, the β-actin promoter, the phosphoglycerol kinase (PGK) promoter, and the EF1α promoter. Also encompassed by the term“regulatory element” are enhancer elements, such as WPRE; CMV enhancers; the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I (Mol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 8(1), p. 466-472, 1988); SV40 enhancer; and the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit β-globin (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of the
expression vector can depend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to be transformed, the level of expression desired, etc. A vector can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce transcripts, proteins, or peptides, including fusion proteins or peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein (e.g., clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) transcripts, proteins, enzymes, mutant forms thereof, fusion proteins thereof, etc.).
[0015] Advantageous vectors include lentiviruses and adeno-associated viruses, and types of such vectors can also be selected for targeting particular types of cells.
[0016] In one aspect, the invention provides a eukaryotic host cell comprising (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and/or (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence. In some embodiments, the host cell comprises components (a) and (b). In some embodiments, component (a), component (b), or components (a) and (b) are stably integrated into a genome of the host eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the eukaryotic host cell further comprises a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter, operably linked to said tracr sequence. In some embodiments, the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned. The enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme lacks DNA strand cleavage activity. In some embodiments, the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter. In
some embodiments, the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter. In some embodiments, the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length. In an aspect, the invention provides a non-human eukaryotic organism; preferably a multicellular eukaryotic organism, comprising a eukaryotic host cell according to any of the described embodiments. In other aspects, the invention provides a eukaryotic organism; preferably a multicellular eukaryotic organism, comprising a eukaryotic host cell according to any of the described embodiments. The organism in some embodiments of these aspects may be an animal; for example a mammal. Also, the organism may be an arthropod such as an insect. The organism also may be a plant. Further, the organism may be a fungus.
[0017] In one aspect, the invention provides a kit comprising one or more of the components described herein. In some embodiments, the kit comprises a vector system and instructions for using the kit. In some embodiments, the vector system comprises (a) a first regulatory element operably linked to a tracr mate sequence and one or more insertion sites for inserting one or more guide sequences upstream of the tracr mate sequence, wherein when expressed, the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence; and/or (b) a second regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme-coding sequence encoding said CRISPR enzyme comprising a nuclear localization sequence. In some embodiments, the kit comprises components (a) and (b) located on the same or different vectors of the system. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises the tracr sequence downstream of the tracr mate sequence under the control of the first regulatory element. In some embodiments, component (a) further comprises two or more guide sequences operably linked to the first regulatory element, wherein when expressed, each of the two or more guide sequences direct sequence specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a different target sequence in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the system further comprises a third regulatory element, such as a polymerase III promoter, operably linked to said tracr sequence. In some embodiments, the tracr sequence exhibits at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of sequence complementarity along the length of the tracr mate sequence when optimally aligned. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme comprises one or more nuclear localization
sequences of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of said CRISPR enzyme in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is a type II CRISPR system enzyme. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is a Cas9 enzyme. In some embodiments, the Cas9 enzyme is S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes or S. thermophilus Cas9, and may include mutated Cas9 derived from these organisms. The enzyme may be a Cas9 homolog or ortholog. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is codon-optimized for expression in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or two strands at the location of the target sequence. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme lacks DNA strand cleavage activity. In some embodiments, the first regulatory element is a polymerase III promoter. In some embodiments, the second regulatory element is a polymerase II promoter. In some embodiments, the guide sequence is at least 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 nucleotides, or between 10-30, or between 15-25, or between 15-20 nucleotides in length.
[0018] In one aspect, the invention provides a method of modifying a target polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide thereby modifying the target polynucleotide, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said target polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence. In some embodiments, said cleavage comprises cleaving one or two strands at the location of the target sequence by said CRISPR enzyme. In some embodiments, said cleavage results in decreased transcription of a target gene. In some embodiments, the method further comprises repairing said cleaved target polynucleotide by homologous recombination with an exogenous template polynucleotide, wherein said repair results in a mutation comprising an insertion, deletion, or substitution of one or more nucleotides of said target polynucleotide. In some embodiments, said mutation results in one or more amino acid changes in a protein expressed from a gene comprising the target sequence. In some embodiments, the method further comprises delivering one or more vectors to said eukaryotic cell, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: the CRISPR enzyme, the guide sequence linked to the tracr mate sequence, and the tracr sequence. In some embodiments, said vectors are delivered to the eukaryotic cell in a subject. In some embodiments, said modifying takes place in said eukaryotic cell in a cell culture. In some
embodiments, the method further comprises isolating said eukaryotic cell from a subject prior to said modifying. In some embodiments, the method further comprises returning said eukaryotic cell and/or cells derived therefrom to said subject.
[0019] In one aspect, the invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the polynucleotide such that said binding results in increased or decreased expression of said polynucleotide; wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence. In some embodiments, the method further comprises delivering one or more vectors to said eukaryotic cells, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: the CRISPR enzyme, the guide sequence linked to the tracr mate sequence, and the tracr sequence.
[0020] In one aspect, the invention provides a method of generating a model eukaryotic cell comprising a mutated disease gene. In some embodiments, a disease gene is any gene associated an increase in the risk of having or developing a disease. In some embodiments, the method comprises (a) introducing one or more vectors into a eukaryotic cell, wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: a CRISPR enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr mate sequence, and a tracr sequence; and (b) allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to a target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of the target polynucleotide within said disease gene, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence within the target polynucleotide, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence, thereby generating a model eukaryotic cell comprising a mutated disease gene. In some embodiments, said cleavage comprises cleaving one or two strands at the location of the target sequence by said CRISPR enzyme. In some embodiments, said cleavage results in decreased transcription of a target gene. In some embodiments, the method further comprises repairing said cleaved target polynucleotide by homologous recombination with an exogenous template polynucleotide, wherein said repair results in a mutation comprising an insertion, deletion, or substitution of one or more nucleotides of said target polynucleotide. In some embodiments, said mutation results in one or more amino acid changes in a protein expression from a gene comprising the target sequence.
[0021] In one aspect, the invention provides a method for developing a biologically active agent that modulates a cell signaling event associated with a disease gene. In some embodiments, a disease gene is any gene associated an increase in the risk of having or developing a disease. In some embodiments, the method comprises (a) contacting a test compound with a model cell of any one of the described embodiments; and (b) detecting a change in a readout that is indicative of a reduction or an augmentation of a cell signaling event associated with said mutation in said disease gene, thereby developing said biologically active agent that modulates said cell signaling event associated with said disease gene.
[0022] In one aspect, the invention provides a recombinant polynucleotide comprising a guide sequence upstream of a tracr mate sequence, wherein the guide sequence when expressed directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a corresponding target sequence present in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the target sequence is a viral sequence present in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the target sequence is a proto-oncogene or an oncogene.
[0023] In one aspect the invention provides for a method of selecting one or more cell(s) by introducing one or more mutations in a gene in the one or more cell (s), the method comprising: introducing one or more vectors into the cell (s), wherein the one or more vectors drive expression of one or more of: a CRISPR enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr mate sequence, a tracr sequence, and an editing template; wherein the editing template comprises the one or more mutations that abolish CRISPR enzyme cleavage; allowing homologous recombination of the editing template with the target polynucleotide in the cell(s) to be selected; allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to a target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of the target polynucleotide within said gene, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the CRISPR enzyme complexed with (1) the guide sequence that is hybridized to the target sequence within the target polynucleotide, and (2) the tracr mate sequence that is hybridized to the tracr sequence, wherein binding of the CRISPR complex to the target polynucleotide induces cell death, thereby allowing one or more cell(s) in which one or more mutations have been introduced to be selected. In a preferred embodiment, the CRISPR enzyme is Cas9. In another preferred embodiment of the invention the cell to be selected may be a eukaryotic cell. Aspects of the invention allow for selection of specific cells without requiring a selection marker or a two-step process that may include a counter-selection system.
[0024] In another aspect the invention comprehends a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) system having an X-ray diffraction pattern corresponding to or resulting from any or all of the foregoing and/or a crystal having the structure defined by the co-ordinates of the Crystral Structure Table in Example 1 (the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure).
[0025] In a further aspect, the invention involves a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential compounds to fit within or bind to CRISPR-cas9 system or a functional portion thereof or vice versa (a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems or a functional portion thereof for binding to desired compounds) or a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems (e.g., with regard to predicting areas of the CRISPR-cas9 system to be able to be manipulated—for instance, based on crystral structure data or based on data of cas9 orthologs, or with respect to where a functional group such as an activator or repressor can be attached to the CRISPR-cas9 system, or as to cas9 truncations or as to designing nickases), said method comprising:
using a computer system, e.g., a programmed computer comprising a processor, a data storage system, an input device, and an output device, the steps of:
(a) inputting into the programmed computer through said input device data comprising the three-dimensional co-ordinates of a subset of the atoms from or pertaining to the CRISPR- cas9 crystal structure, e.g., in the CRISPR-cas9 system binding domain or alternatively or additionally in domains that vary based on variance among cas9 orthologs or as to cas9s or as to nickases or as to functional groups, optionally with structural information from CRISPR-cas9 system complex(es), thereby generating a data set;
(b) comparing, using said processor, said data set to a computer database of structures stored in said computer data storage system, e.g., structures of compounds that bind or putatively bind or that are desired to bind to a CRISPR-cas9 system or as to cas9 orthologs (e.g., as cas9s or as to domains or regions that vary amongst cas9 orthologs) or as to the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure or as to nickases or as to functional groups;
(c) selecting from said database, using computer methods, structure(s)—e.g., CRISPR- cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9
orthologs, truncated cas9s, novel nickases or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems;
(d) constructing, using computer methods, a model of the selected structure(s); and (e) outputting to said output device the selected structure(s);
and optionally synthesizing one or more of the selected structure(s);
and further optionally testing said synthesized selected structure(s) as or in a CRISPR- cas9 system;
or, said method comprising: providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure, e.g., at least two atoms of the herein Crystral Structure Table of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure or co-ordinates of at least a sub-domain of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure (“selected co-ordinates”), providing the structure of a candidate comprising a binding molecule or of portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, or the structure of functional groups, and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co- ordinates, to thereby obtain product data comprising CRISPR-cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, truncated cas9s, novel nickases, or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group- CRISPR-cas9 systems, with output thereof; and optionally synthesizing compound(s) from said product data and further optionally comprising testing said synthesized compound(s) as or in a CRISPR-cas9 system.
[0026] The testing can comprise analyzing the CRISPR-cas9 system resulting from said synthesized selected structure(s), e.g., with respect to binding, or performing a desired function.
[0027] The output in the foregoing methods can comprise data transmission, e.g., transmission of information via telecommunication, telephone, video conference, mass communication, e.g., presentation such as a computer presentation (eg POWERPOINT), internet, email, documentary communication such as a computer program (eg WORD) document and the like. Accordingly, the invention also comprehends computer readable media containing: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic
co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures. The computer readable media can also contain any data of the foregoing methods. The invention further comprehends methods a computer system for generating or performing rational design as in the foregoing methods containing either: atomic co-ordinate data according to herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures. The invention further comprehends a method of doing business comprising providing to a user the computer system or the media or the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure set forth in and said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures, or the herein computer media or a herein data transmission.
[0028] A“binding site” or an“active site” comprises or consists essentially of a site (such as an atom, a functional group of an amino acid residue or a plurality of such atoms and/or groups) in a binding cavity or region, which may bind to a compound such as a nucleic acid molecule, which is/are involved in binding.
[0029] By “fitting”, is meant determining by automatic, or semi-automatic means, interactions between one or more atoms of a candidate molecule and at least one atom of a structure of the invention, and calculating the extent to which such interactions are stable. Interactions include attraction and repulsion, brought about by charge, steric considerations and the like. Various computer-based methods for fitting are described further
[0030] By“root mean square (or rms) deviation”, we mean the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of the deviations from the mean.
[0031] By a“computer system”, is meant the hardware means, software means and data storage means used to analyze atomic coordinate data. The minimum hardware means of the computer-based systems of the present invention typically comprises a central processing unit (CPU), input means, output means and data storage means. Desirably a display or monitor is provided to visualize structure data. The data storage means may be RAM or means for accessing computer readable media of the invention. Examples of such systems are computer and tablet devices running Unix, Windows or Apple operating systems.
[0032] By“computer readable media”, is meant any medium or media, which can be read and accessed directly or indirectly by a computer e.g. so that the media is suitable for use in the above-mentioned computer system. Such media include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage media such as floppy discs, hard disc storage medium and magnetic tape; optical storage media such as optical discs or CD-ROM; electrical storage media such as RAM and ROM; thumb drive devices; cloud storage devices and hybrids of these categories such as magnetic/optical storage media.
[0033] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention not to encompass within the invention any previously known product, process of making the product, or method of using the product such that Applicants reserve the right and hereby disclose a disclaimer of any previously known product, process, or method. It is further noted that the invention does not intend to encompass within the scope of the invention any product, process, or making of the product or method of using the product, which does not meet the written description and enablement requirements of the USPTO (35 U.S.C. §112, first paragraph) or the EPO (Article 83 of the EPC), such that Applicants reserve the right and hereby disclose a disclaimer of any previously described product, process of making the product, or method of using the product.
[0034] It is noted that in this disclosure and particularly in the claims and/or paragraphs, terms such as "comprises", "comprised", "comprising" and the like can have the meaning attributed to it in U.S. Patent law; e.g., they can mean "includes", "included", "including", and the like; and that terms such as "consisting essentially of" and "consists essentially of" have the meaning ascribed to them in U.S. Patent law, e.g., they allow for elements not explicitly recited, but exclude elements that are found in the prior art or that affect a basic or novel characteristic of the invention. It may be advantageous in the practice of the invention to be in compliance with Art. 53(c) EPC and Rule 28(b) and (c) EPC. Nothing herein is to be construed as a promise.
[0035] These and other embodiments are disclosed or are obvious from and encompassed by, the following Detailed Description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0036] The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be
obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
[0037] Figures 1A-M provide: a diagram showing the topology of the Cas9 protein. Helices are shown as tubes and beta sheets are shown as arrows and various views of the CRISPR-cas complex crystal structure (A-I), chimeric RNA architecture from the crystal structure (J-K), an interaction schematic from the crystal structure (L) and a topology schematic from the crystal structure (M).
[0038] Figures 2A-C show, from the crystal structure, a schematic of showing catalytic domains of SpCas9, sites of mutagenesis for new nickases (A), a schematic showing locations of sgRNAs for testing double nicking (B), and results of a Surveyor gel test results showing 1 HNH mutant N854A that retains nickase activity, and 1 HNH mutant that shows nickase activity (N863A), and 2 RuvCIII mutants that show nickase activity (H983A, D986A) (C).
[0039] Figures 3A-B show Surveyor gel test results of SpCas9 truncation mutants from the crystal structure that retain cleavage activity (A) and a table showing the amino acid truncations and flexible (GGGS) or rigid (A(EAAAK)) linker substitutions of the lanes of the gels of Figure 25A (B).
[0040] Figures 4A-B show SpCas9 sgRNAs from the crystal structure including those mutated to investigate contribution to activity of specific bases or groups to basses.
[0041] Figures 5A-C show truncation and creation of chimeric (S. pyogenes) Cas9s based on the herein crystal structure, including mutants for mapping essential functional domains (A), chimeras that contain regions from S. thermophilus Cas9 (B), and designs for chemically inducible dimerization of SpCas9 (C).
[0042] Figure 6 shows a picture of Cas9 crystals (0.2 mm).
[0043] Figure 7 shows a structural figure of showing Cas9 in a surface representation; red, sgRNA; cyan, the guide region of sgRNA; gold, target DNA.
[0044] Figure 8A-D shows the overall structure. (A) Domain organization of S. pyogenes Cas9, and schematic of the sgRNA:target DNA complex. (B) Ribbon representation of the Cas9– sgRNA–DNA complex. Disordered linkers are shown as red dotted lines. (C) Surface representation of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA complex. The active sites of the RuvC (D10A) and HNH (H840A) domains are indicated by dashed yellow circles. (D) Electrostatic surface
potential of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA complex. The HNH domain is omitted for clarity. Molecular graphic images were prepared using CueMol (see website at cuemol.org). Also refer to Figs. 37 and 38.
[0045] Figure 9A-E shows the REC lobe and PI domain. (A) Structure of the REC lobe. The REC2 domain and Bridge helix are colored dark gray and green, respectively. The REC1 domain is colored gray, with the repeat-interacting and anti-repeat-interacting regions colored pale blue and pink, respectively. The bound sgRNA:DNA is shown as semi-transparent ribbon representation. (B) Schematics indicating positions of SpCas9 truncations in the REC1 and REC2 domains. Bars on the right show indel mutations generated by the truncation mutants, measured by SURVEYOR assay (n = 3, error bars show mean ± S.E.M., N.D., not detectable). (C) Western blot showing expression of truncation mutants in HEK 293FT cells. (D) Structure of the PI domain. The bound sgRNA is shown as semi-transparent ribbon representation. (E) Schematics showing wild-type SpCas9 and St3Cas9, chimeric Cas9, as well as SpCas9 PI domain truncation constructs. Cas9s are assayed for indel generation at target sites upstream of either NGG (left bar graph) or NGGNG (right bar graph) PAMs (n = 3, error bars show mean ± S.E.M., N.D., not detectable). See also Figs. 39–41.
[0046] Figure 10A-F shows the NUC lobe. (A) Structure of the RuvC domain. The core structure of the RNase H fold core is highlighted in cyan. The active-site residues are shown as stick models. (B) Structure of the T. thermophilus RuvC dimer in complex with a Holliday junction (PDB ID 4LD0). The two protomers are colored cyan and gray, respectively. (C) Sequence (top) illustrates Cas9 nicking targets on opposite strands of DNA. Targets 1 and 2 are offset by a distance of 4-bp in between. Heatmap (bottom) shows the ability of each catalytic mutant to induce double- (with either sgRNA 1 or 2) or single-stranded breaks (only with both sgRNA together). Gray boxes: not assayed. (D) Indel formation by Cas9 nickases depends on off-set distance between sgRNA pairs (right panel). Off-set distance is defined as the number of base pairs between the PAM-distal (5′) ends of the guide sequence of a given sgRNA pair (n = 3, error bars show mean ± S.E.M., N.D., not detectable). (E) Structure of the HNH domain. The core structure of the ββα-metal fold is highlighted in magenta. The active-site residues are shown as stick models. (F) Structure of the T4 Endo VII dimer in complex with a Holliday junction (PDB ID 2QNC). The two protomers are colored pink and gray, respectively, with the ββα-metal fold core highlighted in magenta. The bound Mg2+ ion is shown as an orange sphere.
[0047] Figure 11A-D shows sgRNA and its target DNA. (A) Schematic of the sgRNA:DNA complex. The guide and repeat regions of the crRNA sequence are colored skyblue and blue, respectively. The tracrRNA sequence is colored red, with the linker region colored violet. The target DNA and tetraloop are colored yellow and black, respectively. The numbering of the 3′ tails of tracrRNA is shown on red background. Watson-Crick and non-Watson-Crick base pairs are indicated by black and gray lines, respectively. Disordered nucleotides are boxed by dashed lines. (B) Structure of the sgRNA:DNA complex. (C) Structure of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and three-way junction. Key interactions are shown as gray dashed lines. (D) Effect of sgRNA mutations on ability to induce indels. Base changes from the +83 sgRNA scaffold are shown at respective positions, with dashes indicating unaltered bases (n = 3, error bars show mean ± S.E.M., p values based on unpaired Student’s t-test, N.D., not detectable). See also Fig. 42.
[0048] Figure 12A-K shows Recognition of the sgRNA:DNA. (A) Schematic of sgRNA:DNA recognition by Cas9. Residues that interact with the sgRNA:DNA via their main chain are shown in parentheses. (B and C–K) Recognition of the guide (B), guide:DNA duplex (D), repeat (E), anti-repeat (F), three-way junction (G), stem loop 1 (H) , linker (I) , stem loop 2 (J) and stem loop 3 (K). Hydrogen bonds and salt bridges are shown as dashed lines. (C) Effect of Cas9 (top) and sgRNA (bottom) mutations on ability to induce indels (n = 3, error bars show mean ± S.E.M., p values based on unpaired Student’s t-test. N.D., not detectable).
[0049] Figure 13A-D shows Structural flexibility of the complex. (A) Structural comparison of Mol A and Mol B. In Mol A (left), disordered linker between the RuvC and HNH domain is indicated by a dotted line. In Mol B (right), the disordered HNH domain is shown as a dashed circle. The flexible connecting segment (D40 and D41) in the RuvC domain is highlighted in orange. (B) Superimposition of the Cas9 proteins in Mol A and Mol B. The two complexes are superimposed based on the core E-sheet of their RuvC domains. The HNH domain and bound sgRNA:DNA are omitted for clarity. (C) Superimposition of the bound sgRNA:DNA in Mol A and Mol B. After superimposition of the two complexes as in (B), the Cas9 proteins are omitted to show the sgRNA:DNA. (D) Molecular surface of Cas9. The HNH domain and bound sgRNA:DNA complex are omitted for clarity. Note that there is no direct contact between the REC and NUC lobes, expect for the interactions between the a2–D3 loop and E17–E18 loop.
[0050] Figure 14 shows a Model of RNA-guided DNA cleavage by Cas9.
[0051] Figure 15 shows Electron density map. The 2mFO– DFC electron density map around the three-way junction is shown as a gray mesh (contoured at 2.5σ).
[0052] Figure 16A-C shows Di-cysteine mutant (C80L/C574E) is functional in HEK 293FT cells. (A) Schematic illustrating positions of cysteine mutations (C80L and C574E) in Cas9. (B) Sequence of the target site used to test the function of the C80L/C574E mutant of Cas9. (C) SURVEYOR nuclease assay showing indels generated by either the wild-type or C80L/C574E mutant (n = 3).
[0053] Figure 17 shows a schematic drawing of the secondary structural elements of Cas9.
[0054] Figure 18A-B shows the sequence alignment of Cas9 orthologs in families II-A and II-C. The catalytic residues are shown in red triangles. Critical arginine residues on Bridge helix are shown in green triangles. The secondary structure of S. pyogenes Cas9 is shown above the sequences. The figure was prepared using TCoffee (Notredame et al., 2000) and ESPript (Gouet et al., 1999). Sp, S. pyogenes; Sm, Streptococcus mutans; St3, Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR-3; St1, Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR-1; Cj, Campylobacter jejuni; Mm; Neisseria meningiditis.
[0055] Figure 19 shows the sequence alignment of Cas9 orthologs in families II-A, II-B and II-C. 35 Cas9 orthologs from families IIA, IIB and IIC are aligned (BLOSUM62) and clustered (Jukes-Cantor model Neighbor-Joining method, with S. pyogenes Cas9 as outgroup). Bars on top show conservation by amino acid. In each line, black bars show residues with at least 75% consensus, and gray bars non-conserved residues.
[0056] Figure 20 shows the comparison of the sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex with a canonical A-form RNA duplex. The sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex are superimposed on an A-form RNA duplex based on their phosphorus atoms. The A-form RNA duplex is colored dark gray. Nucleotides 51–97 of the sgRNA are omitted for clarity.
[0057] The figures herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0058] With respect to general information on CRISPR-Cas Systems, components thereof, and delivery of such components, including methods, materials, delivery vehicles, vectors, particles, AAV, and making and using thereof, including as to amounts and formulations, all
useful in the practice of the instant invention, reference is made to: US Patents Nos. 8,697,359, 8,771,945, 8,795,965, 8,865,406, 8,871,445, 8,889,356, 8,889,418 and 8,895,308; US Patent Publications US 2014-0310830 (US APP. Ser. No. 14/105,031), US 2014-0287938 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/213,991), US 2014-0273234 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/293,674), US2014- 0273232 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/290,575), US 2014-0273231 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/259,420), US 2014-0256046 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/226,274), US 2014-0248702 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/258,458), US 2014-0242700 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/222,930), US 2014-0242699 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/183,512), US 2014-0242664 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/104,990), US 2014-0234972 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/183,471), US 2014-0227787 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/256,912), US 2014-0189896 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/105,035), US 2014-0186958 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/105,017), US 2014-0186919 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/104,977), US 2014-0186843 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/104,900), US 2014-0179770 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/104,837) and US 2014-0179006 A1 (U.S. App. Ser. No. 14/183,486), US 2014-0170753 (US App Ser No 14/183,429); European Patent Applications EP 2 771 468 (EP13818570.7), EP 2 764 103 (EP13824232.6), and EP 2 784 162 (EP14170383.5); and PCT Patent Publications WO 2014/093661 (PCT/US2013/074743), WO 2014/093694 (PCT/US2013/074790), WO 2014/093595 (PCT/US2013/074611), WO 2014/093718 (PCT/US2013/074825), WO 2014/093709 (PCT/US2013/074812), WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667), WO 2014/093635 (PCT/US2013/074691), WO 2014/093655 (PCT/US2013/074736), WO 2014/093712 (PCT/US2013/074819), WO2014/093701 (PCT/US2013/074800), and WO2014/018423 (PCT/US2013/051418). Reference is also made to US provisional patent applications 61/758,468; 61/802,174; 61/806,375; 61/814,263; 61/819,803 and 61/828,130, filed on January 30, 2013; March 15, 2013; March 28, 2013; April 20, 2013; May 6, 2013 and May 28, 2013 respectively. Reference is also made to US provisional patent application 61/836,123, filed on June 17, 2013. Reference is additionally made to US provisional patent applications 61/835,931, 61/835,936, 61/836,127, 61/836, 101, 61/836,080 and 61/835,973, each filed June 17, 2013. Further reference is made to US provisional patent applications 61/862,468 and 61/862,355 filed on August 5, 2013; 61/871,301 filed on August 28, 2013; 61/960,777 filed on September 25, 2013 and 61/961,980 filed on October 28, 2013. Reference is yet further made to: PCT Patent applications Nos: PCT/US2014/041803, PCT/US2014/041800, PCT/US2014/041809, PCT/US2014/041804 and PCT/US2014/041806,
each filed June 10, 2014 6/10/14; PCT/US2014/041808 filed June 11, 2014; and PCT/US2014/62558 filed October 28, 2014, and US Provisional Patent Applications Serial Nos.: 61/915,150, 61/915,301, 61/915,267 and 61/915,260, each filed December 12, 2013; 61/757,972 and 61/768,959, filed on January 29, 2013 and February 25, 2013; 61/835,936, 61/836,127, 61/836,101, 61/836,080, 61/835,973, and 61/835,931, filed June 17, 2013; 62/010,888 and 62/010,879, both filed June 11, 2014; 62/010,329 and 62/010,441, each filed June 10, 2014; 61/939,228 and 61/939,242, each filed February 12, 2014; 61/980,012, filed April 15,2014; 62/038,358, filed August 17, 2014; 62/054,490, 62/055,484, 62/055,460 and 62/055,487, each filed September 25, 2014; and 62/069,243, filed October 27, 2014. Each of these patents, patent publications, and applications, and all documents cited therein or during their prosecution (“appln cited documents”) and all documents cited or referenced in the appln cited documents, together with any instructions, descriptions, product specifications, and product sheets for any products mentioned therein or in any document therein and incorporated by reference herein, are hereby incorporated herein by reference, and may be employed in the practice of the invention. All documents (e.g., these patents, patent publications and applications and the appln cited documents) are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
[0059] Also with respect to general information on CRISPR-Cas Systems, mention is made of:
> Multiplex genome engineering using CRISPR/Cas systems. Cong, L., Ran, F.A., Cox, D., Lin, S., Barretto, R., Habib, N., Hsu, P.D., Wu, X., Jiang, W., Marraffini, L.A., & Zhang, F. Science Feb 15;339(6121):819-23 (2013);
> RNA-guided editing of bacterial genomes using CRISPR-Cas systems. Jiang W., Bikard D., Cox D., Zhang F, Marraffini LA. Nat Biotechnol Mar;31(3):233-9 (2013);
> One-Step Generation of Mice Carrying Mutations in Multiple Genes by CRISPR/Cas- Mediated Genome Engineering. Wang H., Yang H., Shivalila CS., Dawlaty MM., Cheng AW., Zhang F., Jaenisch R. Cell May 9;153(4):910-8 (2013);
> Optical control of mammalian endogenous transcription and epigenetic states.
Konermann S, Brigham MD, Trevino AE, Hsu PD, Heidenreich M, Cong L, Platt RJ, Scott DA, Church GM, Zhang F. Nature. 2013 Aug 22;500(7463):472-6. doi: 10.1038/Nature12466. Epub 2013 Aug 23;
> Double Nicking by RNA-Guided CRISPR Cas9 for Enhanced Genome Editing Specificity. Ran, FA., Hsu, PD., Lin, CY., Gootenberg, JS., Konermann, S., Trevino, AE., Scott, DA., Inoue, A., Matoba, S., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, F. Cell Aug 28. pii: S0092-8674(13)01015-5. (2013);
> DNA targeting specificity of RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases. Hsu, P., Scott, D., Weinstein, J., Ran, FA., Konermann, S., Agarwala, V., Li, Y., Fine, E., Wu, X., Shalem, O., Cradick, TJ., Marraffini, LA., Bao, G., & Zhang, F. Nat Biotechnol doi:10.1038/nbt.2647 (2013); > Genome engineering using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Ran, FA., Hsu, PD., Wright, J., Agarwala, V., Scott, DA., Zhang, F. Nature Protocols Nov;8(11):2281 -308. (2013);
> Genome-Scale CRISPR-Cas9 Knockout Screening in Human Cells. Shalem, O., Sanjana, NE., Hartenian, E., Shi, X., Scott, DA., Mikkelson, T., Heckl, D., Ebert, BL., Root, DE., Doench, JG., Zhang, F. Science Dec 12. (2013). [Epub ahead of print];
> Crystal structure of cas9 in complex with guide RNA and target DNA. Nishimasu, H., Ran, FA., Hsu, PD., Konermann, S., Shehata, SI., Dohmae, N., Ishitani, R., Zhang, F., Nureki, O. Cell Feb 27. (2014). 156(5):935-49;
> Genome-wide binding of the CRISPR endonuclease Cas9 in mammalian cells. Wu X., Scott DA., Kriz AJ., Chiu AC., Hsu PD., Dadon DB., Cheng AW., Trevino AE., Konermann S., Chen S., Jaenisch R., Zhang F., Sharp PA. Nat Biotechnol. (2014) Apr 20. doi: 10.1038/nbt.2889,
> CRISPR-Cas9 Knockin Mice for Genome Editing and Cancer Modeling, Platt et al., Cell 159(2): 440-455 (2014) DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.014,
> Development and Applications of CRISPR-Cas9 for Genome Engineering, Hsu et al, Cell 157, 1262-1278 (June 5, 2014) (Hsu 2014),
> Genetic screens in human cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, Wang et al., Science.
2014 January 3; 343(6166): 80–84. doi:10.1126/science.1246981,
> Rational design of highly active sgRNAs for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene inactivation, Doench et al., Nature Biotechnology published online 3 September 2014; doi:10.1038/nbt.3026, and
> In vivo interrogation of gene function in the mammalian brain using CRISPR-Cas9, Swiech et al, Nature Biotechnology ; published online 19 October 2014; doi:10.1038/nbt.3055.
each of which is incorporated herein by reference, and discussed briefly below:
¤ Cong et al. engineered type II CRISPR-Cas systems for use in eukaryotic cells based on both Streptococcus thermophilus Cas9 and also Streptoccocus pyogenes Cas9 and demonstrated that Cas9 nucleases can be directed by short RNAs to induce precise cleavage of DNA in human and mouse cells. Their study further showed that Cas9 as converted into a nicking enzyme can be used to facilitate homology-directed repair in eukaryotic cells with minimal mutagenic activity. Additionally, their study demonstrated that multiple guide sequences can be encoded into a single CRISPR array to enable simultaneous editing of several at endogenous genomic loci sites within the mammalian genome, demonstrating easy programmability and wide applicability of the RNA-guided nuclease technology. This ability to use RNA to program sequence specific DNA cleavage in cells defined a new class of genome engineering tools. These studies further showed that other CRISPR loci are likely to be transplantable into mammalian cells and can also mediate mammalian genome cleavage. Importantly, it can be envisaged that several aspects of the CRISPR-Cas system can be further improved to increase its efficiency and versatility.
¤ Jiang et al. used the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–associated Cas9 endonuclease complexed with dual-RNAs to introduce precise mutations in the genomes of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. The approach relied on dual-RNA:Cas9-directed cleavage at the targeted genomic site to kill unmutated cells and circumvents the need for selectable markers or counter-selection systems. The study reported reprogramming dual-RNA:Cas9 specificity by changing the sequence of short CRISPR RNA (crRNA) to make single- and multinucleotide changes carried on editing templates. The study showed that simultaneous use of two crRNAs enabled multiplex mutagenesis. Furthermore, when the approach was used in combination with recombineering, in S. pneumoniae, nearly 100% of cells that were recovered using the described approach contained the desired mutation, and in E. coli, 65% that were recovered contained the mutation.
¤ Konermann et al. addressed the need in the art for versatile and robust technologies that enable optical and chemical modulation of DNA-binding domains based CRISPR Cas9 enzyme and also Transcriptional Activator Like Effectors
¤ As discussed in the present specification, the Cas9 nuclease from the microbial CRISPR- Cas system is targeted to specific genomic loci by a 20 nt guide sequence, which can tolerate certain mismatches to the DNA target and thereby promote undesired off-target mutagenesis. To address this, Ran et al. described an approach that combined a Cas9 nickase mutant with paired guide RNAs to introduce targeted double-strand breaks. Because individual nicks in the genome are repaired with high fidelity, simultaneous nicking via appropriately offset guide RNAs is required for double-stranded breaks and extends the number of specifically recognized bases for target cleavage. The authors demonstrated that using paired nicking can reduce off-target activity by 50- to 1,500-fold in cell lines and to facilitate gene knockout in mouse zygotes without sacrificing on- target cleavage efficiency. This versatile strategy enables a wide variety of genome editing applications that require high specificity.
¤ Hsu et al. characterized SpCas9 targeting specificity in human cells to inform the selection of target sites and avoid off-target effects. The study evaluated >700 guide RNA variants and SpCas9-induced indel mutation levels at >100 predicted genomic off-target loci in 293T and 293FT cells. The authors that SpCas9 tolerates mismatches between guide RNA and target DNA at different positions in a sequence-dependent manner, sensitive to the number, position and distribution of mismatches. The authors further showed that SpCas9-mediated cleavage is unaffected by DNA methylation and that the dosage of SpCas9 and sgRNA can be titrated to minimize off-target modification. Additionally, to facilitate mammalian genome engineering applications, the authors reported providing a web-based software tool to guide the selection and validation of target sequences as well as off-target analyses.
¤ Ran et al. described a set of tools for Cas9-mediated genome editing via non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR) in mammalian cells, as well as generation of modified cell lines for downstream functional studies. To minimize off- target cleavage, the authors further described a double-nicking strategy using the Cas9 nickase mutant with paired guide RNAs. The protocol provided by the authors experimentally derived guidelines for the selection of target sites, evaluation of cleavage efficiency and analysis of off-target activity. The studies showed that beginning with
target design, gene modifications can be achieved within as little as 1–2 weeks, and modified clonal cell lines can be derived within 2–3 weeks.
¤ Shalem et al. described a new way to interrogate gene function on a genome-wide scale.
Their studies showed that delivery of a genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (GeCKO) library targeted 18,080 genes with 64,751 unique guide sequences enabled both negative and positive selection screening in human cells. First, the authors showed use of the GeCKO library to identify genes essential for cell viability in cancer and pluripotent stem cells. Next, in a melanoma model, the authors screened for genes whose loss is involved in resistance to vemurafenib, a therapeutic that inhibits mutant protein kinase BRAF. Their studies showed that the highest-ranking candidates included previously validated genes NF1 and MED12 as well as novel hits NF2, CUL3, TADA2B, and TADA1. The authors observed a high level of consistency between independent guide RNAs targeting the same gene and a high rate of hit confirmation, and thus demonstrated the promise of genome-scale screening with Cas9.
¤ Nishimasu et al. reported the crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 in complex with sgRNA and its target DNA at 2.5 A° resolution. The structure revealed a bilobed architecture composed of target recognition and nuclease lobes, accommodating the sgRNA:DNA heteroduplex in a positively charged groove at their interface. Whereas the recognition lobe is essential for binding sgRNA and DNA, the nuclease lobe contains the HNH and RuvC nuclease domains, which are properly positioned for cleavage of the complementary and non-complementary strands of the target DNA, respectively. The nuclease lobe also contains a carboxyl-terminal domain responsible for the interaction with the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). This high-resolution structure and accompanying functional analyses have revealed the molecular mechanism of RNA- guided DNA targeting by Cas9, thus paving the way for the rational design of new, versatile genome-editing technologies.
¤ Wu et al. mapped genome-wide binding sites of a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) from Streptococcus pyogenes loaded with single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The authors showed that each of the four sgRNAs tested targets dCas9 to between tens and thousands of genomic sites, frequently characterized by a 5-nucleotide seed region in the sgRNA and an NGG protospacer adjacent motif
(PAM). Chromatin inaccessibility decreases dCas9 binding to other sites with matching seed sequences; thus 70% of off-target sites are associated with genes. The authors showed that targeted sequencing of 295 dCas9 binding sites in mESCs transfected with catalytically active Cas9 identified only one site mutated above background levels. The authors proposed a two-state model for Cas9 binding and cleavage, in which a seed match triggers binding but extensive pairing with target DNA is required for cleavage. ¤ Hsu 2014 is a review article that discusses generally CRISPR-Cas9 history from yogurt to genome editing, including genetic screening of cells, that is in the information, data and findings of the applications in the lineage of this specification filed prior to June 5, 2014. The general teachings of Hsu 2014 do not involve the specific models, animals of the instant specification.
[0060] In general, the CRISPR-Cas or CRISPR system is as used in the foregoing documents, such as WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667) and refers collectively to transcripts and other elements involved in the expression of or directing the activity of CRISPR- associated (“Cas”) genes, including sequences encoding a Cas gene, a tracr (trans-activating CRISPR) sequence (e.g. tracrRNA or an active partial tracrRNA), a tracr-mate sequence (encompassing a“direct repeat” and a tracrRNA-processed partial direct repeat in the context of an endogenous CRISPR system), a guide sequence (also referred to as a“spacer” in the context of an endogenous CRISPR system), or“RNA(s)” as that term is herein used (e.g., RNA(s) to guide Cas9, e.g. CRISPR RNA and transactivating (tracr) RNA or a single guide RNA (sgRNA) (chimeric RNA)) or other sequences and transcripts from a CRISPR locus. In general, a CRISPR system is characterized by elements that promote the formation of a CRISPR complex at the site of a target sequence (also referred to as a protospacer in the context of an endogenous CRISPR system). In the context of formation of a CRISPR complex,“target sequence” refers to a sequence to which a guide sequence is designed to have complementarity, where hybridization between a target sequence and a guide sequence promotes the formation of a CRISPR complex. A target sequence may comprise any polynucleotide, such as DNA or RNA polynucleotides. In some embodiments, a target sequence is located in the nucleus or cytoplasm of a cell. In some embodiments, direct repeats may be identified in silico by searching for repetitive motifs that fulfill any or all of the following criteria: 1. found in a 2Kb window of genomic sequence flanking the type II CRISPR locus; 2. span from 20 to 50 bp; and 3. interspaced by 20 to 50 bp.
In some embodiments, 2 of these criteria may be used, for instance 1 and 2, 2 and 3, or 1 and 3. In some embodiments, all 3 criteria may be used. In some embodiments it may be preferred in a CRISPR complex that the tracr sequence has one or more hairpins and is 30 or more nucleotides in length, 40 or more nucleotides in length, or 50 or more nucleotides in length; the guide sequence is between 10 to 30 nucleotides in length, the CRISPR/Cas enzyme is a Type II Cas9 enzyme.
[0061] In embodiments of the invention the terms guide sequence and guide RNA are used interchangeably as in foregoing cited documents such as WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667). In general, a guide sequence is any polynucleotide sequence having sufficient complementarity with a target polynucleotide sequence to hybridize with the target sequence and direct sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to the target sequence. In some embodiments, the degree of complementarity between a guide sequence and its corresponding target sequence, when optimally aligned using a suitable alignment algorithm, is about or more than about 50%, 60%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97.5%, 99%, or more. Optimal alignment may be determined with the use of any suitable algorithm for aligning sequences, non-limiting example of which include the Smith-Waterman algorithm, the Needleman-Wunsch algorithm, algorithms based on the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (e.g. the Burrows Wheeler Aligner), ClustalW, Clustal X, BLAT, Novoalign (Novocraft Technologies; available at www.novocraft.com), ELAND (Illumina, San Diego, CA), SOAP (available at soap.genomics.org.cn), and Maq (available at maq.sourceforge.net). In some embodiments, a guide sequence is about or more than about 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, or more nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, a guide sequence is less than about 75, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 12, or fewer nucleotides in length. The ability of a guide sequence to direct sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence may be assessed by any suitable assay. For example, the components of a CRISPR system sufficient to form a CRISPR complex, including the guide sequence to be tested, may be provided to a host cell having the corresponding target sequence, such as by transfection with vectors encoding the components of the CRISPR sequence, followed by an assessment of preferential cleavage within the target sequence, such as by Surveyor assay as described herein. Similarly, cleavage of a target polynucleotide sequence may be evaluated in a test tube by providing the target sequence, components of a CRISPR complex, including the
guide sequence to be tested and a control guide sequence different from the test guide sequence, and comparing binding or rate of cleavage at the target sequence between the test and control guide sequence reactions. Other assays are possible, and will occur to those skilled in the art.
[0062] A guide sequence may be selected to target any target sequence. In some embodiments, the target sequence is a sequence within a genome of a cell. Exemplary target sequences include those that are unique in the target genome. In some embodiments, a guide sequence is selected to reduce the degree secondary structure within the guide sequence. In some embodiments, about or less than about 75%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, 1%, or fewer of the nucleotides of the guide sequence participate in self-complementary base pairing when optimally folded. Optimal folding may be determined by any suitable polynucleotide folding algorithm. Some programs are based on calculating the minimal Gibbs free energy. An example of one such algorithm is mFold, as described by Zuker and Stiegler (Nucleic Acids Res. 9 (1981), 133-148). Another example folding algorithm is the online webserver RNAfold, developed at Institute for Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Vienna, using the centroid structure prediction algorithm (see e.g. A.R. Gruber et al., 2008, Cell 106(1): 23-24; and PA Carr and GM Church, 2009, Nature Biotechnology 27(12): 1151-62).
[0063] In general, a tracr mate sequence includes any sequence that has sufficient complementarity with a tracr sequence to promote one or more of: (1) excision of a guide sequence flanked by tracr mate sequences in a cell containing the corresponding tracr sequence; and (2) formation of a CRISPR complex at a target sequence, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises the tracr mate sequence hybridized to the tracr sequence. In general, degree of complementarity is with reference to the optimal alignment of the tracr mate sequence and tracr sequence, along the length of the shorter of the two sequences. Optimal alignment may be determined by any suitable alignment algorithm, and may further account for secondary structures, such as self-complementarity within either the tracr sequence or tracr mate sequence. In some embodiments, the degree of complementarity between the tracr sequence and tracr mate sequence along the length of the shorter of the two when optimally aligned is about or more than about 25%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97.5%, 99%, or higher. In some embodiments, the tracr sequence is about or more than about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or more nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the tracr sequence and tracr mate sequence are contained within a single transcript, such that hybridization
between the two produces a transcript having a secondary structure, such as a hairpin. In an embodiment of the invention, the transcript or transcribed polynucleotide sequence has at least two or more hairpins. In preferred embodiments, the transcript has two, three, four or five hairpins. In a further embodiment of the invention, the transcript has at most five hairpins. In a hairpin structure the portion of the sequence 5’ of the final“N” and upstream of the loop corresponds to the tracr mate sequence, and the portion of the sequence 3’ of the loop corresponds to the tracr sequence Further non-limiting examples of single polynucleotides comprising a guide sequence, a tracr mate sequence, and a tracr sequence are as follows (listed 5’ to 3’), where“N” represents a base of a guide sequence, the first block of lower case letters represent the tracr mate sequence, and the second block of lower case letters represent the tracr sequence, and the final poly-T sequence represents the transcription terminator: (1) NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNgtttttgtactctcaagatttaGAAAtaaatcttgcagaagctacaaagataa
w as rom . pyogenes. n some em o men s, e racr sequence s a separa e ranscr p from a transcript comprising the tracr mate sequence.
[0064] In some embodiments, candidate tracrRNA may be subsequently predicted by sequences that fulfill any or all of the following criteria: 1. sequence homology to direct repeats (motif search in Geneious with up to 18-bp mismatches); 2. presence of a predicted Rho- independent transcriptional terminator in direction of transcription; and 3. stable hairpin secondary structure between tracrRNA and direct repeat. In some embodiments, 2 of these
criteria may be used, for instance 1 and 2, 2 and 3, or 1 and 3. In some embodiments, all 3 criteria may be used.
[0065] In some embodiments, chimeric synthetic guide RNAs (sgRNAs) designs may incorporate at least 12 bp of duplex structure between the direct repeat and tracrRNA.
[0066] For minimization of toxicity and off-target effect, it will be important to control the concentration of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA delivered. Optimal concentrations of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA can be determined by testing different concentrations in a cellular or non-human eukaryote animal model and using deep sequencing the analyze the extent of modification at potential off-target genomic loci. For example, for the guide sequence targeting 5’-GAGTCCGAGCAGAAGAAGAA-3’ in the EMX1 gene of the human genome, deep sequencing can be used to assess the level of modification at the following two off-target loci, 1: 5’-GAGTCCTAGCAGGAGAAGAA-3’ and 2: 5’-GAGTCTAAGCAGAAGAAGAA- 3’. The concentration that gives the highest level of on-target modification while minimizing the level of off-target modification should be chosen for in vivo delivery. Alternatively, to minimize the level of toxicity and off-target effect, CRISPR enzyme nickase mRNA (for example S. pyogenes Cas9 with the D10A mutation) can be delivered with a pair of guide RNAs targeting a site of interest. The two guide RNAs need to be spaced as follows. Guide sequences and strategies to mimize toxicity and off-target effects can be as in WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667).
[0067] The CRISPR system is derived advantageously from a type II CRISPR system. In some embodiments, one or more elements of a CRISPR system is derived from a particular organism comprising an endogenous CRISPR system, such as Streptococcus pyogenes. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the CRISPR system is a type II CRISPR system and the Cas enzyme is Cas9, which catalyzes DNA cleavage. Non-limiting examples of Cas proteins include Cas1, Cas1B, Cas2, Cas3, Cas4, Cas5, Cas6, Cas7, Cas8, Cas9 (also known as Csn1 and Csx12), Cas10, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, Cse1, Cse2, Csc1, Csc2, Csa5, Csn2, Csm2, Csm3, Csm4, Csm5, Csm6, Cmr1, Cmr3, Cmr4, Cmr5, Cmr6, Csb1, Csb2, Csb3, Csx17, Csx14, Csx10, Csx16, CsaX, Csx3, Csx1, Csx15, Csf1, Csf2, Csf3, Csf4, homologues thereof, or modified versions thereof.
[0068] In some embodiments, the unmodified CRISPR enzyme has DNA cleavage activity, such as Cas9. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or both
strands at the location of a target sequence, such as within the target sequence and/or within the complement of the target sequence. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme directs cleavage of one or both strands within about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, or more base pairs from the first or last nucleotide of a target sequence. In some embodiments, a vector encodes a CRISPR enzyme that is mutated to with respect to a corresponding wild-type enzyme such that the mutated CRISPR enzyme lacks the ability to cleave one or both strands of a target polynucleotide containing a target sequence. For example, an aspartate-to-alanine substitution (D10A) in the RuvC I catalytic domain of Cas9 from S. pyogenes converts Cas9 from a nuclease that cleaves both strands to a nickase (cleaves a single strand). Other examples of mutations that render Cas9 a nickase include, without limitation, H840A, N854A, and N863A. As a further example, two or more catalytic domains of Cas9 (RuvC I, RuvC II, and RuvC III or the HNH domain) may be mutated to produce a mutated Cas9 substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity. In some embodiments, a D10A mutation is combined with one or more of H840A, N854A, or N863A mutations to produce a Cas9 enzyme substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity. In some embodiments, a CRISPR enzyme is considered to substantially lack all DNA cleavage activity when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated enzyme is about no more than 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.01%, or less of the DNA cleavage activity of the non- mutated form of the enzyme; an example can be when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated form is nil or negligible as compared with the non-mutated form. Where the enzyme is not SpCas9, mutations may be made at any or all residues corresponding to positions 10, 762, 840, 854, 863 and/or 986 of SpCas9 (which may be ascertained for instance by standard sequence comparison tools). In particular, any or all of the following mutations are preferred in SpCas9: D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A; as well as conservative substitution for any of the replacement amino acids is also envisaged. The same (or conservative substitutions of these mutations) at corresponding positions in other Cas9s are also preferred. Particularly preferred are D10 and H840 in SpCas9. However, in other Cas9s, residues corresponding to SpCas9 D10 and H840 are also preferred. Orthologs of SpCas9 can be used in the practice of the invention. A Cas enzyme may be identified Cas9 as this can refer to the general class of enzymes that share homology to the biggest nuclease with multiple nuclease domains from the type II CRISPR system. Most preferably, the Cas9 enzyme is from, or is derived from, spCas9 (S. pyogenes Cas9) or saCas9 (S. aureus Cas9). StCas9” refers to wild type Cas9 from S.
thermophilus, the protein sequence of which is given in the SwissProt database under accession number G3ECR1. Similarly, S pyogenes Cas9 or spCas9 is included in SwissProt under accession number Q99ZW2. By derived, Applicants mean that the derived enzyme is largely based, in the sense of having a high degree of sequence homology with, a wildtype enzyme, but that it has been mutated (modified) in some way as described herein. It will be appreciated that the terms Cas and CRISPR enzyme are generally used herein interchangeably, unless otherwise apparent. As mentioned above, many of the residue numberings used herein refer to the Cas9 enzyme from the type II CRISPR locus in Streptococcus pyogenes. However, it will be appreciated that this invention includes many more Cas9s from other species of microbes, such as SpCas9, SaCa9, St1Cas9 and so forth. Enzymatic action by Cas9 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes or any closely related Cas9 generates double stranded breaks at target site sequences which hybridize to 20 nucleotides of the guide sequence and that have a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequence (examples include NGG/NRG or a PAM that can be determined as described herein) following the 20 nucleotides of the target sequence. CRISPR activity through Cas9 for site-specific DNA recognition and cleavage is defined by the guide sequence, the tracr sequence that hybridizes in part to the guide sequence and the PAM sequence. More aspects of the CRISPR system are described in Karginov and Hannon, The CRISPR system: small RNA- guided defence in bacteria and archaea, Mole Cell 2010, January 15; 37(1): 7. The type II CRISPR locus from Streptococcus pyogenes SF370, which contains a cluster of four genes Cas9, Cas1, Cas2, and Csn1, as well as two non-coding RNA elements, tracrRNA and a characteristic array of repetitive sequences (direct repeats) interspaced by short stretches of non-repetitive sequences (spacers, about 30bp each). In this system, targeted DNA double-strand break (DSB) is generated in four sequential steps. First, two non-coding RNAs, the pre-crRNA array and tracrRNA, are transcribed from the CRISPR locus. Second, tracrRNA hybridizes to the direct repeats of pre-crRNA, which is then processed into mature crRNAs containing individual spacer sequences. Third, the mature crRNA:tracrRNA complex directs Cas9 to the DNA target consisting of the protospacer and the corresponding PAM via heteroduplex formation between the spacer region of the crRNA and the protospacer DNA. Finally, Cas9 mediates cleavage of target DNA upstream of PAM to create a DSB within the protospacer. A pre-crRNA array consisting of a single spacer flanked by two direct repeats (DRs) is also encompassed by the term “tracr-mate sequences”). In certain embodiments, Cas9 may be constitutively present or
inducibly present or conditionally present or administered or delivered. Cas9 optimization may be used to enhance function or to develop new functions, one can generate chimeric Cas9 proteins. And Cas9 may be used as a generic DNA binding protein.
[0069] With respect to mutations of the CRISPR enzyme, when the enzyme is not SpCas9, mutations may be made at any or all residues corresponding to positions 10, 762, 840, 854, 863 and/or 986 of SpCas9 (which may be ascertained for instance by standard sequence comparison tools). In particular, any or all of the following mutations are preferred in SpCas9: D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A; as well as conservative substitution for any of the replacement amino acids is also envisaged. In an aspect the invention provides as to any or each or all embodiments herein-discussed wherein the CRISPR enzyme comprises at least one or more, or at least two or more mutations, wherein the at least one or more mutation or the at least two or more mutations is as to D10, E762, H840, N854, N863, or D986 according to SpCas9 protein, e.g., D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and/or D986A as to SpCas9, or N580 according to SaCas9, e.g., N580A as to SaCas9, or any corresponding mutation(s) in a Cas9 of an ortholog to Sp or Sa, or the CRISPR enzyme comprises at least one mutation wherein at least H840 or N863A as to Sp Cas9 or N580A as to Sa Cas9 is mutated; e.g., wherein the CRISPR enzyme comprises H840A, or D10A and H840A, or D10A and N863A, according to SpCas9 protein, or any corresponding mutation(s) in a Cas9 of an ortholog to Sp protein or Sa protein.
[0070] Typically, in the context of an endogenous CRISPR system, formation of a CRISPR complex (comprising a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence and complexed with one or more Cas proteins) results in cleavage of one or both strands in or near (e.g. within 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 50, or more base pairs from) the target sequence. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the tracr sequence, which may comprise or consist of all or a portion of a wild- type tracr sequence (e.g. about or more than about 20, 26, 32, 45, 48, 54, 63, 67, 85, or more nucleotides of a wild-type tracr sequence), may also form part of a CRISPR complex, such as by hybridization along at least a portion of the tracr sequence to all or a portion of a tracr mate sequence that is operably linked to the guide sequence.
[0071] An example of a codon optimized sequence, is in this instance a sequence optimized for expression in a eukaryote, e.g., humans (i.e. being optimized for expression in humans), or for another eukaryote, animal or mammal as herein discussed; see, e.g., SaCas9 human codon optimized sequence in WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667). Whilst this is preferred, it will
be appreciated that other examples are possible and codon optimization for a host species other than human, or for codon optimization for specific organs is known. In some embodiments, an enzyme coding sequence encoding a CRISPR enzyme is codon optimized for expression in particular cells, such as eukaryotic cells. The eukaryotic cells may be those of or derived from a particular organism, such as a mammal, including but not limited to human, or non-human eukaryote or animal or mammal as herein discussed, e.g., mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, livestock, or non-human mammal or primate. In some embodiments, processes for modifying the germ line genetic identity of human beings and/or processes for modifying the genetic identity of animals which are likely to cause them suffering without any substantial medical benefit to man or animal, and also animals resulting from such processes, may be excluded. In general, codon optimization refers to a process of modifying a nucleic acid sequence for enhanced expression in the host cells of interest by replacing at least one codon (e.g. about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, or more codons) of the native sequence with codons that are more frequently or most frequently used in the genes of that host cell while maintaining the native amino acid sequence. Various species exhibit particular bias for certain codons of a particular amino acid. Codon bias (differences in codon usage between organisms) often correlates with the efficiency of translation of messenger RNA (mRNA), which is in turn believed to be dependent on, among other things, the properties of the codons being translated and the availability of particular transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. The predominance of selected tRNAs in a cell is generally a reflection of the codons used most frequently in peptide synthesis. Accordingly, genes can be tailored for optimal gene expression in a given organism based on codon optimization. Codon usage tables are readily available, for example, at the“Codon Usage Database” available at www.kazusa.orjp/codon/ and these tables can be adapted in a number of ways. See Nakamura, Y., et al.“Codon usage tabulated from the international DNA sequence databases: status for the year 2000” Nucl. Acids Res. 28:292 (2000). Computer algorithms for codon optimizing a particular sequence for expression in a particular host cell are also available, such as Gene Forge (Aptagen; Jacobus, PA), are also available. In some embodiments, one or more codons (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, or more, or all codons) in a sequence encoding a CRISPR enzyme correspond to the most frequently used codon for a particular amino acid.
[0072] In some embodiments, a vector encodes a CRISPR enzyme comprising one or more nuclear localization sequences (NLSs), such as about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, or more NLSs. In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme comprises about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more NLSs at or near the amino-terminus, about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more NLSs at or near the carboxy-terminus, or a combination of these (e.g. zero or at least one or more NLS at the amino-terminus and zero or at one or more NLS at the carboxy terminus). When more than one NLS is present, each may be selected independently of the others, such that a single NLS may be present in more than one copy and/or in combination with one or more other NLSs present in one or more copies. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the CRISPR enzyme comprises at most 6 NLSs. In some embodiments, an NLS is considered near the N- or C-terminus when the nearest amino acid of the NLS is within about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or more amino acids along the polypeptide chain from the N- or C-terminus. Non-limiting examples of NLSs include an NLS sequence derived from: the NLS of the SV40 virus large T-antigen, having the amino acid sequence PKKKRKV; the NLS from nucleoplasmin (e.g. the nucleoplasmin bipartite NLS with the sequence KRPAATKKAGQAKKKK); the c-myc NLS having the amino acid sequence PAAKRVKLD or RQRRNELKRSP; the hRNPA1 M9 NLS having the sequence NQSSNFGPMKGGNFGGRSSGPYGGGGQYFAKPRNQGGY; the sequence RMRIZFKNKGKDTAELRRRRVEVSVELRKAKKDEQILKRRNV of the IBB domain from importin-alpha; the sequences VSRKRPRP and PPKKARED of the myoma T protein; the sequence POPKKKPL of human p53; the sequence SALIKKKKKMAP of mouse c-abl IV; the sequences DRLRR and PKQKKRK of the influenza virus NS1; the sequence RKLKKKIKKL of the Hepatitis virus delta antigen; the sequence REKKKFLKRR of the mouse Mx1 protein; the sequence KRKGDEVDGVDEVAKKKSKK of the human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase; and the sequence RKCLQAGMNLEARKTKK of the steroid hormone receptors (human) glucocorticoid. In general, the one or more NLSs are of sufficient strength to drive accumulation of the CRISPR enzyme in a detectable amount in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. In general, strength of nuclear localization activity may derive from the number of NLSs in the CRISPR enzyme, the particular NLS(s) used, or a combination of these factors. Detection of accumulation in the nucleus may be performed by any suitable technique. For example, a detectable marker may be fused to the CRISPR enzyme, such that location within a cell may be visualized, such as in combination with a means for detecting the location of the nucleus (e.g. a stain specific for the nucleus such as DAPI). Cell nuclei may also be isolated from cells, the
contents of which may then be analyzed by any suitable process for detecting protein, such as immunohistochemistry, Western blot, or enzyme activity assay. Accumulation in the nucleus may also be determined indirectly, such as by an assay for the effect of CRISPR complex formation (e.g. assay for DNA cleavage or mutation at the target sequence, or assay for altered gene expression activity affected by CRISPR complex formation and/or CRISPR enzyme activity), as compared to a control no exposed to the CRISPR enzyme or complex, or exposed to a CRISPR enzyme lacking the one or more NLSs.
[0073] Aspects of the invention relate to the expression of the gene product being decreased or a template polynucleotide being further introduced into the DNA molecule encoding the gene product or an intervening sequence being excised precisely by allowing the two 5’ overhangs to reanneal and ligate or the activity or function of the gene product being altered or the expression of the gene product being increased. In an embodiment of the invention, the gene product is a protein. sgRNA pairs creating 5’ overhangs with less than 8bp overlap between the guide sequences (offset greater than -8 bp) were able to mediate detectable indel formation. Importantly, each guide used in these assays is able to efficiently induce indels when paired with wildtype Cas9, indicating that the relative positions of the guide pairs are the most important parameters in predicting double nicking activity. Since Cas9n and Cas9H840A nick opposite strands of DNA, substitution of Cas9n with Cas9H840A with a given sgRNA pair should have resulted in the inversion of the overhang type; but no indel formation is observed as with Cas9H840A indicating that Cas9H840A is a CRISPR enzyme substantially lacking all DNA cleavage activity (which is when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated enzyme is about no more than 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.01%, or less of the DNA cleavage activity of the non- mutated form of the enzyme; whereby an example can be when the DNA cleavage activity of the mutated form is nil or negligible as compared with the non-mutated form, e.g., when no indel formation is observed as with Cas9H840A in the eukaryotic system in contrast to the biochemical or prokaryotic systems). Nonetheless, a pair of sgRNAs that will generate a 5’ overhang with Cas9n should in principle generate the corresponding 3’ overhang instead, and double nicking. Therefore, sgRNA pairs that lead to the generation of a 3’ overhang with Cas9n can be used with another mutated Cas9 to generate a 5’ overhang, and double nicking. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a recombination template is also provided. A recombination template may be a component of another vector as described herein, contained in a separate
vector, or provided as a separate polynucleotide. In some embodiments, a recombination template is designed to serve as a template in homologous recombination, such as within or near a target sequence nicked or cleaved by a CRISPR enzyme as a part of a CRISPR complex. A template polynucleotide may be of any suitable length, such as about or more than about 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 500, 1000, or more nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the template polynucleotide is complementary to a portion of a polynucleotide comprising the target sequence. When optimally aligned, a template polynucleotide might overlap with one or more nucleotides of a target sequences (e.g. about or more than about 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, or more nucleotides). In some embodiments, when a template sequence and a polynucleotide comprising a target sequence are optimally aligned, the nearest nucleotide of the template polynucleotide is within about 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, or more nucleotides from the target sequence.
[0074] In some embodiments, one or more vectors driving expression of one or more elements of a CRISPR system are introduced into a host cell such that expression of the elements of the CRISPR system direct formation of a CRISPR complex at one or more target sites. For example, a Cas enzyme, a guide sequence linked to a tracr-mate sequence, and a tracr sequence could each be operably linked to separate regulatory elements on separate vectors. Or, RNA(s) of the CRISPR System can be delivered to a transgenic Cas9 animal or mammal, e.g., an animal or mammal that constitutively or inducibly or conditionally expresses Cas9; or an animal or mammal that is otherwise expressing Cas9 or has cells containing Cas9, such as by way of prior administration thereto of a vector or vectors that code for and express in vivo Cas9. Alternatively, two or more of the elements expressed from the same or different regulatory elements, may be combined in a single vector, with one or more additional vectors providing any components of the CRISPR system not included in the first vector. CRISPR system elements that are combined in a single vector may be arranged in any suitable orientation, such as one element located 5’ with respect to (“upstream” of) or 3’ with respect to (“downstream” of) a second element. The coding sequence of one element may be located on the same or opposite strand of the coding sequence of a second element, and oriented in the same or opposite direction. In some embodiments, a single promoter drives expression of a transcript encoding a CRISPR enzyme and one or more of the guide sequence, tracr mate sequence (optionally operably linked to the guide sequence), and a tracr sequence embedded within one or more intron
sequences (e.g. each in a different intron, two or more in at least one intron, or all in a single intron). In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme, guide sequence, tracr mate sequence, and tracr sequence are operably linked to and expressed from the same promoter. Delivery vehicles, vectors, particles, nanoparticles, formulations and components thereof for expression of one or more elements of a CRISPR system are as used in the foregoing documents, such as WO 2014/093622 (PCT/US2013/074667). In some embodiments, a vector comprises one or more insertion sites, such as a restriction endonuclease recognition sequence (also referred to as a “cloning site”). In some embodiments, one or more insertion sites (e.g. about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more insertion sites) are located upstream and/or downstream of one or more sequence elements of one or more vectors. In some embodiments, a vector comprises an insertion site upstream of a tracr mate sequence, and optionally downstream of a regulatory element operably linked to the tracr mate sequence, such that following insertion of a guide sequence into the insertion site and upon expression the guide sequence directs sequence-specific binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, a vector comprises two or more insertion sites, each insertion site being located between two tracr mate sequences so as to allow insertion of a guide sequence at each site. In such an arrangement, the two or more guide sequences may comprise two or more copies of a single guide sequence, two or more different guide sequences, or combinations of these. When multiple different guide sequences are used, a single expression construct may be used to target CRISPR activity to multiple different, corresponding target sequences within a cell. For example, a single vector may comprise about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, or more guide sequences. In some embodiments, about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more such guide-sequence-containing vectors may be provided, and optionally delivered to a cell. In some embodiments, a vector comprises a regulatory element operably linked to an enzyme- coding sequence encoding a CRISPR enzyme, such as a Cas protein. CRISPR enzyme or CRISPR enzyme mRNA or CRISPR guide RNA or RNA(s) can be delivered separately; and advantageously at least one of these is delivered via a nanoparticle complex. CRISPR enzyme mRNA can be delivered prior to the guide RNA to give time for CRISPR enzyme to be expressed. CRISPR enzyme mRNA might be administered 1 -12 hours (preferably around 2-6 hours) prior to the administration of guide RNA. Alternatively, CRISPR enzyme mRNA and guide RNA can be administered together. Advantageously, a second booster dose of guide RNA
can be administered 1 -12 hours (preferably around 2-6 hours) after the initial administration of CRISPR enzyme mRNA + guide RNA. Additional administrations of CRISPR enzyme mRNA and/or guide RNA might be useful to achieve the most efficient levels of genome modification.
[0075] In one aspect, the invention provides methods for using one or more elements of a CRISPR system. The CRISPR complex of the invention provides an effective means for modifying a target polynucleotide. The CRISPR complex of the invention has a wide variety of utility including modifying (e.g., deleting, inserting, translocating, inactivating, activating) a target polynucleotide in a multiplicity of cell types. As such the CRISPR complex of the invention has a broad spectrum of applications in, e.g., gene therapy, drug screening, disease diagnosis, and prognosis. An exemplary CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within the target polynucleotide. The guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence, which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence. In one embodiment, this invention provides a method of cleaving a target polynucleotide. The method comprises modifying a target polynucleotide using a CRISPR complex that binds to the target polynucleotide and effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide. Typically, the CRISPR complex of the invention, when introduced into a cell, creates a break (e.g., a single or a double strand break) in the genome sequence. For example, the method can be used to cleave a disease gene in a cell. The break created by the CRISPR complex can be repaired by a repair processes such as the error prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway or the high fidelity homology-directed repair (HDR). During these repair process, an exogenous polynucleotide template can be introduced into the genome sequence. In some methods, the HDR process is used modify genome sequence. For example, an exogenous polynucleotide template comprising a sequence to be integrated flanked by an upstream sequence and a downstream sequence is introduced into a cell. The upstream and downstream sequences share sequence similarity with either side of the site of integration in the chromosome. Where desired, a donor polynucleotide can be DNA, e.g., a DNA plasmid, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), a viral vector, a linear piece of DNA, a PCR fragment, a naked nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid complexed with a delivery vehicle such as a liposome or poloxamer. The exogenous polynucleotide template comprises a sequence to be integrated (e.g., a mutated gene). The sequence for integration may be a sequence endogenous or exogenous to the cell. Examples of a sequence to be integrated include polynucleotides
encoding a protein or a non-coding RNA (e.g., a microRNA). Thus, the sequence for integration may be operably linked to an appropriate control sequence or sequences. Alternatively, the sequence to be integrated may provide a regulatory function. The upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template are selected to promote recombination between the chromosomal sequence of interest and the donor polynucleotide. The upstream sequence is a nucleic acid sequence that shares sequence similarity with the genome sequence upstream of the targeted site for integration. Similarly, the downstream sequence is a nucleic acid sequence that shares sequence similarity with the chromosomal sequence downstream of the targeted site of integration. The upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template can have 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence. Preferably, the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template have about 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence. In some methods, the upstream and downstream sequences in the exogenous polynucleotide template have about 99% or 100% sequence identity with the targeted genome sequence. An upstream or downstream sequence may comprise from about 20 bp to about 2500 bp, for example, about 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, or 2500 bp. In some methods, the exemplary upstream or downstream sequence have about 200 bp to about 2000 bp, about 600 bp to about 1000 bp, or more particularly about 700 bp to about 1000 bp. In some methods, the exogenous polynucleotide template may further comprise a marker. Such a marker may make it easy to screen for targeted integrations. Examples of suitable markers include restriction sites, fluorescent proteins, or selectable markers. The exogenous polynucleotide template of the invention can be constructed using recombinant techniques (see, for example, Sambrook et al., 2001 and Ausubel et al., 1996). In a method for modifying a target polynucleotide by integrating an exogenous polynucleotide template, a double stranded break is introduced into the genome sequence by the CRISPR complex, the break is repaired via homologous recombination an exogenous polynucleotide template such that the template is integrated into the genome. The presence of a double-stranded break facilitates integration of the template. In other embodiments, this invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell. The method comprises increasing or decreasing expression of a target polynucleotide by using a CRISPR complex that
binds to the polynucleotide. In some methods, a target polynucleotide can be inactivated to effect the modification of the expression in a cell. For example, upon the binding of a CRISPR complex to a target sequence in a cell, the target polynucleotide is inactivated such that the sequence is not transcribed, the coded protein is not produced, or the sequence does not function as the wild-type sequence does. For example, a protein or microRNA coding sequence may be inactivated such that the protein or microRNA or pre-microRNA transcript is not produced. In some methods, a control sequence can be inactivated such that it no longer functions as a control sequence. As used herein,“control sequence” refers to any nucleic acid sequence that effects the transcription, translation, or accessibility of a nucleic acid sequence. Examples of a control sequence include, a promoter, a transcription terminator, and an enhancer are control sequences. The target polynucleotide of a CRISPR complex can be any polynucleotide endogenous or exogenous to the eukaryotic cell. For example, the target polynucleotide can be a polynucleotide residing in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell. The target polynucleotide can be a sequence coding a gene product (e.g., a protein) or a non-coding sequence (e.g., a regulatory polynucleotide or a junk DNA). Examples of target polynucleotides include a sequence associated with a signaling biochemical pathway, e.g., a signaling biochemical pathway- associated gene or polynucleotide. Examples of target polynucleotides include a disease associated gene or polynucleotide. A“disease-associated” gene or polynucleotide refers to any gene or polynucleotide which is yielding transcription or translation products at an abnormal level or in an abnormal form in cells derived from a disease-affected tissues compared with tissues or cells of a non disease control. It may be a gene that becomes expressed at an abnormally high level; it may be a gene that becomes expressed at an abnormally low level, where the altered expression correlates with the occurrence and/or progression of the disease. A disease-associated gene also refers to a gene possessing mutation(s) or genetic variation that is directly responsible or is in linkage disequilibrium with a gene(s) that is responsible for the etiology of a disease. The transcribed or translated products may be known or unknown, and may be at a normal or abnormal level. The target polynucleotide of a CRISPR complex can be any polynucleotide endogenous or exogenous to the eukaryotic cell. For example, the target polynucleotide can be a polynucleotide residing in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell. The target polynucleotide can be a sequence coding a gene product (e.g., a protein) or a non-coding sequence (e.g., a regulatory polynucleotide or a junk DNA). Without wishing to be bound by
theory, it is believed that the target sequence should be associated with a PAM (protospacer adjacent motif); that is, a short sequence recognized by the CRISPR complex. The precise sequence and length requirements for the PAM differ depending on the CRISPR enzyme used, but PAMs are typically 2-5 base pair sequences adjacent the protospacer (that is, the target sequence) Examples of PAM sequences are given in the examples section below, and the skilled person will be able to identify further PAM sequences for use with a given CRISPR enzyme. In some embodiments, the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the target polynucleotide to effect cleavage of said target polynucleotide thereby modifying the target polynucleotide, wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said target polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence. In one aspect, the invention provides a method of modifying expression of a polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell. In some embodiments, the method comprises allowing a CRISPR complex to bind to the polynucleotide such that said binding results in increased or decreased expression of said polynucleotide; wherein the CRISPR complex comprises a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence within said polynucleotide, wherein said guide sequence is linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn hybridizes to a tracr sequence. Similar considerations and conditions apply as above for methods of modifying a target polynucleotide. In fact, these sampling, culturing and re-introduction options apply across the aspects of the present invention. In one aspect, the invention provides for methods of modifying a target polynucleotide in a eukaryotic cell, which may be in vivo, ex vivo or in vitro. In some embodiments, the method comprises sampling a cell or population of cells from a human or non- human animal, and modifying the cell or cells. Culturing may occur at any stage ex vivo. The cell or cells may even be re-introduced into the non-human animal or plant. For re-introduced cells it is particularly preferred that the cells are stem cells.
[0076] Indeed, in any aspect of the invention, the CRISPR complex may comprise a CRISPR enzyme complexed with a guide sequence hybridized to a target sequence, wherein said guide sequence may be linked to a tracr mate sequence which in turn may hybridize to a tracr sequence.
[0077] The invention relates to the engineering and optimization of systems, methods and compositions used for the control of gene expression involving sequence targeting, such as
genome perturbation or gene-editing, that relate to the CRISPR-Cas system and components thereof. In advantageous embodiments, the Cas enzyme is Cas9. An advantage of the present methods is that the CRISPR system minimizes or avoids off-target binding and its resulting side effects. This is achieved using systems arranged to have a high degree of sequence specificity for the target DNA.
Crystallization of CRISPR-Cas9 and Crystal Structure
[0078] Crystallization of CRISPR-cas9 and Characterization of Crystal Structure: The crystals of the invention can be obtained by techniques of protein crystallography, including batch, liquid bridge, dialysis, vapor diffusion and hanging drop methods. Generally, the crystals of the invention are grown by dissolving substantially pure CRISPR-cas9 and a nucleic acid molecule to which it binds in an aqueous buffer containing a precipitant at a concentration just below that necessary to precipitate. Water is removed by controlled evaporation to produce precipitating conditions, which are maintained until crystal growth ceases.
[0079] Uses of the Crystals, Crystal Structure and Atomic Structure Co-Ordinates: The crystals of the invention, and particularly the atomic structure co-ordinates obtained therefrom, have a wide variety of uses. The crystals and structure co-ordinates are particularly useful for identifying compounds (nucleic acid molecules) that bind to CRISPR-cas9, and CRISPR-cas9s that can bind to particular compounds (nucleic acid molecules). Thus, the structure co-ordinates described herein can be used as phasing models in determining the crystal structures of additional synthetic or mutated CRISPR-cas9s, cas9s, nickases, binding domains. The provision of the crystal structure of CRISPR-cas9 complexed with a nucleic acid molecule as in the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures provide the skilled artisan with a detailed insight into the mechanisms of action of CRISPR-cas9. This insight provides a means to design modified CRISPR-cas9s, such as by attaching thereto a functional group, such as a repressor or activator. While one can attach a functional group such as a repressor or activator to the N or C terminal of CRISPR-cas9, the crystal structure demonstrates that the N terminal seems obscured or hidden, whereas the C terminal is more available for a functional group such as repressor or activator. Moreover, the crystal structure demonstrates that there is a flexible loop between approximately CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) residues 534-676 which is suitable for attachment of a functional group such as an activator or repressor. Attachment can be via a linker, e.g., a flexible glycine- serine (GlyGlyGlySer) or (GGGS)3 or a rigid alpha-helical linker such as
(Ala(GluAlaAlaAlaLys)Ala). In addition to the flexible loop there is also a nuclease or H3 region, an H2 region and a helical region. By“helix” or“helical”, is meant a helix as known in the art, including, but not limited to an alpha-helix. Additionally, the term helix or helical may also be used to indicate a c-terminal helical element with an N-terminal turn.
[0080] The provision of the crystal structure of CRISPR-cas9 complexed with a nucleic acid molecule allows a novel approach for drug or compound discovery, identification, and design for compounds that can bind to CRISPR-cas9 and thus the invention provides tools useful in diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of conditions or diseases of multicellular organisms, e.g., algae, plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, avians, mammals; for example domesticated plants, animals (e.g., production animals such as swine, bovine, chicken; companion animal such as felines, canines, rodents (rabbit, gerbil, hamster); laboratory animals such as mouse, rat), and humans. Accordingly, the invention provides a computer-based method of rational design of CRISPR-cas9 complexes. This rational design can comprise: providing the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all (e.g., at least 2 or more, e.g., at least 5, advantageously at least 10, more advantageously at least 50 and even more advantageously at least 100 atoms of the structure) co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figure(s); providing a structure of a desired nucleic acid molecule as to which a CRISPR-cas9 complex is desired; and fitting the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures to the desired nucleic acid molecule, including in said fitting obtaining putative modification(s) of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures for said desired nucleic acid molecule to bind for CRISPR-cas9 complex(es) involving the desired nucleic acid molecule. The method or fitting of the method may use the co-ordinates of atoms of interest of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures which are in the vicinity of the active site or binding region (e.g., at least 2 or more, e.g., at least 5, advantageously at least 10, more advantageously at least 50 and even more advantageously at least 100 atoms of the structure) in order to model the vicinity of the active site or binding region. These co-ordinates may be used to define a space which is then screened“in silico” against a desired or candidate nucleic acid molecule. Thus, the invention provides a computer- based method of rational design of CRISPR-cas9 complexes. This method may include:
providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the herein Crystal Structure Table (“selected co-ordinates”); providing the structure of a candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule; and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co-ordinates. In this fashion, the skilled person may also fit a functional group and a candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule. For example, providing the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all (e.g., at least 2 or more, e.g., at least 5, advantageously at least 10, more advantageously at least 50 and even more advantageously at least 100 atoms of the structure) co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figure(s); providing a structure of a desired nucleic acid molecule as to which a CRISPR-cas9 complex is desired; fitting the structure of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures to the desired nucleic acid molecule, including in said fitting obtaining putative modification(s) of the CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined by some or all co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures for said desired nucleic acid molecule to bind for CRISPR-cas9 complex(es) involving the desired nucleic acid molecule; selecting putative fit CRISPR-cas9— desired nucleic acid molecule complex(es), fitting such putative fit CRISPR-cas9—desired nucleic acid molecule complex(es) to the functional group (e.g., activator, repressor), e.g., as to locations for situating the functional group (e.g., positions within the flexible loop) and/or putative modifications of the putative fit CRISPR-cas9—desired nucleic acid molecule complex(es) for creating locations for situating the functional group. As alluded to, the invention can be practiced using co-ordinates in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in Figures which are in the vicinity of the active site or binding region; and therefore, the methods of the invention can employ a sub-domain of interest of the CRISPR-cas9 complex. Methods of the invention can be practiced using coordinates of a domain or sub-domain. The methods can optionally include synthesizing the candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule and/or the CRISPR-cas9 systems from the“in silico” output and testing binding and/or activity of“wet” or actual a functional group linked to a“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system bound to a“wet” or actual candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule. The methods can include synthesizing the CRISPR-cas9 systems (including a functional group) from the“in silico” output and testing binding and/or activity of “wet” or actual a functional group linked to a“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system bound to an in vivo“wet” or actual candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule, e.g., contacting“wet” or actual CRISPR-cas9 system including a functional group from the“in silico” output with a cell
containing the desired or candidate nucleic acid molecule. These methods can include observing the cell or an organism containing the cell for a desired reaction, e.g., reduction of symptoms or condition or disease. The step of providing the structure of a candidate nucleic acid molecule may involve selecting the compound by computationally screening a database containing nucleic acid molecule data, e.g., such data as to conditions or diseases. A 3-D descriptor for binding of the candidate nucleic acid molecule may be derived from geometric and functional constraints derived from the architecture and chemical nature of the CRISPR-cas9 complex or domains or regions thereof from the herein crystal structure. In effect, the descriptor can be a type of virtual modification(s) of the CRISPR-cas9 complex crystal structure herein for binding CRISPR-cas9 to the candidate or desired nucleic acid molecule. The descriptor may then be used to interrogate the nucleic acid molecule database to ascertain those nucleic acid molecules of the database that have putatively good binding to the descriptor. The herein“wet” steps can then be performed using the descriptor and nucleic acid molecules that have putatively good binding.
[0081] “Fitting” can mean determining, by automatic or semi-automatic means, interactions between at least one atom of the candidate and at least one atom of the CRISPR-cas9 complex and calculating the extent to which such an interaction is stable. Interactions can include attraction, repulsion, brought about by charge, steric considerations, and the like. A“sub- domain” can mean at least one, e.g., one, two, three, or four, complete element(s) of secondary structure. Particular regions or domains of the CRISPR-cas9 include those identified in the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures.
[0082] In any event, the determination of the three-dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas 9 (S. pyogenes cas9) complex provides a basis for the design of new and specific nucleic acid molecules that bind to CRISPR-cas 9 (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), as well as the design of new CRISPR-cas9 systems, such as by way of modification of the CRISPR-cas9 system to bind to various nucleic acid molecules, by way of modification of the CRISPR-cas9 system to have linked thereto to any one or more of various functional groups that may interact with each other, with the CRISPR-cas9 (e.g., an inducible system that provides for self-activation and/or self- termination of function), with the nucleic acid molecule nucleic acid molecules (e.g., the functional group may be a regulatory or functional domain which may be selected from the group consisting of a transcriptional repressor, a transcriptional activator, a nuclease domain, a DNA methyl transferase, a protein acetyltransferase, a protein deacetylase, a protein
methyltransferase, a protein deaminase, a protein kinase, and a protein phosphatase; and, in some aspects, the functional domain is an epigenetic regulator; see, e.g., Zhang et al., US Patent No. 8,507,272, and it is again mentioned that it and all documents cited herein and all appln cited documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference), by way of modification of cas9, by way of novel nickases). Indeed, the herewith CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes cas9) crystal structure has a multitude of uses. For example, from knowing the three-dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes cas9) crystal structure, computer modelling programs may be used to design or identify different molecules expected to interact with possible or confirmed sites such as binding sites or other structural or functional features of the CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9). Compound that potentially bind (“binder”) can be examined through the use of computer modeling using a docking program. Docking programs are known; for example GRAM, DOCK or AUTODOCK (see Walters et al. Drug Discovery Today, vol. 3, no. 4 (1998), 160-178, and Dunbrack et al. Folding and Design 2 (1997), 27-42). This procedure can include computer fitting of potential binders ascertain how well the shape and the chemical structure of the potential binder will bind to a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9). Computer-assisted, manual examination of the active site or binding site of a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) may be performed. Programs such as GRID (P. Goodford, J. Med. Chem, 1985, 28, 849- 57)—a program that determines probable interaction sites between molecules with various functional groups—may also be used to analyze the active site or binding site to predict partial structures of binding compounds. Computer programs can be employed to estimate the attraction, repulsion or steric hindrance of the two binding partners, e.g., CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) and a candidate nucleic acid molecule or a nucleic acid molecule and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9); and the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure (S. pyogenes cas9) herewith enables such methods. Generally, the tighter the fit, the fewer the steric hindrances, and the greater the attractive forces, the more potent the potential binder, since these properties are consistent with a tighter binding constant. Furthermore, the more specificity in the design of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), the more likely it is that it will not interact with off-target molecules as well. Also,“wet” methods are enabled by the instant invention. For example, in an aspect, the invention provides for a method for determining the structure of a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) bound to the candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9),
said method comprising, (a) providing a first crystal of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (S. pyogenes cas9) according to the invention or a second crystal of a candidate a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), (b) contacting the first crystal or second crystal with said binder under conditions whereby a complex may form; and (c) determining the structure of said a candidate (e.g., CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) or CRISPR-cas9 system (S. pyogenes cas9) complex. The second crystal may have essentially the same coordinates discussed herein, however due to minor alterations in CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., from the cas9 of such a system being e.g., S. pyogenes cas9 versus being S. pyogenes cas9), wherein“e.g., S. pyogenes cas9” indicates that the cas9 is a cas9 and can be of or derived from S. pyogenes or an ortholog thereof), the crystal may form in a different space group.
[0083] The invention further involves, in place of or in addition to“in silico” methods, other “wet” methods, including high throughput screening of a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) (the foregoing CRISPR-cas9 system(s) with or without one or more functional group(s)), to select compounds with binding activity. Those pairs of binder and CRISPR-cas9 system which show binding activity may be selected and further crystallized with the CRISPR- cas9 crystal having a structure herein, e.g., by co-crystallization or by soaking, for X-ray analysis. The resulting X-ray structure may be compared with that of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the information in the Figures for a variety of purposes, e.g., for areas of overlap. Having designed, identified, or selected possible pairs of binder and CRISPR-cas9 system by determining those which have favorable fitting properties, e.g., predicted strong attraction based on the pairs of binder and CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure data herein, these possible pairs can then be screened by“wet” methods for activity. Consequently, in an aspect the invention can involve: obtaining or synthesizing the possible pairs; and contacting a binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9), or a candidate binder (e.g., target nucleic acid molecule) and a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system (e.g., S. pyogenes cas9) (the foregoing CRISPR-cas9 system(s) with or without one or more functional group(s)) to determine ability to bind. In the latter step, the contacting is
advantageously under conditions to determine function. Instead of, or in addition to, performing such an assay, the invention may comprise: obtaining or synthesizing complex(es) from said contacting and analyzing the complex(es), e.g., by X-ray diffraction or NMR or other means, to determine the ability to bind or interact. Detailed structural information can then be obtained about the binding, and in light of this information, adjustments can be made to the structure or functionality of a candidate CRISPR-cas9 system or components thereof. These steps may be repeated and re-repeated as necessary. Alternatively or additionally, potential CRISPR-cas9 systems from or in the foregoing methods can be with nucleic acid molecules in vivo, including without limitation by way of administration to an organism (including non-human animal and human) to ascertain or confirm function, including whether a desired outcome (e.g., reduction of symptoms, treatment) results therefrom.
[0084] The invention further involves a method of determining three dimensional structures of CRISPR-cas systems or complex(es) of unknown structure by using the structural co-ordinates of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the information in the Figures. For example, if X-ray crystallographic or NMR spectroscopic data are provided for a CRISPR-cas system or complex of unknown crystal structure, the structure of a CRISPR-cas9 complex as defined in the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures may be used to interpret that data to provide a likely structure for the unknown system or complex by such techniques as by phase modeling in the case of X-ray crystallography. Thus, an inventive method can comprise: aligning a representation of the CRISPR-cas system or complex having an unknown crystral structure with an analogous representation of the CRISPR-cas(9) system and complex of the crystal structure herein to match homologous or analogous regions (e.g., homologous or analogous sequences); modeling the structure of the matched homologous or analogous regions (e.g., sequences) of the CRISPR-cas system or complex of unknown crystal structure based on the structure as defined in the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or in the Figures of the corresponding regions (e.g., sequences); and, determining a conformation (e.g. taking into consideration favorable interactions should be formed so that a low energy conformation is formed) for the unknown crystal structure which substantially preserves the structure of said matched homologous regions. “Homologous regions” describes, for example as to amino acids, amino acid residues in two sequences that are identical or have similar, e.g., aliphatic, aromatic, polar, negatively charged, or positively charged, side-chain chemical groups. Homologous regions as ot nucleic acid molecules can
include at least 85% or 86% or 87% or 88% or 89% or 90% or 91% or 92% or 93% or 94% or 95% or 96% or 97% or 98% or 99% homology or identity. Identical and similar regions are sometimes described as being respectively“invariant” and“conserved” by those skilled in the art. Advantageously, the first and third steps are performed by computer modeling. Homology modeling is a technique that is well known to those skilled in the art (see, e.g., Greer, Science vol. 228 (1985) 1055, and Blundell et al. Eur J Biochem vol 172 (1988), 513). The computer representation of the conserved regions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure herein and those of a CRISPR-cas system of unknown crystral structure aid in the prediction and determination of the crystral structure of the CRISPR-cas system of unknown crystal structure. Further still, the aspects of the invention which employ the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure in silico may be equally applied to new CRISPR-cas crystral structures divined by using the herein CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure. In this fashion, a library of CRISPR-cas crystral structures can be obtained. Rational CRISPR-cas system design is thus provided by the instant invention. For instance, having determined a conformation or crystral structure of a CRISPR-cas system or complex, by the methods described herein, such a conformation may be used in a computer-based methods herein for determining the conformation or crystal structure of other CRISPR-cas systems or complexes whose crystral structures are yet unkown. Data from all of these crystal structures can be in a database, and the herein methods can be more robust by having herein comparisons involving the herein crystral structure or portions thereof be with respect to one or more crystal structures in the library. The invention further provides systems, such as computer systems, intended to generate structures and/or perform rational design of a CRISPR-cas system or complex. The system can contain: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures or be derived therefrom e.g., by modeling, said data defining the three-dimensional structure of a CRISPR-cas system or complex or at least one domain or sub- domain thereof, or structure factor data therefor, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the herein Crystal Structure Table and the Figures. The invention also involves computer readable media with: atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures or derived therefrom e.g., by homology modeling, said data defining the three-dimensional structure of a CRISPR-cas system or complex or at least one domain or sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data therefor, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the
Figures.“Computer readable media” refers to any media which can be read and accessed directly by a computer, and includes, but is not limited to: magnetic storage media; optical storage media; electrical storage media; cloud storage and hybrids of these categories. By providing such computer readable media, the atomic co-ordinate data can be routinely accessed for modeling or other“in silico” methods. The invention further comprehends methods of doing business by providing access to such computer readable media, for instance on a subscription basis, via the Internet or a global communication/computer network; or, the computer system can be available to a user, on a subscription basis. A“computer system” refers to the hardware means, software means and data storage means used to analyze the atomic co-ordinate data of the present invention. The minimum hardware means of computer-based systems of the invention may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), input means, output means, and data storage means. Desirably, a display or monitor is provided to visualize structure data. The invention further comprehends methods of transmitting information obtained in any method or step thereof described herein or any information described herein, e.g., via telecommunications, telephone, mass communications, mass media, presentations, internet, email, etc. The crystal structures of the invention can be analyzed to generate Fourier electron density map(s) of CRISPR-cas systems or complexes; advantageously, the three-dimensional structure being as defined by the atomic co-ordinate data according to the herein Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures. Fourier electron density maps can be calculated based on X-ray diffraction patterns. These maps can then be used to determine aspects of binding or other interactions. Electron density maps can be calculated using known programs such as those from the CCP4 computer package (Collaborative Computing Project, No. 4. The CCP4 Suite: Programs for Protein Crystallography, Acta Crystallographica, D50, 1994, 760-763). For map visualization and model building programs such as "QUANTA" (1994, San Diego, Calif.: Molecular Simulations, Jones et al., Acta Crystallography A47 (1991), 110-119) can be used.
[0085] The herein Crystal Structure Table (see Example 1) gives atomic co-ordinate data for a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes), and lists each atom by a unique number; the chemical element and its position for each amino acid residue (as determined by electron density maps and antibody sequence comparisons), the amino acid residue in which the element is located, the chain identifier, the number of the residue, co-ordinates (e.g., X, Y, Z) which define with respect to the crystallographic axes the atomic position (in angstroms) of the respective atom, the occupancy of
the atom in the respective position, "B", isotropic displacement parameter (in angstroms2) which accounts for movement of the atom around its atomic center, and atomic number. See also the text herein and the Figures.
Nucleic acids, amino acids and proteins, Regulatory sequences, Vectors, etc
[0086] Nucleic acids, amino acids and proteins: The invention uses nucleic acids to bind target DNA sequences. This is advantageous as nucleic acids are much easier and cheaper to produce than proteins, and the specificity can be varied according to the length of the stretch where homology is sought. Complex 3-D positioning of multiple fingers, for example is not required. The terms“polynucleotide”,“nucleotide”,“nucleotide sequence”,“nucleic acid” and “oligonucleotide” are used interchangeably. They refer to a polymeric form of nucleotides of any length, either deoxyribonucleotides or ribonucleotides, or analogs thereof. Polynucleotides may have any three dimensional structure, and may perform any function, known or unknown. The following are non-limiting examples of polynucleotides: coding or non-coding regions of a gene or gene fragment, loci (locus) defined from linkage analysis, exons, introns, messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA, short interfering RNA (siRNA), short-hairpin RNA (shRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), ribozymes, cDNA, recombinant polynucleotides, branched polynucleotides, plasmids, vectors, isolated DNA of any sequence, isolated RNA of any sequence, nucleic acid probes, and primers. The term also encompasses nucleic-acid-like structures with synthetic backbones, see, e.g., Eckstein, 1991; Baserga et al., 1992; Milligan, 1993; WO 97/03211; WO 96/39154; Mata, 1997; Strauss-Soukup, 1997; and Samstag, 1996. A polynucleotide may comprise one or more modified nucleotides, such as methylated nucleotides and nucleotide analogs. If present, modifications to the nucleotide structure may be imparted before or after assembly of the polymer. The sequence of nucleotides may be interrupted by non-nucleotide components. A polynucleotide may be further modified after polymerization, such as by conjugation with a labeling component. As used herein the term“wild type” is a term of the art understood by skilled persons and means the typical form of an organism, strain, gene or characteristic as it occurs in nature as distinguished from mutant or variant forms. A“wild type” can be a base line. As used herein the term“variant” should be taken to mean the exhibition of qualities that have a pattern that deviates from what occurs in nature. The terms “non-naturally occurring” or“engineered” are used interchangeably and indicate the involvement of the hand of man. The terms, when referring to nucleic acid molecules or polypeptides mean
that the nucleic acid molecule or the polypeptide is at least substantially free from at least one other component with which they are naturally associated in nature and as found in nature. “Complementarity” refers to the ability of a nucleic acid to form hydrogen bond(s) with another nucleic acid sequence by either traditional Watson-Crick base pairing or other non-traditional types. A percent complementarity indicates the percentage of residues in a nucleic acid molecule which can form hydrogen bonds (e.g., Watson-Crick base pairing) with a second nucleic acid sequence (e.g., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 out of 10 being 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% complementary).“Perfectly complementary” means that all the contiguous residues of a nucleic acid sequence will hydrogen bond with the same number of contiguous residues in a second nucleic acid sequence. “Substantially complementary” as used herein refers to a degree of complementarity that is at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% over a region of 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, or more nucleotides, or refers to two nucleic acids that hybridize under stringent conditions. As used herein,“stringent conditions” for hybridization refer to conditions under which a nucleic acid having complementarity to a target sequence predominantly hybridizes with the target sequence, and substantially does not hybridize to non-target sequences. Stringent conditions are generally sequence-dependent, and vary depending on a number of factors. In general, the longer the sequence, the higher the temperature at which the sequence specifically hybridizes to its target sequence. Non-limiting examples of stringent conditions are described in detail in Tijssen (1993), Laboratory Techniques In Biochemistry And Molecular Biology- Hybridization With Nucleic Acid Probes Part I, Second Chapter“Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid probe assay”, Elsevier, N.Y. Where reference is made to a polynucleotide sequence, then complementary or partially complementary sequences are also envisaged. These are preferably capable of hybridising to the reference sequence under highly stringent conditions. Generally, in order to maximize the hybridization rate, relatively low-stringency hybridization conditions are selected: about 20 to 25° C lower than the thermal melting point (Tm ). The Tm is the temperature at which 50% of specific target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly complementary probe in solution at a defined ionic strength and pH. Generally, in order to require at least about 85% nucleotide complementarity of hybridized sequences, highly stringent washing conditions are selected to be about 5 to 15° C lower than the Tm . In order to require at least about 70% nucleotide complementarity of hybridized sequences,
moderately-stringent washing conditions are selected to be about 15 to 30° C lower than the Tm . Highly permissive (very low stringency) washing conditions may be as low as 50° C below the Tm , allowing a high level of mis-matching between hybridized sequences. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other physical and chemical parameters in the hybridization and wash stages can also be altered to affect the outcome of a detectable hybridization signal from a specific level of homology between target and probe sequences. Preferred highly stringent conditions comprise incubation in 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS at 42° C, or incubation in 5×SSC and 1% SDS at 65° C, with wash in 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS at 65° C.“Hybridization” refers to a reaction in which one or more polynucleotides react to form a complex that is stabilized via hydrogen bonding between the bases of the nucleotide residues. The hydrogen bonding may occur by Watson Crick base pairing, Hoogstein binding, or in any other sequence specific manner. The complex may comprise two strands forming a duplex structure, three or more strands forming a multi stranded complex, a single self-hybridizing strand, or any combination of these. A hybridization reaction may constitute a step in a more extensive process, such as the initiation of PCR, or the cleavage of a polynucleotide by an enzyme. A sequence capable of hybridizing with a given sequence is referred to as the“complement” of the given sequence. As used herein, the term“genomic locus” or“locus” (plural loci) is the specific location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome. A“gene” refers to stretches of DNA or RNA that encode a polypeptide or an RNA chain that has functional role to play in an organism and hence is the molecular unit of heredity in living organisms. For the purpose of this invention it may be considered that genes include regions which regulate the production of the gene product, whether or not such regulatory sequences are adjacent to coding and/or transcribed sequences. Accordingly, a gene includes, but is not necessarily limited to, promoter sequences, terminators, translational regulatory sequences such as ribosome binding sites and internal ribosome entry sites, enhancers, silencers, insulators, boundary elements, replication origins, matrix attachment sites and locus control regions. As used herein,“expression of a genomic locus” or“gene expression” is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. The products of gene expression are often proteins, but in non-protein coding genes such as rRNA genes or tRNA genes, the product is functional RNA. The process of gene expression is used by all known life - eukaryotes (including multicellular organisms), prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) and viruses to generate functional products to
survive. As used herein "expression" of a gene or nucleic acid encompasses not only cellular gene expression, but also the transcription and translation of nucleic acid(s) in cloning systems and in any other context. As used herein,“expression” also refers to the process by which a polynucleotide is transcribed from a DNA template (such as into and mRNA or other RNA transcript) and/or the process by which a transcribed mRNA is subsequently translated into peptides, polypeptides, or proteins. Transcripts and encoded polypeptides may be collectively referred to as“gene product.” If the polynucleotide is derived from genomic DNA, expression may include splicing of the mRNA in a eukaryotic cell. The terms“polypeptide”,“peptide” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein to refer to polymers of amino acids of any length. The polymer may be linear or branched, it may comprise modified amino acids, and it may be interrupted by non amino acids. The terms also encompass an amino acid polymer that has been modified; for example, disulfide bond formation, glycosylation, lipidation, acetylation, phosphorylation, or any other manipulation, such as conjugation with a labeling component. As used herein the term“amino acid” includes natural and/or unnatural or synthetic amino acids, including glycine and both the D or L optical isomers, and amino acid analogs and peptidomimetics. As used herein, the term“domain” or“protein domain” refers to a part of a protein sequence that may exist and function independently of the rest of the protein chain. As described in aspects of the invention, sequence identity is related to sequence homology. Homology comparisons may be conducted by eye, or more usually, with the aid of readily available sequence comparison programs. These commercially available computer programs may calculate percent (%) homology between two or more sequences and may also calculate the sequence identity shared by two or more amino acid or nucleic acid sequences. In some preferred embodiments, the capping region of the dTALEs described herein have sequences that are at least 95% identical or share identity to the capping region amino acid sequences provided herein. Sequence homologies may be generated by any of a number of computer programs known in the art, for example BLAST or FASTA, etc. A suitable computer program for carrying out such an alignment is the GCG Wisconsin Bestfit package (University of Wisconsin, U.S.A; Devereux et al., 1984, Nucleic Acids Research 12:387). Examples of other software than may perform sequence comparisons include, but are not limited to, the BLAST package (see Ausubel et al., 1999 ibid– Chapter 18), FASTA (Atschul et al., 1990, J. Mol. Biol., 403-410) and the GENEWORKS suite of comparison tools. Both BLAST and FASTA are available for offline and
online searching (see Ausubel et al., 1999 ibid, pages 7-58 to 7-60). However it is preferred to use the GCG Bestfit program. Percentage (%) sequence homology may be calculated over contiguous sequences, i.e., one sequence is aligned with the other sequence and each amino acid or nucleotide in one sequence is directly compared with the corresponding amino acid or nucleotide in the other sequence, one residue at a time. This is called an“ungapped” alignment. Typically, such ungapped alignments are performed only over a relatively short number of residues. Although this is a very simple and consistent method, it fails to take into consideration that, for example, in an otherwise identical pair of sequences, one insertion or deletion may cause the following amino acid residues to be put out of alignment, thus potentially resulting in a large reduction in % homology when a global alignment is performed. Consequently, most sequence comparison methods are designed to produce optimal alignments that take into consideration possible insertions and deletions without unduly penalizing the overall homology or identity score. This is achieved by inserting“gaps” in the sequence alignment to try to maximize local homology or identity. However, these more complex methods assign“gap penalties” to each gap that occurs in the alignment so that, for the same number of identical amino acids, a sequence alignment with as few gaps as possible - reflecting higher relatedness between the two compared sequences - may achieve a higher score than one with many gaps.“Affinity gap costs” are typically used that charge a relatively high cost for the existence of a gap and a smaller penalty for each subsequent residue in the gap. This is the most commonly used gap scoring system. High gap penalties may, of course, produce optimized alignments with fewer gaps. Most alignment programs allow the gap penalties to be modified. However, it is preferred to use the default values when using such software for sequence comparisons. For example, when using the GCG Wisconsin Bestfit package the default gap penalty for amino acid sequences is -12 for a gap and -4 for each extension. Calculation of maximum % homology therefore first requires the production of an optimal alignment, taking into consideration gap penalties. A suitable computer program for carrying out such an alignment is the GCG Wisconsin Bestfit package (Devereux et al., 1984 Nuc. Acids Research 12 p387). Examples of other software than may perform sequence comparisons include, but are not limited to, the BLAST package (see Ausubel et al., 1999 Short Protocols in Molecular Biology, 4th Ed.– Chapter 18), FASTA (Altschul et al., 1990 J. Mol. Biol. 403-410) and the GENEWORKS suite of comparison tools. Both BLAST and FASTA are available for offline and online searching (see Ausubel et al., 1999, Short Protocols in Molecular
Biology, pages 7-58 to 7-60). However, for some applications, it is preferred to use the GCG Bestfit program. A new tool, called BLAST 2 Sequences is also available for comparing protein and nucleotide sequences (see FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999 174(2): 247-50; FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999 177(1): 187-8 and the website of the National Center for Biotechnology information at the website of the National Institutes for Health). Although the final % homology may be measured in terms of identity, the alignment process itself is typically not based on an all-or- nothing pair comparison. Instead, a scaled similarity score matrix is generally used that assigns scores to each pair-wise comparison based on chemical similarity or evolutionary distance. An example of such a matrix commonly used is the BLOSUM62 matrix - the default matrix for the BLAST suite of programs. GCG Wisconsin programs generally use either the public default values or a custom symbol comparison table, if supplied (see user manual for further details). For some applications, it is preferred to use the public default values for the GCG package, or in the case of other software, the default matrix, such as BLOSUM62. Alternatively, percentage homologies may be calculated using the multiple alignment feature in DNASISTM (Hitachi Software), based on an algorithm, analogous to CLUSTAL (Higgins DG & Sharp PM (1988), Gene 73(1), 237-244). Once the software has produced an optimal alignment, it is possible to calculate % homology, preferably % sequence identity. The software typically does this as part of the sequence comparison and generates a numerical result. The sequences may also have deletions, insertions or substitutions of amino acid residues which produce a silent change and result in a functionally equivalent substance. Deliberate amino acid substitutions may be made on the basis of similarity in amino acid properties (such as polarity, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and/or the amphipathic nature of the residues) and it is therefore useful to group amino acids together in functional groups. Amino acids may be grouped together based on the properties of their side chains alone. However, it is more useful to include mutation data as well. The sets of amino acids thus derived are likely to be conserved for structural reasons. These sets may be described in the form of a Venn diagram (Livingstone C.D. and Barton G.J. (1993)“Protein sequence alignments: a strategy for the hierarchical analysis of residue conservation” Comput. Appl. Biosci. 9: 745-756) (Taylor W.R. (1986)“The classification of amino acid conservation” J. Theor. Biol. 119; 205-218). Conservative substitutions may be made, for example according to the table below which describes a generally accepted Venn diagram grouping of amino acids.
polypeptide) which may comprise homologous substitution (substitution and replacement are both used herein to mean the interchange of an existing amino acid residue or nucleotide, with an alternative residue or nucleotide) that may occur i.e., like-for-like substitution in the case of amino acids such as basic for basic, acidic for acidic, polar for polar, etc. Non-homologous substitution may also occur i.e., from one class of residue to another or alternatively involving the inclusion of unnatural amino acids such as ornithine (hereinafter referred to as Z), diaminobutyric acid ornithine (hereinafter referred to as B), norleucine ornithine (hereinafter referred to as O), pyriylalanine, thienylalanine, naphthylalanine and phenylglycine. Variant amino acid sequences may include suitable spacer groups that may be inserted between any two amino acid residues of the sequence including alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl groups in addition to amino acid spacers such as glycine or E-alanine residues. A further form of variation, which involves the presence of one or more amino acid residues in peptoid form, may be well understood by those skilled in the art. For the avoidance of doubt,“the peptoid form” is used to refer to variant amino acid residues wherein the D-carbon substituent group is on the residue’s nitrogen atom rather than the D-carbon. Processes for preparing peptides in the peptoid form are known in the art, for example Simon RJ et al., PNAS (1992) 89(20), 9367-9371 and Horwell DC, Trends Biotechnol. (1995) 13(4), 132-134.
[0088] For purpose of this invention, amplification means any method employing a primer and a polymerase capable of replicating a target sequence with reasonable fidelity.
Amplification may be carried out by natural or recombinant DNA polymerases such as TaqGold™, T7 DNA polymerase, Klenow fragment of E.coli DNA polymerase, and reverse transcriptase. A preferred amplification method is PCR.
[0089] In certain aspects the invention involves vectors. A used herein, a“vector” is a tool that allows or facilitates the transfer of an entity from one environment to another. It is a replicon, such as a plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment may be inserted so as to bring about the replication of the inserted segment. Generally, a vector is capable of replication when associated with the proper control elements. In general, the term“vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked. Vectors include, but are not limited to, nucleic acid molecules that are single-stranded, double-stranded, or partially double-stranded; nucleic acid molecules that comprise one or more free ends, no free ends (e.g. circular); nucleic acid molecules that comprise DNA, RNA, or both; and other varieties of polynucleotides known in the art. One type of vector is a“plasmid,” which refers to a circular double stranded DNA loop into which additional DNA segments can be inserted, such as by standard molecular cloning techniques. Another type of vector is a viral vector, wherein virally-derived DNA or RNA sequences are present in the vector for packaging into a virus (e.g. retroviruses, replication defective retroviruses, adenoviruses, replication defective adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses (AAVs)). Viral vectors also include polynucleotides carried by a virus for transfection into a host cell. Certain vectors are capable of autonomous replication in a host cell into which they are introduced (e.g. bacterial vectors having a bacterial origin of replication and episomal mammalian vectors). Other vectors (e.g., non-episomal mammalian vectors) are integrated into the genome of a host cell upon introduction into the host cell, and thereby are replicated along with the host genome. Moreover, certain vectors are capable of directing the expression of genes to which they are operatively- linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as“expression vectors.” Common expression vectors of utility in recombinant DNA techniques are often in the form of plasmids.
[0090] Recombinant expression vectors can comprise a nucleic acid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell, which means that the recombinant expression vectors include one or more regulatory elements, which may be selected on the basis of the host cells to be used for expression, that is operatively-linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed. Within a recombinant expression vector,“operably linked” is intended to mean
that the nucleotide sequence of interest is linked to the regulatory element(s) in a manner that allows for expression of the nucleotide sequence (e.g. in an in vitro transcription/translation system or in a host cell when the vector is introduced into the host cell). With regards to recombination and cloning methods, mention is made of U.S. patent application 10/815,730, published September 2, 2004 as US 2004-0171156 A1, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0091] Aspects of the invention relate to bicistronic vectors for chimeric RNA and Cas9. Bicistronic expression vectors for chimeric RNA and Cas9 are preferred. In general and particularly in this embodiment Cas9 is preferably driven by the CBh promoter. The chimeric RNA may preferably be driven by a Pol III promoter, such as a U6 promoter. Ideally the two are combined. The chimeric guide RNA typically consists of a 20bp guide sequence (Ns) and this may be joined to the tracr sequence (running from the first“U” of the lower strand to the end of the transcript). The tracr sequence may be truncated at various positions as indicated. The guide and tracr sequences are separated by the tracr-mate sequence, which may be GUUUUAGAGCUA. This may be followed by the loop sequence GAAA as shown. Both of these are preferred examples. Applicants have demonstrated Cas9-mediated indels at the human EMX1 and PVALB loci by SURVEYOR assays. ChiRNAs are indicated by their“+n” designation, and crRNA refers to a hybrid RNA where guide and tracr sequences are expressed as separate transcripts. Throughout this application, chimeric RNA may also be called single guide, or synthetic guide RNA (sgRNA). The loop is preferably GAAA, but it is not limited to this sequence or indeed to being only 4bp in length. Indeed, preferred loop forming sequences for use in hairpin structures are four nucleotides in length, and most preferably have the sequence GAAA. However, longer or shorter loop sequences may be used, as may alternative sequences. The sequences preferably include a nucleotide triplet (for example, AAA), and an additional nucleotide (for example C or G). Examples of loop forming sequences include CAAA and AAAG. In practicing any of the methods disclosed herein, a suitable vector can be introduced to a cell or an embryo via one or more methods known in the art, including without limitation, microinjection, electroporation, sonoporation, biolistics, calcium phosphate-mediated transfection, cationic transfection, liposome transfection, dendrimer transfection, heat shock transfection, nucleofection transfection, magnetofection, lipofection, impalefection, optical transfection, proprietary agent-enhanced uptake of nucleic acids, and delivery via liposomes,
immunoliposomes, virosomes, or artificial virions. In some methods, the vector is introduced into an embryo by microinjection. The vector or vectors may be microinjected into the nucleus or the cytoplasm of the embryo. In some methods, the vector or vectors may be introduced into a cell by nucleofection.
[0092] The term“regulatory element” is intended to include promoters, enhancers, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES), and other expression control elements (e.g. transcription termination signals, such as polyadenylation signals and poly-U sequences). Such regulatory elements are described, for example, in Goeddel, GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990). Regulatory elements include those that direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of host cell and those that direct expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences). A tissue-specific promoter may direct expression primarily in a desired tissue of interest, such as muscle, neuron, bone, skin, blood, specific organs (e.g. liver, pancreas), or particular cell types (e.g. lymphocytes). Regulatory elements may also direct expression in a temporal-dependent manner, such as in a cell-cycle dependent or developmental stage-dependent manner, which may or may not also be tissue or cell-type specific. In some embodiments, a vector comprises one or more pol III promoter (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol III promoters), one or more pol II promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol II promoters), one or more pol I promoters (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pol I promoters), or combinations thereof. Examples of pol III promoters include, but are not limited to, U6 and H1 promoters. Examples of pol II promoters include, but are not limited to, the retroviral Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR promoter (optionally with the RSV enhancer), the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (optionally with the CMV enhancer) [see, e.g., Boshart et al, Cell, 41:521-530 (1985)], the SV40 promoter, the dihydrofolate reductase promoter, the β-actin promoter, the phosphoglycerol kinase (PGK) promoter, and the EF1α promoter. Also encompassed by the term“regulatory element” are enhancer elements, such as WPRE; CMV enhancers; the R-U5’ segment in LTR of HTLV-I (Mol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 8(1), p. 466-472, 1988); SV40 enhancer; and the intron sequence between exons 2 and 3 of rabbit β-globin (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., Vol. 78(3), p. 1527-31, 1981). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of the expression vector can depend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to be transformed, the level of expression desired, etc. A vector can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce
transcripts, proteins, or peptides, including fusion proteins or peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein (e.g., clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) transcripts, proteins, enzymes, mutant forms thereof, fusion proteins thereof, etc.). With regards to regulatory sequences, mention is made of U.S. patent application 10/491,026, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. With regards to promoters, mention is made of PCT publication WO 2011/028929 and U.S. application 12/511,940, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
[0093] Vectors can be designed for expression of CRISPR transcripts (e.g. nucleic acid transcripts, proteins, or enzymes) in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. For example, CRISPR transcripts can be expressed in bacterial cells such as Escherichia coli, insect cells (using baculovirus expression vectors), yeast cells, or mammalian cells. Suitable host cells are discussed further in Goeddel, GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990). Alternatively, the recombinant expression vector can be transcribed and translated in vitro, for example using T7 promoter regulatory sequences and T7 polymerase.
[0094] Vectors may be introduced and propagated in a prokaryote or prokaryotic cell. In some embodiments, a prokaryote is used to amplify copies of a vector to be introduced into a eukaryotic cell or as an intermediate vector in the production of a vector to be introduced into a eukaryotic cell (e.g. amplifying a plasmid as part of a viral vector packaging system). In some embodiments, a prokaryote is used to amplify copies of a vector and express one or more nucleic acids, such as to provide a source of one or more proteins for delivery to a host cell or host organism. Expression of proteins in prokaryotes is most often carried out in Escherichia coli with vectors containing constitutive or inducible promoters directing the expression of either fusion or non-fusion proteins. Fusion vectors add a number of amino acids to a protein encoded therein, such as to the amino terminus of the recombinant protein. Such fusion vectors may serve one or more purposes, such as: (i) to increase expression of recombinant protein; (ii) to increase the solubility of the recombinant protein; and (iii) to aid in the purification of the recombinant protein by acting as a ligand in affinity purification. Often, in fusion expression vectors, a proteolytic cleavage site is introduced at the junction of the fusion moiety and the recombinant protein to enable separation of the recombinant protein from the fusion moiety subsequent to purification of the fusion protein. Such enzymes, and their cognate recognition
sequences, include Factor Xa, thrombin and enterokinase. Example fusion expression vectors include pGEX (Pharmacia Biotech Inc; Smith and Johnson, 1988. Gene 67: 31-40), pMAL (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.) and pRIT5 (Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) that fuse glutathione S-transferase (GST), maltose E binding protein, or protein A, respectively, to the target recombinant protein. Examples of suitable inducible non-fusion E. coli expression vectors include pTrc (Amrann et al., (1988) Gene 69:301-315) and pET 11d (Studier et al., GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY: METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990) 60-89). In some embodiments, a vector is a yeast expression vector. Examples of vectors for expression in yeast Saccharomyces cerivisae include pYepSec1 (Baldari, et al., 1987. EMBO J. 6: 229-234), pMFa (Kuijan and Herskowitz, 1982. Cell 30: 933- 943), pJRY88 (Schultz et al., 1987. Gene 54: 113-123), pYES2 (Invitrogen Corporation, San Diego, Calif.), and picZ (InVitrogen Corp, San Diego, Calif.). In some embodiments, a vector drives protein expression in insect cells using baculovirus expression vectors. Baculovirus vectors available for expression of proteins in cultured insect cells (e.g., SF9 cells) include the pAc series (Smith, et al., 1983. Mol. Cell. Biol. 3: 2156-2165) and the pVL series (Lucklow and Summers, 1989. Virology 170: 31-39).
[0095] In some embodiments, a vector is capable of driving expression of one or more sequences in mammalian cells using a mammalian expression vector. Examples of mammalian expression vectors include pCDM8 (Seed, 1987. Nature 329: 840) and pMT2PC (Kaufman, et al., 1987. EMBO J. 6: 187-195). When used in mammalian cells, the expression vector’s control functions are typically provided by one or more regulatory elements. For example, commonly used promoters are derived from polyoma, adenovirus 2, cytomegalovirus, simian virus 40, and others disclosed herein and known in the art. For other suitable expression systems for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells see, e.g., Chapters 16 and 17 of Sambrook, et al., MOLECULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL. 2nd ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989.
[0096] In some embodiments, the recombinant mammalian expression vector is capable of directing expression of the nucleic acid preferentially in a particular cell type (e.g., tissue- specific regulatory elements are used to express the nucleic acid). Tissue-specific regulatory elements are known in the art. Non-limiting examples of suitable tissue-specific promoters include the albumin promoter (liver-specific; Pinkert, et al., 1987. Genes Dev. 1: 268-277),
lymphoid-specific promoters (Calame and Eaton, 1988. Adv. Immunol. 43: 235-275), in particular promoters of T cell receptors (Winoto and Baltimore, 1989. EMBO J. 8: 729-733) and immunoglobulins (Baneiji, et al., 1983. Cell 33: 729-740; Queen and Baltimore, 1983. Cell 33: 741-748), neuron-specific promoters (e.g., the neurofilament promoter; Byrne and Ruddle, 1989. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 5473-5477), pancreas-specific promoters (Edlund, et al., 1985. Science 230: 912-916), and mammary gland-specific promoters (e.g., milk whey promoter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,316 and European Application Publication No. 264,166). Developmentally- regulated promoters are also encompassed, e.g., the murine hox promoters (Kessel and Gruss, 1990. Science 249: 374-379) and the α-fetoprotein promoter (Campes and Tilghman, 1989. Genes Dev. 3: 537-546). With regards to these prokaryotic and eukaryotic vectors, mention is made of U.S. Patent 6,750,059, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Other embodiments of the invention may relate to the use of viral vectors, with regards to which mention is made of U.S. Patent application 13/092,085, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Tissue-specific regulatory elements are known in the art and in this regard, mention is made of U.S. Patent 7,776,321, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In some embodiments, a regulatory element is operably linked to one or more elements of a CRISPR system so as to drive expression of the one or more elements of the CRISPR system. In general, CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), also known as SPIDRs (SPacer Interspersed Direct Repeats), constitute a family of DNA loci that are usually specific to a particular bacterial species. The CRISPR locus comprises a distinct class of interspersed short sequence repeats (SSRs) that were recognized in E. coli (Ishino et al., J. Bacteriol., 169:5429-5433 [1987]; and Nakata et al., J. Bacteriol., 171:3553-3556 [1989]), and associated genes. Similar interspersed SSRs have been identified in Haloferax mediterranei, Streptococcus pyogenes, Anabaena, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (See, Groenen et al., Mol. Microbiol., 10:1057-1065 [1993]; Hoe et al., Emerg. Infect. Dis., 5:254-263 [1999]; Masepohl et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1307:26-30 [1996]; and Mojica et al., Mol. Microbiol., 17:85-93 [1995]). The CRISPR loci typically differ from other SSRs by the structure of the repeats, which have been termed short regularly spaced repeats (SRSRs) (Janssen et al., OMICS J. Integ. Biol., 6:23-33 [2002]; and Mojica et al., Mol. Microbiol., 36:244-246 [2000]). In general, the repeats are short elements that occur in clusters that are regularly spaced by unique intervening sequences with a substantially constant length
(Mojica et al., [2000], supra). Although the repeat sequences are highly conserved between strains, the number of interspersed repeats and the sequences of the spacer regions typically differ from strain to strain (van Embden et al., J. Bacteriol., 182:2393-2401 [2000]). CRISPR loci have been identified in more than 40 prokaryotes (See e.g., Jansen et al., Mol. Microbiol., 43:1565-1575 [2002]; and Mojica et al., [2005]) including, but not limited to Aeropyrum, Pyrobaculum, Sulfolobus, Archaeoglobus, Halocarcula, Methanobacterium, Methanococcus, Methanosarcina, Methanopyrus, Pyrococcus, Picrophilus, Thermoplasma, Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Streptomyces, Aquifex, Porphyromonas, Chlorobium, Thermus, Bacillus, Listeria, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Thermoanaerobacter, Mycoplasma, Fusobacterium, Azarcus, Chromobacterium, Neisseria, Nitrosomonas, Desulfovibrio, Geobacter, Myxococcus, Campylobacter, Wolinella, Acinetobacter, Erwinia, Escherichia, Legionella, Methylococcus, Pasteurella, Photobacterium, Salmonella, Xanthomonas, Yersinia, Treponema, and Thermotoga.
[0097] In some embodiments, the CRISPR enzyme is part of a fusion protein comprising one or more heterologous protein domains (e.g. about or more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more domains in addition to the CRISPR enzyme). A CRISPR enzyme fusion protein may comprise any additional protein sequence, and optionally a linker sequence between any two domains. Examples of protein domains that may be fused to a CRISPR enzyme include, without limitation, epitope tags, reporter gene sequences, and protein domains having one or more of the following activities: methylase activity, demethylase activity, transcription activation activity, transcription repression activity, transcription release factor activity, histone modification activity, RNA cleavage activity and nucleic acid binding activity. Non-limiting examples of epitope tags include histidine (His) tags, V5 tags, FLAG tags, influenza hemagglutinin (HA) tags, Myc tags, VSV-G tags, and thioredoxin (Trx) tags. Examples of reporter genes include, but are not limited to, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, luciferase, green fluorescent protein (GFP), HcRed, DsRed, cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), and autofluorescent proteins including blue fluorescent protein (BFP). A CRISPR enzyme may be fused to a gene sequence encoding a protein or a fragment of a protein that bind DNA molecules or bind other cellular molecules, including but not limited to maltose binding protein (MBP), S-tag, Lex A DNA binding domain (DBD) fusions, GAL4 DNA binding domain fusions, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) BP16 protein fusions. Additional
domains that may form part of a fusion protein comprising a CRISPR enzyme are described in US20110059502, incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, a tagged CRISPR enzyme is used to identify the location of a target sequence.
[0098] In some embodiments, a CRISPR enzyme may form a component of an inducible system. The inducible nature of the system would allow for spatiotemporal control of gene editing or gene expression using a form of energy. The form of energy may include but is not limited to electromagnetic radiation, sound energy, chemical energy and thermal energy. Examples of inducible system include tetracycline inducible promoters (Tet-On or Tet-Off), small molecule two-hybrid transcription activations systems (FKBP, ABA, etc), or light inducible systems (Phytochrome, LOV domains, or cryptochrome).In one embodiment, the CRISPR enzyme may be a part of a Light Inducible Transcriptional Effector (LITE) to direct changes in transcriptional activity in a sequence-specific manner. The components of a light may include a CRISPR enzyme, a light-responsive cytochrome heterodimer (e.g. from Arabidopsis thaliana), and a transcriptional activation/repression domain. Further examples of inducible DNA binding proteins and methods for their use are provided in US 61/736465 and US 61/721,283, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0099] The practice of the present invention employs, unless otherwise indicated, conventional techniques of immunology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, genomics and recombinant DNA, which are within the skill of the art. See Sambrook, Fritsch and Maniatis, MOLECULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL, 2nd edition (1989); CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (F. M. Ausubel, et al. eds., (1987)); the series METHODS IN ENZYMOLOGY (Academic Press, Inc.): PCR 2: A PRACTICAL APPROACH (M.J. MacPherson, B.D. Hames and G.R. Taylor eds. (1995)), Harlow and Lane, eds. (1988) ANTIBODIES, A LABORATORY MANUAL, and ANIMAL CELL CULTURE (R.I. Freshney, ed. (1987)).
EXAMPLES
[00100] The following examples are given for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments of the invention and are not meant to limit the present invention in any fashion. The present examples, along with the methods described herein are presently representative of preferred embodiments, are exemplary, and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention.
Changes therein and other uses which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims will occur to those skilled in the art.
Example 1: Crystal Structure
[00101] Figures 1A-M provide: various views of the CRISPR-cas complex crystal structure (A-I), chemieric RNA architecture from the crystal structure (J-K), an interaction schematic from the crystal structure (L) and a topology schematic from the crystal structure (M).
[00102] Figures 1J-K concern a SpCas9 sgRNA structural study, and Figures 4A-B also pertain to sgRNA mutations. SpCas9 sgRNAs were mutated to investigate contribution of specific bases or groups of bases to activity. These include mutations in the direct repeat (DR) and tracrRNA regions of the sgRNA, divided into: stem 1 (base-pairing region between DR and tracrRNA), bulge (un-paired bases between DR and tracrRNA), loop 1 (artificial GAAA connector between DR and tracrRNA), linker 1 (between stem 1 and stem 2), stem 2 (first hairpin formed by tracrRNA tail), loop 2 (loop in between stem 2), stem 3 (second, or last hairpin formed by tracrRNA tail), and loop 3 (loop in between stem 3). Mutations were chosen based on predicted secondary structure as well as secondary structure as illustrated in Figures 1A-M, especially Figure 1J. In addition, three (3) sgRNA scaffolds were designed to incorporate MS2 loops in loop regions for interaction/binding to recruit functional domains fused to MBP. sgRNAs were synthesized as U6::PCR amplicon and tested in co-transfection with wildtype SpCas9.
[00103] 400ng of Cas9 plasmid, 100ng of sgRNA into 200,000 HEK 293FT cells with Lipofectamine 2000; DNA was harvested 3 days post-transfection for SURVEYOR analysis.
[00104] The invention thus comprehends the invention comprehends a CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) system having a crystal having the structure defined by the co-ordinates of following Cystral Structure Table (the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure).
[00173] Figures 2A-C pertain to new SpCas9 nickases and provide A. Schematic showing catalytic domains of SpCas9, and sites of mutagenesis for putative new nickases. RuvC domains I, II, and III are shown in orange, HNH domain in white between RuvCII and RuvCIII. Domain sizes not drawn to scale. B. Schematic showing locations of sgRNAs used for testing double nicking: when sgRNAs are transfected singly (A1 or C1 alone) with SpCas9 nickases, no indels should result. The combination of A1 + C1, used in combination with RuvCIII mutation nickases result in 5’-overhang, where as D1 + A1 and C7 + A1 would result in 3’-overhangs. Conversely, those three combinations used with HNH mutation nickases would result in 3’-, 5’-, and 5’- overhangs, respectively. C. Surveyor test showing 1 HNH mutant that retains nuclease activity (N854A), and 1 HNH mutant that shows nickase activity (N863A), as well as 2 RuvCIII mutants that show nickase activity (H983A, D986A).
[00174] In this Example, five potential nicking mutation sites were chosen based on sequence homology between Cas9 orthologs. And three additional sites were chosen based on herein crystallography data. A subset of these sets of nickase mutant Cas9s were re-cloned to incorporate both N’ and C’-NLS sequences that are identical to those of optimized SpCas9. Sequences are below.
[00175] Nickase mutants were re-cloned to incorporated designated mutations into pAAV- vector under Cbh promoter and sequence validated.
[00176] Nuclease and double-nicking activities for all potential nickases were tested in HEK 293FT cells as follows: co-transfection of 400ng of nickase and 100 ng of U6-driven sgRNA (100ng for one guide, or 50ng each for a pair of sgRNAs) by Lipofectamine 2000 into ~200,000 cells. DNAs from transfected cells were collected for SURVEYOR analysis. Nickases do not result in indel mutations when co-transfected with a single sgRNA, but do when co-transfected with a pair of appropriately off-set sgRNAs. Based on data from the original D10A SpCas9 nickase, the pair of sgRNA chosen (A1/C1) for RuvC domain mutants have 0-bp offset and 5’- overhang for maximal cleavage.
[00177] Homology set: Mutant domain Functional? Cbh-hSpCas9(D10A)-NLS RuvCI nickase activity Cbh-hSpCas9(E762A)-NLS RuvCII
Cbh-hSpCas9(H840A)-NLS HNH no activity
Cbh-hSpCas9(N854A)-NLS HNH wt nuclease activity Cbh-hSpCas9(N863A)-NLS HNH nickase activity Cbh-hSpCas9(D986A)-NLS RuvCIII
[00178] Crystal set set: Mutant domain Functional? NLS-S15A-NLS RuvCI wt nuclease activity NLS-E762A-NLS RuvCII catalytically dead NLS-H982A-NLS RuvCIII wt nuclease activity NLS-H983A-NLS RuvCIII nickase activity NLS-D986A-NLS RuvCIII nickase activity
[00179] >NLS-S15A-NLS
[00180] ATGGCCCCAAAGAAGAAGCGGAAGGTCGGTATCCACGGAGTCCCAGCAG
[00189] Figures 5A-C pertain to truncating and creating chimeric Cas9s based on the herein crystal structure. These figures provide schematics illustrating A. SpCas9 mutants designed for
mapping out essential functional domains of Cas9 for truncation of protein. B. chimeric Cas9s that contain sequences (regions in pink) from Cas9 from S. thermophilus CRISPR 1, S. thermophilus CRISPR 3, Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria meningiditis, or other Cas9 orthologs. C. Designs for creating chemically inducible dimerization of SpCas9. The chemically inducible SpCas9 functions.
[00190] DNA sequences for chimeric Cas9s are optimized for human expression by GenScript and synthesized de novo. Chimeric Cas9 proteins can be constructed by cloning and ligating individual functional domains from Cas9 orthologs (i.e. by PCR-amplifying individual functional domains from a desired Cas9 ortholog, then assemblying the pieces together by either Gibson or Golden Gate-cloning). Additionallly, a set of chemically-inducible Cas9s were constructed as two-component systems, where one portion of the Cas9 protein is fused to FKBP, and the remainder fused to FRB (e.g. FKBP-Cas9(amino acids 1-1098), FRB-Cas(1099-1368)). In absence of chemical induction, co-transfection of the two inducible Cas9 components have no catalytic activity, but the functional assembly of the components may be induced using Rapamycin [5 nM to 10μM]. Example 5: Crystal Structure of Cas9 in complex with guide RNA and Target DNA
[00191] Cas9 is an RNA-guided nuclease from the microbial CRISPR-Cas system that can be targeted to specific genomic loci by single guide RNAs (sgRNAs). Applicants report the crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 in complex with sgRNA and its target DNA at 2.4 Å resolution. The structure revealed a bilobed architecture composed of target recognition and nuclease lobes, accommodating a sgRNA:DNA duplex in a positively-charged groove at their interface. Whereas the recognition lobe is essential for sgRNA and DNA binding, the nuclease lobe contains the HNH and RuvC nuclease domains, which are properly positioned for the cleavage of complementary and non-complementary strands of the target DNA, respectively. This high-resolution structure and accompanying functional analyses elucidate the molecular mechanism of RNA-guided DNA targeting by Cas9, paving the way for rational design of new and versatile genome-editing technologies.
[00192] The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat)-Cas system is a naturally occurring microbial adaptive immune system for defense against invading phages and other mobile genetic elements (Deveau et al., 2010; Horvath and Barrangou, 2010; Marraffini
and Sontheimer, 2010; Terns and Terns, 2011). Three types (I–III) of CRISPR-Cas systems have been functionally identified across a wide range of microbial species (Barrangou et al., 2007; Brouns et al., 2008; Marraffini and Sontheimer, 2008), each containing a cluster of CRISPR- associated (Cas) genes and its corresponding CRISPR array. These characteristic CRISPR arrays consist of repetitive sequences (direct repeats, referred to as repeats) interspaced by short stretches of non-repetitive sequences (spacers) derived from short segments of foreign genetic material (protospacers). The CRISPR array is transcribed and processed into short CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs), which direct Cas proteins to the target nucleic acids, DNA or RNA, via Watson-Crick base pairing to facilitate the nucleic acid destruction.
[00193] Type I and III CRISPR systems utilize ensembles of Cas proteins in complex with crRNA to mediate recognition and subsequent degradation of target nucleic acids (Spilman et al., 2013; Wiedenheft et al., 2011). In contrast, the Type II CRISPR system achieves recognition and cleavage of the target DNA (Garneau et al., 2010) via a single enzyme called Cas9 (Sapranauskas et al., 2011) along with two non-coding RNAs, the crRNA and a trans-activating crRNA (tracrRNA) (Deltcheva et al., 2011). The crRNA hybridizes with the tracrRNA to form a crRNA:tracrRNA duplex, which is then loaded onto Cas9 to direct cleavage of cognate DNA sequences bearing appropriate protospacer adjacent motifs (PAM) (Mojica et al., 2009).
[00194] The Type II CRISPR system was the first to be adapted for facilitating genome editing in eukaryotic cells (Cong et al., 2013; Mali et al., 2013b). The Cas9 protein from Streptococcus pyogenes, along with a single guide RNA (sgRNA), a synthetic fusion of crRNA and minimal tracrRNA (Jinek et al., 2012), could be programmed to instruct cleavage of virtually any sequence preceding a 5′-NGG PAM sequence in mammalian cells (Cong et al., 2013; Mali et al., 2013b). This unprecedented flexibility has enabled a broad range of applications including rapid generation of genetically modified cells and animal models (Gratz et al., 2013; Hwang et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2013; Yang et al., 2013), and genome-scale genetic screening (Qi et al., 2013; Shalem et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014).
[00195] However, despite brisk progress in the development of the Cas9 technology, the mechanism of how the Cas9–sgRNA complex recognizes and cleaves its target DNA remains to be elucidated. Up to date, biochemical analyses at the domain levels have enabled site-specific engineering to convert the native Cas9 into a DNA nicking enzyme (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012; Sapranauskas et al., 2011) that facilitates homology-directed repair in eukaryotic
cells (Cong et al., 2013; Mali et al., 2013b) and further cleaves DNA with improved specificity given appropriately paired sgRNAs (Mali et al., 2013a; Ran et al., 2013). Moreover, a catalytically inactive Cas9 can serve as a RNA-guided DNA-binding platform to target effector domains and modulate endogenous transcription (Gilbert et al., 2013; Konermann et al., 2013; Maeder et al., 2013; Perez-Pinera et al., 2013; Qi et al., 2013). These Cas9 engineering advances represent just the first steps of what is possible in fully realizing the potential of this flexible RNA-guided genome positioning system. A precise structural information on Cas9 will thus not only enhance the understanding of how this elegant RNA-guided microbial adaptive immune system functions, but also inform further improvements of Cas9 targeting specificity, simplification of in vitro and in vivo delivery, and engineering of Cas9 for novel functions and optimized features.
[00196] In this example, Applicants report the crystal structure of S. pyogenes Cas9 in complex with sgRNA and its target DNA at 2.4 Å resolution. This high-resolution structure along with functional analysis reveals the key functional interactions that integrate the guide RNA, target DNA, and Cas9 protein, paving the way towards enhancing Cas9 function as well as engineering novel applications.
[00197] Overall structure of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA ternary complex: Applicants solved the crystal structure of full-length S. pyogenes Cas9 (residues 1–1368; D10A/C80L/C574E/H840A) in complex with a 98-nucleotide (nt) sgRNA and a 23-nt target DNA, at 2.4 Å resolution, by the SAD (single-wavelength anomalous dispersion) method using a SeMet-labeled protein (Fig. 15 and Table 1). To improve the solution behavior of Cas9, Applicants replaced two less conserved cysteine residues (Cys80 and Cys574) with leucine and glutamic acid, respectively. This C80L/C574E mutant retained the ability to efficiently cleave genomic DNA in human embryonic kidney 293FT (HEK293FT) cells, confirming that these mutations have no effects on Cas9 nuclease function (Fig. 16). Additionally, to prevent cleavage of the target DNA during crystallization, Applicants replaced the two catalytic residues, Asp10 from the RuvC domain and His840 from the HNH domain, with alanine.
Table 1: Data collection and refinement statistics
–sgRNA–DNA ternary complexes (Mol A and Mol B). Although there are conformational differences between the two complexes, sgRNA and DNA are recognized by Cas9 in a similar manner. Most notably, while the HNH domain in Mol A is connected with the RuvC domain by a disordered linker, the HNH domain in Mol B is not visible in the electron density map, indicating the flexible nature of the HNH domain. Thus, Applicants first describe the structural features of Mol A unless otherwise
stated, and then discuss the structural differences between the two complexes, which suggest the conformational flexibility of Cas9.
[00199] The crystal structure revealed that Cas9 consists of two lobes, a recognition (REC) lobe and a nuclease (NUC) lobe (Fig. 8A–C). The REC lobe can be divided into three regions, a long α-helix referred to as Bridge helix (BH) (residues 60–93), the REC1 (residues 94–179 and 308–713), and REC2 (residues 180–307) domains (Fig. 8A–C). The NUC lobe consists of the RuvC (residues 1–59, 718–769, and 909–1098), HNH (residues 775–908), and PAM-interacting (PI) (residues 1099–1368) domains (Fig. 8A–C). The negatively-charged sgRNA:DNA hybrid duplex is accommodated in a positively-charged groove at the interface between the REC and NUC lobes (Fig. 8D). In the NUC lobe, the RuvC domain is assembled from the three split RuvC motifs (RuvC I–III), which interfaces with the PI domain to form a positively-charged surface that interacts with the 3′ tail of the sgRNA (Fig. 8D). The HNH domain lies in between the RuvC II–III motifs and forms only a few contacts with the rest of the protein.
[00200] The REC lobe of Cas9 interacted with the repeat:anti-repeat duplex: The REC lobe comprises the REC1 and REC2 domains. REC1 adopted an elongated, D-helical structure comprising 26 D-helices (D2–D5 and D12–D33) and two E-sheets (E6/E10 and E7–E9), whereas REC2 adopted a six-helix bundle structure (D6–D11) (Figs. 9A and 17). A Dali search (Holm and Rosenstrom, 2010) revealed that the REC lobe did not share structural similarity with other known proteins, indicating that it is a Cas9-specific functional domain.
[00201] The REC lobe is one of the least conserved regions across the three families of Cas9 within the Type II CRISPR system (IIA, IIB and IIC) and many Cas9s contain significantly shorter REC lobes (Figs. 18, 19). Applicants hypothesized that truncations in the REC lobe could be tolerated. As expected, and consistent with the observation that the REC2 domain does not contact the bound sgRNA:DNA hybrid duplex, a Cas9 mutant lacking the REC2 domain (Δ175– 307) showed ~50% of the wild-type Cas9 activity (Fig. 9B), indicating that the REC2 domain is not critical for DNA cleavage. The lower cleavage efficiency may be attributed in part to the reduced levels of Cas9 (Δ175–307) expression relative to that of the wild-type protein (Fig. 9C). In striking contrast, deletion of the crRNA repeat-interacting region (Δ97–150) or tracrRNA anti- repeat-interacting region (Δ312–409) of the REC1 domain abolished DNA cleavage activity (Fig. 9B), indicating that the recognition of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex by the REC1 domain is critical for Cas9 function.
[00202] The PAM-interacting (PI) domain confers PAM specificity: The NUC lobe contains the PI domain, which adopts an elongated structure comprising seven D-helices (D47–D53), a three-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E18–E20), a five-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E21–E23, E26 and E27), and two-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E24 and E25) (Figs. 9D and 17). Similar to the REC lobe, the PI domain also represents a novel protein fold unique to the Cas9 family.
[00203] The locations of the bound complementary strand DNA and the active site of the RuvC domain in the present structure suggest that the PI domain is positioned to recognize the PAM sequence on the non-complementary strand of the target DNA. Applicants tested whether replacement of the S. pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9; Cas9 in this study) PI domain with that of an orthologous Cas9 protein recognizing a different PAM would be sufficient to alter SpCas9 PAM specificity. The Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR-3 Cas9 (St3Cas9) shares ~60% sequence identity with SpCas9; furthermore, their crRNA repeats and tracrRNAs are interchangeable (Fonfara et al., 2013). However, SpCas9 and St3Cas9 require different PAM sequences (5′-NGG for Cas9 and 5′-NGGNG for St3Cas9) for target DNA cleavage (Fonfara et al., 2013).
[00204] Applicants swapped the two PI domains to generate two chimeras, Sp-St3Cas9 (SpCas9 with the PI domain of St3Cas9) and St3-SpCas9 (St3Cas9 with the PI domain of SpCas9), and examined their cleavage activities for target DNA sequences bearing 5′-NGG PAM (5′-GGGCT) or 5′-NGGNG PAM (5′-GGGCG) (Fig. 9E). SpCas9 and St3-SpCas9, but not St3Cas9, cleaved the target DNA with 5′-NGG PAM (Fig. 9E), indicating that the PI domain of SpCas9 is required for the recognition of 5′-NGG PAM and is sufficient to alter the PAM recognition of St3Cas9. Sp-St3Cas9 retained cleavage activity for the target DNA with 5′-NGG PAM, albeit at a lower level than that of SpCas9 (Fig. 9E). Additionally, deletion of the PI domain (Δ1099–1368) abolished the cleavage activity (Fig. 9E), indicating that the PI domain is critical for Cas9 function. These results reveal that the PI domain is a major determinant of PAM specificity.
[00205] The RuvC domain targets the non-complementary strand DNA: The RuvC domain consists of a six-stranded mixed E-sheet (E1, E2, E5, E11, E14 and E17) flanked by D-helices (D34, D35 and D40–D46) and two additional two-stranded antiparallel E-sheets (E3/E4 and E15/E16) (Figs. 10A and 17). It shares structural similarity with retroviral integrase superfamily members characterized by an RNase H fold, such as Escherichia coli RuvC (PDB code 1HJR,
13% identity, root-mean-square deviation (rmsd) of 3.4 Å for 123 equivalent CD atoms) (Ariyoshi et al., 1994) and Thermus thermophilus RuvC (PDB code 4LD0, 17% identity, rmsd of 3.4 Å for 129 equivalent CD atoms) (Ariyoshi et al., 1994) and Thermus thermophilus RuvC (PDB code 4LD0, 17% identity, rmsd of 3.4 Å for 129 equivalent CD atoms) (Gorecka et al., 2013) (Fig. 10B). RuvC nucleases have four catalytic residues (e.g., Asp7, Glu70, His143 and Asp146 in T. thermophilus RuvC), and cleave Holliday junctions through a two-metal mechanism (Ariyoshi et al., 1994; Chen et al., 2013; Gorecka et al., 2013). Asp10 (Ala), Glu762, His983 and Asp986 of the Cas9 RuvC domain are located at positions similar to those of the catalytic residues of T. thermophilus RuvC (Fig. 10A, B), consistent with the previous results that the D10A mutation abolished cleavage of the non-complementary DNA strand and that Cas9 requires Mg2+ ions for cleavage activity (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012). Moreover, alanine substitution of Glu762, His983 or Asp986 also converted Cas9 into nickases (Fig. 10C, D). Each nickase mutant was able to facilitate targeted double strand breaks using pairs of juxtaposed sgRNAs (Fig. 10C, D), as demonstrated with the D10A nickase previously (Ran et al., 2013). This combination of structural observations and mutational analysis suggest that the Cas9 RuvC domain cleaves the non-complementary strand of the target DNA through the two- metal mechanism previously observed for other retroviral integrase superfamily nucleases.
[00206] It is important to note that there are key structural dissimilarities between the Cas9 RuvC domain and RuvC nucleases, explaining their functional differences. Unlike the Cas9 RuvC domain, RuvC nucleases forms a dimer and recognize a Holliday junction (Gorecka et al., 2013) (Fig. 10B). In addition to the conserved RNase H fold, the RuvC domain of Cas9 has additional structural elements involved in the interactions with the guide:DNA duplex (an end- capping loop between D43 and D44), and the PI domain/stem loop 3 (E-hairpin formed by E3 and E4) (Fig. 10A).
[00207] The HNH domain targets the complementary strand DNA: The HNH domain comprises a two-stranded antiparallel E-sheet (E12 and E13) flanked by four D-helices (D36– D42) (Fig. 10E). Likewise, it shares structural similarity with HNH endonucleases characterized by a EED-metal fold, such as the phage T4 endonuclease VII (Endo VII) (Biertumpfel et al., 2007) (PDB code 2QNC, 8% identity, rmsd of 2.6 Å for 60 equivalent Cα atoms) (Fig. 10F) and Vibrio vulnificus nuclease (Li et al., 2003) (PDB code 1OUP, 8% identity, rmsd of 2.9 Å for 78
equivalent Cα atoms). HNH nucleases have three catalytic residues (e.g., Asp40, His41, and Asn62 in Endo VII), and cleave nucleic acid substrates through a single-metal mechanism (Biertumpfel et al., 2007; Li et al., 2003). In the structure of the Endo VII N62D mutant in complex with a Holliday junction, a Mg2+ ion is coordinated by Asp40, Asp62, and oxygen atoms of the scissile phosphate group of the substrate, while His41 acts as a general base to activate a water molecule for catalysis (Fig. 10F). Asp839, His840, and Asn863 of the Cas9 HNH domain correspond to Asp40, His41, and Asn62 of Endo VII, respectively (Fig. 10E), consistent with the observation that His840 is critical for the cleavage of the complementary DNA strand (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012). The N863A mutant functions as a nickase (Fig. 10C, D), indicating that Asn863 participates in catalysis. These observations suggest that the Cas9 HNH domain may cleave the complementary strand of the target DNA through a single-metal mechanism as observed for other HNH superfamily nucleases. However, in the present structure, Asn863 of Cas9 is located at a position different from that of Asn62 in Endo VII (Biertumpfel et al., 2007), whereas Asp839 and His840 (Ala) of Cas9 are located at positions similar to those of Asp40 and His41 of Endo VII, respectively (Fig. 10E, F). This might be due to the absence of divalent ions, such as Mg2+, in Applicants’ crystallization solution, suggesting that Asn863 can point towards the active site and participate in catalysis. Whereas the HNH domain shares a EED-metal fold with other HNN endonuclease, their overall structures are different (Fig. 10E, F), consistent with the differences in their substrate specificities.
[00208] sgRNA recognizes target DNA via Watson-Crick base pairing: The sgRNA consists of crRNA- and tracrRNA-derived sequences connected by an artificial tetraloop (Fig. 11A). The crRNA sequence can be subdivided into guide (20-nt) and repeat (12-nt) regions, and the tracrRNA sequence likewise into anti-repeat (14-nt) and three tracrRNA stem loops (Fig. 11A). The crystal structure reveals that the sgRNA binds the target DNA to form a T-shaped architecture comprising a guide:DNA duplex, repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loops 1–3 (Fig. 11A, B). The repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loop 1 are connected by a single nucleotide (A51), and stem loops 1 and 2 are connected by a 5-nt single-stranded linker (nucleotides 63– 67).
[00209] The guide (nucleotides 1–20) and target DNA (nucleotides 3′–23′) form the guide:DNA hybrid duplex via 20 Watson-Crick base pairs, with the conformation of the duplex distorted from a canonical A-form RNA duplex (Figs. 11B and 20). The crRNA repeat
(nucleotides 21–32) and tracrRNA anti-repeat (nucleotides 37–50) form the repeat:anti-repeat duplex via nine Watson-Crick base pairs (U22:A49–A26:U45 and G29:C40–A32:U37) (Fig. 11A, B). Within this region, G27, A28, A41, A42, G43, and U44 are unpaired, with A28 and U44 flipped out from the duplex (Fig. 11C). The nucleobases of G27 and A41 stack with the A26:U45 and G29:C40 pairs, respectively, and the 2-amino group of G27 interacts with the backbone phosphate group between G43 and U44, stabilizing the duplex structure (Fig. 11C). G21 and U50 form a wobble base pair at the three-way junction between the guide:DNA/repeat:anti-repeat duplexes and stem loop 1, stabilizing the T-shaped architecture (Fig. 11C).
[00210] As expected from the RNA-fold predictions of the nucleotide sequence, the tracrRNA 3′ tail (nucleotides 68–81 and 82–96) form stem loops 2 and 3 via four and six Watson-Crick base pairs (A69:U80–U72:A77 and G82:C96–G87:C91), respectively (Fig. 11A, B). Previously unappreciated, nucleotides 52–62 also form a stem loop (stem loop 1) via three Watson-Crick base pairs (G53:C61, G54:C60 and C55:G58), with U59 flipped out from the stem (Fig. 11A, B). Stem loop 1 is stabilized by the G62–G53:C61 stacking interaction and the G62–A51/A52 polar interactions (Fig. 11C).
[00211] The guide:DNA and repeat:anti-repeat duplexes are accommodated and deeply buried in a positively-charged groove at the interface of the two lobes, while the rest of the sgRNA extensively interacts with the positively-charged surface on the back side of the protein (Fig. 8D). In Mol A, the 3′-terminal bases of the target DNA (3′-ACC complementary to the PAM) are not visible in the electron density map. In contrast, the two adjacent bases (3′-AC) in Mol B are not recognized by Cas9, although they are structurally ordered due to the crystal packing interactions and are visible in the electron density map. These observations suggest that the 3′- ACC sequence complementary to the PAM (5′-TGG) is not recognized by Cas9, consistent with the previous biochemical data demonstrating that Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage requires the 5′- NGG PAM on the non-complementary strand, but not the 3′-NCC sequence on the complementary strand (Jinek et al., 2012).
[00212] Previous studies showed that although sgRNA with a 48-nt tracrRNA tail (referred to as sgRNA(+48)) is a minimal region for the Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage in vitro (Jinek et al., 2012), sgRNAs with extended tracrRNA tails, sgRNA(+67) and sgRNA(+85), dramatically improved Cas9 cleavage activity in vivo (Hsu et al., 2013). The present structure revealed that
sgRNA(+48), sgRNA(+67) and sgRNA(+85) contain stem loop 1, stem loops 1–2 and stem loops 1–3, respectively (Fig. 11A, B). These observations indicated that, whereas stem loop 1 is essential for the formation of the functional Cas9-sgRNA complex, stem loops 2 and 3 further support the stable complex formation as well as enhance sgRNA stability, thus improving the in vivo activity.
[00213] To confirm the significance of each sgRNA structural component on Cas9 function, Applicants tested a number of sgRNAs with mutations in the repeat:anti-repeat duplex, stem loops 1–3, and the linker between stem loops 1 and 2. Applicants’ results revealed that, whereas stem loops 2 and 3 as well as the linker region can tolerate a large number of mutations, the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loop 1 are critical for Cas9 function (Fig. 11D). Moreover, the sgRNA sequence can tolerate a large number of mutations (Fig. 11D, reconstructed sgRNA). These results highlight the functional significance of the structure-dependent recognition of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex by Cas9.
[00214] Conserved arginine cluster on Bridge helix play a critical role in sgRNA:DNA interaction: The crRNA guide region is primarily recognized by the REC lobe (Fig. 12A). The backbone phosphate groups of the crRNA guide region (nucleotides 4–6 and 13–20) interact with the REC1 domain (Arg165, Gly166, Arg403, Asn407, Lys510, Tyr515 and Arg661) and Bridge helix (Ala59, Arg63, Arg66, Arg70, Arg71, Arg74 and Arg78) (Fig. 12B), and the 2′- hydroxyl groups of C15, U16 and G19 hydrogen bond with Tyr450, Arg447/Ile448 and Thr404 in the REC1 domain (Fig. 12B), respectively. These observations suggested that the Watson- Crick faces of eight PAM-proximal nucleotides of the Cas9-bound sgRNA are exposed to the solvent, thus serving as a nucleation site for pairing with the target complementary strand. This is consistent with previous reports that the 10–12 bp PAM-proximal“seed” region is critical for Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage (Cong et al., 2013; Fu et al., 2013; Hsu et al., 2013; Jinek et al., 2012; Mali et al., 2013a; Pattanayak et al., 2013).
[00215] Mutational analysis demonstrated that the R66A, R70A and R74A mutations on Bridge helix markedly reduced DNA cleavage activities (Fig. 12C), highlighting the functional significance of the recognition of the sgRNA“seed” region by the Bridge helix. Although Arg78 and Arg165 also interact with the“seed” region, the R78A and R165A mutants showed only moderately decreased activities (Fig. 12C). These results may reflect that, whereas Arg66, Arg70 and Arg74 form bifurcated salt bridges with the sgRNA backbone, Arg78 and Arg165 form a
single salt bridge with the sgRNA backbone. A cluster of arginine residues on the Bridge helix are highly conserved among Cas9 proteins in the Type II-A–C systems (Figs. 18, 19), suggesting that the Bridge helix is a universal structural feature of Cas9 proteins involved in recognition of the sgRNA and target DNA. This notion is supported by a previous observation that a strictly conserved arginine residue, equivalent to Arg70 of S. pyogenes Cas9, is essential for the function of Francisella novicida Cas9 in the Type II-B system (Sampson et al., 2013). Moreover, the alanine mutation of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex-interacting residues (Arg75 and Lys163) and stem loop 1-interacting residue (Arg69) resulted in decreased DNA cleavage activity (Fig. 12C), confirming the functional importance of the recognition of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and stem loop 1 by Cas9.
[00216] The crRNA guide region is recognized by Cas9 in a sequence-independent manner except for the U16–Arg447 and G18–Arg71 interactions (Fig. 12A, B). This base-specific G18– Arg71 interaction may partly explain the observed preference of Cas9 for sgRNAs having guanines in the four PAM-proximal guide sequences (Wang et al., 2014).
[00217] The REC1 and RuvC domains facilitate RNA-guided DNA targeting: Cas9 recognizes the 20-bp DNA target site in a sequence-independent manner (Fig. 12A). The backbone phosphate groups of the target DNA (nucleotides 1′, 9′–11′, 13′, and 20′) interact with the REC1 (Asn497, Trp659, Arg661 and Gln695), RuvC (Gln926), and PI (Glu1108) domains. The C2′ atoms of the target DNA (nucleotides 5′, 7′, 8′, 11′, 19′, and 20′) form van der Waals interactions with the REC1 domain (Leu169, Tyr450, Met495, Met694 and His698) and RuvC domain (Ala728) (Fig. 12D). These interactions are likely to contribute towards discriminating between DNA vs. RNA targets by Cas9. The terminal base pair of the guide:DNA duplex (G1:C20′) is recognized by the RuvC domain via end-capping interactions (Fig. 12D); the nucleobases of sgRNA G1 and target DNA C20′ interact with the side chains of Tyr1013 and Val1015, respectively, whereas the 2′-hydroxyl and phosphate groups of sgRNA G1 interact with Val1009 and Gln926, respectively. These end-capping interactions are consistent with the previous observation that Cas9 recognizes a 17–20-bp guide:DNA duplex, and that extended guide sequences are degraded in cells and do not contribute to improving sequence specificity (Mali et al., 2013a; Ran et al., 2013). Taken together, these structural findings explain the RNA- guided DNA targeting mechanism of Cas9.
[00218] The repeat:anti-repeat duplex is recognized by the REC and NUC lobes in a sequence-dependent manner: The repeat:anti-repeat duplex is extensively recognized by the REC and NUC lobes (Fig. 12A). The backbone phosphate groups of the crRNA repeat (nucleotides 24, 26, and 27) and anti-repeat (nucleotides 41, 45, 46, and 48–50) interact with the REC1 domain (Arg115, His116, His160, Lys163, Arg340, and Arg403), PI domain (Lys1113), and Bridge helix (Lys76) (Fig. 12E, F). The 2′-hydroxyl groups of the crRNA repeat (nucleotides 22–24) and anti-repeat (nucleotides 43–45 and 47) hydrogen bond with the REC1 domain (Leu101, Ser104, Phe105, Ile135, Tyr359, and Gln402) and the PI domain (Ile1110 and Tyr1131).
[00219] In contrast to the sequence-independent recognition of the guide region, there are sequence-dependent interactions between Cas9 and the repeat:anti-repeat duplex. The nucleobase of the flipped U44 is sandwiched between the side chains of Tyr325 and His328, with its N3 atom hydrogen bonded with the carbonyl group of Tyr325, while that of unpaired G43 stacks with the side chain of Tyr359 and hydrogen bonds with the side chain of Asp364 (Fig. 12A, F). Finally, the nucleobases of U23/A49 and A42/G43 hydrogen bond with the side chain of Arg1122 and the main-chain carbonyl group of Phe351, respectively.
[00220] In the present structure, the repeat:anti-repeat duplex is recognized primarily by the REC lobe, which is divergent in sequence and length among Cas9 orthologs within the Type II- A–C systems (Figs. 18, 19), consistent with the previous observation that Cas9 and sgRNA are interchangeable only between closely related Type II systems (Fonfara et al., 2013). The three PAM-distal base pairs (C30:G39–A32:U37) are not recognized by Cas9 and protrude from the complex (Fig. 12A), consistent with a proposed model in which a Cas9-bound repeat:anti-repeat duplex is processed by the host RNase III enzyme (Deltcheva et al., 2011).
[00221] The nucleobases of G21 and U50 in the G21:U50 wobble pair stack with the terminal C20:G1′ pair in the guide:DNA duplex and the side chain of Tyr72 on Bridge helix, respectively, with the U50 O4 atom hydrogen bonded with the side chain of Arg75 (Fig. 12E). Notably, A51 adopts the syn-conformation, and is oriented in the direction opposite to U50 (Figs. 11C and 12G). The nucleobase of A51 is sandwiched between the Phe1105 side chain in the PI domain and the U63 nucleobase in the linker, with its N7 and N1 atoms hydrogen bonded with the main- chain amide group of Phe1105 and the G62 2′-hydroxyl group in stem loop 1, respectively (Fig. 12G). Whereas a repeat:anti-repeat duplex is diverse in sequence and length among the Type II-
A–C systems, the G21:U50 base pair is highly conserved among Cas9s (Fonfara et al., 2013), suggesting that this wobble pairing is a universal structural feature involved in the three-way junction formation.
[00222] To verify the sequence-dependent recognition of the repeat:anti-repeat duplex, Applicants evaluated the effect of repeat:anti-repeat mutations on Cas9-meditated DNA cleavage, and found multiple mutations that significantly reduce Cas9 activity (Fig. 12C). Notably, replacement of G43, which forms a base-specific hydrogen bond with Asp364, with adenine reduced Cas9 activity by over 3-fold. In addition, replacement of the flipped U44 in the repeat:anti-repeat duplex with adenine resulted in over a 5-fold drop in cleavage activity, whereas replacement of U44 with another pyrimidine base (cytosine) did not significantly affect cleavage activity (Fig. 12C). These results suggest that base-specific recognition of G43 and U44 could play an important role in sgRNA recognition by Cas9.
[00223] sgRNA stem loops 1–3 interact with Cas9: Stem loop 1 is primarily recognized by the REC lobe together with the PI domain (Fig. 12A). The backbone phosphate groups of stem loop 1 (nucleotides 52, 53, and 59–61) interact with the REC1 domain (Leu455, Ser460, Arg467, Thr472, and Ile473), PI domain (Lys1123 and Lys1124), and Bridge helix (Arg70 and Arg74), with the 2′-hydroxyl group of G58 hydrogen bonded with Leu455 in the REC1 domain. A52 interacts with Phe1105 through a face-to-edge S–S stacking interaction (Fig. 12G), and the flipped U59 nucleobase hydrogen bonds with the side chain of Asn77 (Fig. 12H).
[00224] Stem loops 2 and 3, and the single-stranded linker are primarily recognized by the NUC lobe (Fig. 12A); this contrasts with stem loop 1 and the guide:DNA/repeat:anti-repeat duplexes, which are recognized by both of the NUC and REC lobes. The backbone phosphate groups of the linker (nucleotides 63–65 and 67) interact with the RuvC domain (Glu57, Lys742, and Lys1097), PI domain (Thr1102), and Bridge helix (Arg69), with the 2′-hydroxyl groups of U64 and A65 hydrogen bonded with Glu57 and His721, respectively (Fig. 12I). The nucleobase of C67 hydrogen bonds with the main-chain amide group of Val1100 (Fig. 12I).
[00225] Stem loop 2 is recognized by Cas9 via the interactions between the NUC lobe and the non-Watson-Crick A68:G81 pair, which is formed by direct (between the A68 N6 and G81 O6 atoms) and water-mediated (between the A68 N1 and G81 N1 atoms) hydrogen-bonding interactions (Fig. 12J). The nucleobases of A68 and G81 contact the side chains of Ser1351 and Tyr1356, respectively, with the A68:G81 pair recognized by Thr1358 via a water-mediated
hydrogen bond (Fig. 12J). The 2′-hydroxyl group of A68 hydrogen bonds with the side chain of His1349, and the 2-amino group of G81 hydrogen bonds with the main-chain carbonyl group of Lys33 (Fig. 12J).
[00226] Stem loop 3 interacts with the NUC lobe more extensively relative to stem loop 2 (Fig. 12K). The backbone phosphate groups of C91 and G92 interact with the RuvC domain (Arg40 and Lys44) (Fig. 12K), while the nucleobases of G89 and U90 hydrogen bond with Gln1272 and Glu1225/Ala1227, respectively (Fig. 12K). The nucleobases of A88 and C91 are recognized by the side chain of Asn46 via multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions (Fig. 12K).
[00227] Structural flexibility of Cas9 and sgRNA: Although the HNH domain cleaves the complementary strand of the target DNA at a position three nucleotides upstream of the PAM sequence (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012), in the present structure the HNH domain is positioned away from the scissile phosphate group of the bound complementary strand (Fig. 13A). A structural comparison of Mol A and Mol B provided mechanistic insights into the complementary strand cleavage by the HNH domain. In Mol A, the HNH domain is followed by the D40 helix of the RuvC domain, which is connected with the D41 helix by an D40–D41 linker (residues 919–925) (Fig. 13A). Whereas in Mol A residues 913–925 form the C-terminal portion of the D43 helix and D43–D44 linker, in Mol B these residues form an extended D-helix, which is directed toward the cleavage site of the complementary strand (Fig. 13A). These observations suggest that the HNH domain can approach and cleave the target DNA through conformational changes in the segment connecting the HNH and RuvC domains.
[00228] Moreover, the structural comparison revealed a conformational flexibility between the REC and NUC lobes (Fig. 13B). Compared to Mol A, Mol B adopts a more open conformation, in which the two lobes are rotated by 15º at a hinge loop between Bridge helix and the strand E5 in the RuvC domain (Fig. 13B). The bound sgRNA also undergoes an accompanying conformational change at the single-stranded linker, which interacts with the hinge loop (Fig. 13C). Applicants also observed an accompanying displacement of the E17–E18 loop of the PI domain, which interacts with the repeat:anti-repeat duplex and the D2–D3 loop of the REC1 domain (Fig. 13B). Notably, there is no direct contact between the two lobes in the present structure, except for the interactions between the D2–D3 and E17–E18 loops (Fig. 13D),
suggesting that Cas9 is highly flexible in the absence of the sgRNA. The flexible nature of Cas9 is likely to play a role in the assembly of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA ternary complex.
[00229] The crystal structure of Cas9 in complex with guide RNA and target DNA reveals that the 20-bp heteroduplex formed by the crRNA guide region and the complementary strand of the target DNA is accommodated in the positively-charged groove at the interface between the REC and NUC lobes of Cas9, with the scissile phosphate group of the target properly positioned for cleavage by the HNH domain. Although the present structure does not contain the non- complementary DNA strand, the position of the bound complementary strand suggests that the scissile phosphate of the non-complementary strand is located in the vicinity of the active site of the RuvC domain, consistent with previous biochemical data (Gasiunas et al., 2012; Jinek et al., 2012). Furthermore, Applicants’ structural and functional analyses indicate that the PI domain participates in the recognition of the PAM sequence of the non-complementary strand.
[00230] Based on these observations, Applicants propose a model for the Cas9-catalyzed RNA-guided DNA cleavage (Fig. 14). Cas9 recognizes the PAM-proximal guide region and repeat:anti-repeat duplex of sgRNA to form a Cas9–sgRNA binary complex. The binary complex subsequently recognizes the DNA sequence complementary to the 20-nt guide region of the bound sgRNA, forming the final Cas9–sgRNA–target DNA ternary complex. During the ternary complex formation, the PI domain recognizes the PAM sequence of the non- complementary strand, facilitating the R-loop formation. Upon assembly of the ternary complex, the mobile HNH domain approaches and cleaves the complementary strand in the guide:DNA duplex, whereas the RuvC domain cleaves the single-stranded, non-complementary strand.
[00231] Applicants’ crystal structure provides a critical step towards understanding the molecular mechanism of RNA-guided DNA targeting by Cas9. Further structural and functional studies with S. pyogenes Cas9 or related orthologs, including the structural determination of the Cas9–sgRNA–DNA ternary complex containing the non-complementary strand, may be important for illuminating details such as Cas9-mediated recognition of PAM sequences on the target DNA or mismatch tolerance between the sgRNA:DNA duplex. However, the present structural and functional analyses already provide a useful scaffold for rational engineering of Cas9-based genome modulating technologies. Applicants reported, for example, an S. pyogenes Cas9 truncation mutant (Fig. 9B) that will facilitate packaging of Cas9 into size-constrained viral vectors for in vivo and therapeutic applications. Similarly, future engineering of the PI domain
allows for programming of PAM specificity, improving target site recognition fidelity, and increasing the versatility of the Cas9 genome engineering platform.
[00232] Experimental Procedures
Protein preparation: The gene encoding full-length S. pyogenes Cas9 (residues 1–1368) was cloned between the NdeI and XhoI sites of the modified pCold-GST vector (TaKaRa). The protein was expressed at 20°C in Escherichia coli Rosetta 2 (DE3) (Novagen), and was purified by Ni-NTA Superflow resin (QIAGEN). The eluted protein was incubated overnight at 4ºC with TEV protease to remove the GST-tag, and further purified by chromatography on Ni-NTA, Mono S (GE Healthcare) and HiLoad Superdex 200 16/60 (GE Healthcare) columns. The SeMet-labeled protein was prepared using a similar protocol for the native protein. The sgRNA was in vitro transcribed by T7 polymerase using a PCR-amplified template, and was purified on 10% denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The target DNA was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The purified Cas9 protein was mixed with sgRNA and DNA (molar ratio 1:1.5:2), and then the complex was purified using a Superdex 200 Increase column (GE Healthcare) in a buffer containing 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 150 mM NaCl and 1 mM DTT.
[00233] Crystallography: The purified Cas9–sgRNA–DNA complex was crystallized at 20ºC by the hanging-drop vapor diffusion method. Crystals were obtained by mixing 1 Pl of complex solution (A260 nm = 15) and 1 Pl of reservoir solution (12% PEG 3,350, 100 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 200 mM ammonium acetate, 150 mM NaCl and 100 mM NDSB-256).The SeMet-labeled protein was crystallized under conditions similar to those for the native protein. X-ray diffraction data were collected at 100 K on the beamlines BL32XU and BL41XU at SPring-8 (Hyogo, Japan). The crystals were cryoprotected in reservoir solution supplemented with 25% ethylene glycol. X-ray diffraction data were processed using XDS (Kabsch, 2010) . The structure was determined by the SAD method, using the 2.8 Å resolution data from the SeMet-labeled crystal. Forty of the potential 44 Se atoms were located using SHELXD (Sheldrick, 2008) and autoSHARP (delaFortelle and Bricogne, 1997). The initial phases were calculated using autoSHARP, and further improved by 2-fold NCS averaging using DM (Winn et al., 2011). The model was automatically built using PHENIX AutoSol (Adams et al., 2002), followed by manual model building using COOT (Emsley and Cowtan, 2004) and refinement using PHENIX (Adams et al., 2002). The resulting model was further refined using for native 2.4 Å resolution data.
[00234] Cell culture and transfection: Human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line 293FT (Life Technologies) or mouse Neuro 2a (Sigma-Aldrich) cell line was maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (HyClone), 2 mM GlutaMAX (Life Technologies), 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 Pg/ml streptomycin at 37°C with 5% CO2 incubation. Cells were seeded onto 24-well plates (Corning) at a density of 120,000 cells/well, 24 h prior to transfection. Cells were transfected using Lipofectamine 2000 (Life Technologies) at 70–80% confluency following the manufacturer’s recommended protocol. A total of 400 ng Cas9 plasmid and 100 ng of U6::sgRNA PCR product was transfected.
[00235] SURVEYOR nuclease assay for genome modification: 293FT cells were transfected with DNA as described above. Cells were incubated at 37ºC for 72 h post-transfection prior to genomic DNA extraction. Genomic DNA was extracted using the QuickExtract DNA Extraction Solution (Epicentre) following the manufacturer’s protocol. Briefly, pelleted cells were resuspended in QuickExtract solution and incubated at 65ºC for 15 min, 68°C for 15 min, and 98ºC for 10 min.
[00236] The genomic region flanking the CRISPR target site for each gene was PCR amplified, and products were purified using QiaQuick Spin Column (Qiagen) following the manufacturer’s protocol. 400 ng total of the purified PCR products were mixed with 2 Pl 10X Taq DNA Polymerase PCR buffer (Enzymatics) and ultrapure water to a final volume of 20 Pl, and subjected to a re-annealing process to enable heteroduplex formation: 95ºC for 10 min, 95ºC to 85ºC ramping at– 2ºC/s, 85ºC to 25ºC at– 0.25ºC/s, and 25ºC hold for 1 min. After re- annealing, products were treated with SURVEYOR nuclease and SURVEYOR enhancer S (Transgenomics) following the manufacturer’s recommended protocol, and analyzed on 4–20% Novex TBE poly-acrylamide gels (Life Technologies). Gels were stained with SYBR Gold DNA stain (Life Technologies) for 30 min and imaged with a Gel Doc gel imaging system (Bio-rad). Quantification was based on relative band intensities. Indel percentage was determined by the formula, 100 x (1 - (1 - (b + c) / (a + b + c))1/2), where a is the integrated intensity of the undigested PCR product, and b and c are the integrated intensities of each cleavage product.
[00237] Western blot: HEK 293FT cells were transfected and lysed in 1X RIPA buffer (Sigma-Aldrich) supplemented with Protease Inhibitor (Roche). Lysates were loaded onto Bolt 4–12% Bis-Tris Plus Gel (Invitrogen) and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Membranes were blocked in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.1% Tween-20 and 5% blocking agent (G-
[00239] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing
the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
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Claims
1. A computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential compounds to fit within or bind to CRISPR-cas9 system or a functional portion thereof or vice versa (a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems or a functional portion thereof for binding to desired compounds) comprising:
using a computer system, e.g., a programmed computer comprising a processor, a data storage system, an input device, and an output device, the steps of:
(a) inputting into the programmed computer through said input device data comprising the three-dimensional co-ordinates of a subset of the atoms from or pertaining to the CRISPR- cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”), e.g., in the CRISPR-cas9 system binding domain or alternatively or additionally in domains that vary based on variance among cas9 orthologs or as to cas9s or as to nickases or as to functional groups, optionally with structural information from CRISPR-cas9 system complex(es), thereby generating a data set;
(b) comparing, using said processor, said data set to a computer database of structures stored in said computer data storage system, e.g., structures of compounds that bind or putatively bind or that are desired to bind to a CRISPR-cas9 system or as to cas9 orthologs (e.g., as cas9s or as to domains or regions that vary amongst cas9 orthologs) or as to the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) or as to nickases or as to functional groups;
(c) selecting from said database, using computer methods, structure(s)—e.g., CRISPR- cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, truncated cas9s, novel nickases or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems;
(d) constructing, using computer methods, a model of the selected structure(s); and (e) outputting to said output device the selected structure(s);
and optionally synthesizing one or more of the selected structure(s);
and further optionally testing said synthesized selected structure(s) as or in a CRISPR- cas9 system.
2. A computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems (e.g., with regard to predicting areas of the CRISPR-cas9 system to be able to be manipulated—for instance, based on crystral structure data or based on data of cas9 orthologs, or with respect to where a functional group such as an activator or repressor can be attached to the CRISPR-cas9 system, or as to cas9 truncations or as to designing nickases), comprising:
using a computer system, e.g., a programmed computer comprising a processor, a data storage system, an input device, and an output device, the steps of:
(a) inputting into the programmed computer through said input device data comprising the three-dimensional co-ordinates of a subset of the atoms from or pertaining to the CRISPR- cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”), e.g., in the CRISPR-cas9 system binding domain or alternatively or additionally in domains that vary based on variance among cas9 orthologs or as to cas9s or as to nickases or as to functional groups, optionally with structural information from CRISPR-cas9 system complex(es), thereby generating a data set;
(b) comparing, using said processor, said data set to a computer database of structures stored in said computer data storage system, e.g., structures of compounds that bind or putatively bind or that are desired to bind to a CRISPR-cas9 system or as to cas9 orthologs (e.g., as cas9s or as to domains or regions that vary amongst cas9 orthologs) or as to the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) or as to nickases or as to functional groups;
(c) selecting from said database, using computer methods, structure(s)—e.g., CRISPR- cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, truncated cas9s, novel nickases or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems;
(d) constructing, using computer methods, a model of the selected structure(s); and (e) outputting to said output device the selected structure(s);
and optionally synthesizing one or more of the selected structure(s);
and further optionally testing said synthesized selected structure(s) as or in a CRISPR- cas9 system.
3. A computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential compounds to fit within or bind to CRISPR-cas9 system or a functional portion thereof or vice versa (a computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems or a functional portion thereof for binding to desired compounds) comprising:
providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”), e.g., at least two atoms of the Crystal Structure Table of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure or co-ordinates of at least a sub-domain of the CRISPR- cas9 crystral structure (“selected co-ordinates”), providing the structure of a candidate comprising a binding molecule or of portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, or the structure of functional groups, and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co-ordinates, to thereby obtain product data comprising CRISPR-cas9 structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, truncated cas9s, novel nickases, or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems, with output thereof; and optionally synthesizing compound(s) from said product data and further optionally comprising testing said synthesized compound(s) as or in a CRISPR-cas9 system.
4. A computer-assisted method for identifying or designing potential CRISPR-cas9 systems (e.g., with regard to predicting areas of the CRISPR-cas9 system to be able to be manipulated—for instance, based on crystral structure data or based on data of cas9 orthologs, or with respect to where a functional group such as an activator or repressor can be attached to the CRISPR-cas9 system, or as to cas9 truncations or as to designing nickases), comprising:
providing the co-ordinates of at least two atoms of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”), e.g., at least two atoms of the Crystal Structure Table of the CRISPR-cas9 crystal structure or co-ordinates of at least a sub-domain of the CRISPR- cas9 crystral structure (“selected co-ordinates”), providing the structure of a candidate comprising a binding molecule or of portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, e.g., based on data from other portions of the CRISPR-cas9 crystral structure and/or from cas9 orthologs, or the structure of functional groups, and fitting the structure of the candidate to the selected co-ordinates, to thereby obtain product data comprising CRISPR-cas9
structures that may bind to desired structures, desired structures that may bind to certain CRISPR-cas9 structures, portions of the CRISPR-cas9 system that may be manipulated, truncated cas9s, novel nickases, or particular functional groups, or positions for attaching functional groups or functional-group-CRISPR-cas9 systems, with output thereof; and optionally synthesizing compound(s) from said product data and further optionally comprising testing said synthesized compound(s) as or in a CRISPR-cas9 system.
5. The method of any one of claims 1 -4 testing further comprising analyzing the CRISPR-cas9 system resulting from said synthesized selected structure(s), e.g., with respect to binding, or performing a desired function.
6. An output in any of the methods of claims 1 -5 comprising data transmission, e.g., transmission of information via telecommunication, telephone, video conference, mass communication, e.g., presentation such as a computer presentation (eg POWERPOINT), internet, email, documentary communication such as a computer program (eg WORD) document and the like.
7. A computer readable media containing: atomic co-ordinate data according to the Crystal Structure Table of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of Crystal Structure Table and/or the Figures.
8. The computer readable media of claim 7 further comprising any data of the foregoing methods.
9. A computer system for generating or performing rational design as in the methods of claims 1-5 containing either: atomic co-ordinate data according to the Crystal Structure Table of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) and/or the Figures, said data defining the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the Crystal Structure Table of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) and/or the Figures.
10. A method of doing business comprising providing to a user the computer system or the media or the three dimensional structure of CRISPR-cas9 or at least one sub-domain thereof, or structure factor data for CRISPR-cas9, said structure set forth in and said structure factor data being derivable from the atomic co-ordinate data of the Crystal Structure Table of
Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) and/or the Figures, or the herein computer media or a herein data transmission.
11. A CRISPR-cas9 (S. pyogenes) system having the crystal structure of Example 1 (“the Crystal Structure Table”) and/or having an X-ray diffraction pattern corresponding to or resulting from any or all of the foregoing and/or a crystal having the structure defined by at least 2, at least 50, at least 100 or all co-ordinates of the Crystal Structure Table.
.
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US20160340660A1 (en) | 2016-11-24 |
US20200080067A1 (en) | 2020-03-12 |
WO2015089364A9 (en) | 2015-08-06 |
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