INDUCIBLE DNA BINDING PROTEINS AND GENOME PERTURBATION TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF

• US 20150291966A1
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College (Harvard Corporation), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Broad Institute, Inc.
• Original Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College (Harvard Corporation), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Broad Institute, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Feng, Cong, Le, Konermann, Silvana, Sanjana, Neville Espi, Brigham, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/604,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20150291966A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/102 Mutagenizing nucleic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/62 DNA sequences coding for fusion proteins
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/63 Introduction of foreign genetic material using vectors; Vectors; Use of hosts therefor; Regulation of expression
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/635 Externally inducible repressor mediated regulation of gene expression, e.g. tetR inducible by tetracyline
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/86 Viral vectors
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2310/20 involving clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats [CRISPRs]
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2740/16043 viral genome or elements thereof as genetic vector
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2750/14143 viral genome or elements thereof as genetic vector
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/22 Ribonucleases RNAses, DNAses catalytic nucleic acids C12N15/113

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to methods and compositions used for the spatial and temporal control of gene expression that may use inducible transcriptional effectors. The invention particularly relates to inducible methods of altering or perturbing expression of a genomic locus of interest in a cell wherein the genomic locus may be contacted with a non-naturally occurring or engineered composition comprising a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) binding polypeptide.

Claims

1. An engineered, non-naturally occurring Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR associated (Cas) (CRISPR-Cas) vector system comprising one or more vectors comprising:

a) a first regulatory element operably linked to one or more nucleotide sequences encoding one or more CRISPR-Cas system polynucleotide sequences comprising a guide sequence, a tracr RNA, and a tracr mate sequence, wherein the guide sequence hybridizes with one or more target sequences in polynucleotide loci in a eukaryotic cell,

b) a second regulatory element operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a Type II Cas9 protein,

wherein components (a) and (b) are located on same or different vectors of the system,

wherein the CRISPR-Cas system comprises at least one switch,

whereby the activity of the system to target the one or more polynucleotide loci is controlled.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CRISPR-Cas system comprises a trans-activating cr (tracr) sequence.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the Cas9 protein is codon optimized for expression in the eukaryotic cell and/or the eukaryotic cell is a mammalian or human cell.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the Cas9 protein comprises two or more mutations;

or wherein the Cas9 protein comprises two or more mutations selected from the group consisting of D10A, E762A, H840A, N854A, N863A and D986A with reference to the position numbering of a Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 protein

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more vectors are viral vectors

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the viral vectors are selected from the group consisting of retroviral, lentiviral, adenoviral, adeno-associated and herpes simplex viral vectors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control as to the at least one switch or the activity of said system is activated, enhanced, terminated or repressed.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises at least one nuclear localization signal (NLS), functional domain, flexible linker, mutation, deletion, alteration or truncation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the inducer energy source is heat, ultrasound, electromagnetic energy, or chemical, a small molecule, a hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), rapamycin, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4OHT), estrogen or ecdysone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one switch is an antibiotic based inducible system, electromagnetic energy based inducible system, small molecule based inducible system, nuclear receptor based inducible system, hormone based inducible system, tetracycline (Tet) inducible system, light inducible system, ABA inducible system, 4OHT/estrogen inducible system, ecdysone-based inducible system or a FKBP12/FRAP (FKBP12-rapamycin complex) inducible system.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the inducer energy source is electromagnetic energy.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the electromagnetic energy is a component of visible light.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the component of visible light is blue light.

15. The system according to claim 8 wherein the at least one functional domain is a transposase domain, integrase domain, recombinase domain, resolvase domain, invertase domain, protease domain, DNA methyltransferase domain, DNA demethylase domain, histone acetylase domain, histone deacetylases domain, nuclease domain, transcriptional repressor domain, transcriptional activator domain, nuclear-localization signal domains, or cellular signal domain.

16. A method of modulating activity of the system of claim 1, comprising administering the inducer energy source to the system, wherein the activity of the system is controlled by contact with the inducer energy source.

14. The system according to claim 14 wherein the blue light has an intensity of at least 0.2 mW/cm².

17. An engineered, non-naturally occurring Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) system comprising a DNA binding polypeptide comprising:

a) a DNA binding domain comprising at least five or more Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) monomers and at least one or more half-monomers specifically ordered to target a locus of interest linked to an energy sensitive protein or fragment thereof, wherein the energy sensitive protein or fragment thereof undergoes a conformational change upon induction by an inducer energy source allowing it to bind an interacting partner, and/or

b) a DNA binding domain comprising at least one or more TALE monomers or half-monomers specifically ordered to target the locus of interest linked to the interacting partner, wherein the energy sensitive protein or fragment thereof binds to the interacting partner upon induction by the inducer energy source.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more vectors are viral vectors

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the viral vectors are selected from the group consisting of retroviral, lentiviral, adenoviral, adeno-associated and herpes simplex viral vectors.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the control as to the at least one switch or the activity of said system is activated, enhanced, terminated or repressed.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the system further comprises at least one nuclear localization signal (NLS), functional domain, flexible linker, mutation, deletion, alteration or truncation.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the inducer energy source is heat, ultrasound, electromagnetic energy, or chemical, a small molecule, a hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), rapamycin, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4OHT), estrogen or ecdysone.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one switch is an antibiotic based inducible system, electromagnetic energy based inducible system, small molecule based inducible system, nuclear receptor based inducible system, hormone based inducible system, tetracycline (Tet) inducible system, light inducible system, ABA inducible system, 4OHT/estrogen inducible system, ecdysone-based inducible system or a FKBP12/FRAP (FKBP12-rapamycin complex) inducible system.

24. The system according to claim 23 wherein the inducer energy source is electromagnetic energy.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the electromagnetic energy is a component of visible light.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the component of visible light is blue light.

27. The system according to claim 26 wherein the blue light has an intensity of at least 0.2 mW/cm².

28. The system according to claim 21 wherein the at least one functional domain is selected from the group consisting of:

transposase domain, integrase domain, recombinase domain, resolvase domain, invertase domain, protease domain, DNA methyltransferase domain, DNA demethylase domain, histone acetylase domain, histone deacetylases domain, nuclease domain, transcriptional repressor domain, transcriptional activator domain, nuclear-localization signal domains, or cellular signal domain.

29. A method of modulating activity of the system of claim 17, comprising administering the inducer energy source to the system, wherein the activity of the system is controlled by contact with the inducer energy source.