Leaderless Bicistronic Design for Precise and Reliable Control of Gene Expression in Corynebacterium Glutamicum.

In synthetic biology, the precise control of gene expression is challenging due to the limited orthogonality of expression elements. Here, to address this issue and improve the reusability of genetic elements, we developed a bicistronic expression cassette in Corynebacterium glutamicum based on a leaderless promoter lacking a 5'UTR. The created leaderless bicistronic design (BCD) significantly improved the orthogonality of expression elements across different genes of interest. We also explored the importance of the fore-cistron and SD motif in maintaining the strength of leaderless BCDs. Additionally, we established a library containing 55,901 fore-cistrons and demonstrated that the regulatory range of gene expression in leaderless BCDs can be broader by modifying the fore-cistron sequence. This study provides a novel synthetic biology tool based on leaderless BCD for fine-tuning gene expression in C. glutamicum using fore-cistrons. Moreover, the strategy developed here can also be applied to improve the performance of other leaderless promoters in other bacteria.

Inducible CRISPR genome-editing tool: classifications and future trends.

The discovery of CRISPR-Cas9/dCas9 system has reinforced our ability and revolutionized our history in genome engineering. While Cas9 and dCas9 are programed to modulate gene expression by introducing DNA breaks, blocking transcription factor recruitment or dragging functional groups towards the targeted sites, sgRNAs determine the genomic loci where the modulation occurs. The off-target problem, due to limited sgRNA specificity and genome complexity of many species, has posed concerns for the wide application of this revolutionary technique. To solve this problem and, more importantly, gain power over gene functionality and cell fate control, inducible strategies have been continuously evolved to offer tailored solutions to address specific biological questions. By reviewing recent advances in inducible CRISPR system design and critical elements potentially adding values to such systems, we classify current approaches in this domain into four mechanically distinct categories, namely, "split system", "allosteric system", "combinatorial system", and "transient delivery system", discuss the pros and cons of each system, and point out the under-explored areas and future directions, with the aim of enriching our toolbox of delicate life engineering.