Molecular mechanism for Tn7-like transposon recruitment by a type I-B CRISPR effector.

Tn7-like transposons have co-opted CRISPR-Cas systems to facilitate the movement of their own DNA. These CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) are promising tools for programmable gene knockin. A key feature of CASTs is their ability to recruit Tn7-like transposons to nuclease-deficient CRISPR effectors. However, how Tn7-like transposons are recruited by diverse CRISPR effectors remains poorly understood. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure of a recruitment complex comprising the Cascade complex, TniQ, TnsC, and the target DNA in the type I-B CAST from Peltigera membranacea cyanobiont 210A. Target DNA recognition by Cascade induces conformational changes in Cas6 and primes TniQ recruitment through its C-terminal domain. The N-terminal domain of TniQ is bound to the seam region of the TnsC spiral heptamer. Our findings provide insights into the diverse mechanisms for the recruitment of Tn7-like transposons to CRISPR effectors and will aid in the development of CASTs as gene knockin tools.

Structural feature of type I CRISPR-Cas system and its application in gene editing / 中国药科大学学报

@#The CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated) system is an "adaptive immune system" found in the genomes of bacteria and archaea which is mediated by RNA and resists foreign nucleic acid invasion.Take advantage of specific recognition of target nucleic acid, CRISPR-Cas system can efficiently edit their target site or accurately regulate gene expression, and now have been developed into a powerful tool for gene editing.According to the different compositions of the effector complex, the system has been divided into two categories: class 1 (type I, type IV, and type III) and class 2 (type II, type V, and type VI).Class 2 system, like the CRISPR-Cas9, is widely used in basic research due to the earliest discovery and best research.However, class 1 has not been maturely developed and utilized though it makes up 90% of the entire CRISPR-Cas system.In this essay, the classification of subtype, the assembly of Cascade complex, the cleavage and degradation mechanism of Cas3, and the application in gene editing of class 1 type I CRISPR-Cas system will be discussed and summarized to provide new ideas and methods for further mechanism studying and application of this category.

Formation and Stoichiometry of CRISPR-Cascade Complexes with Varying Spacer Lengths Revealed by Native Mass Spectrometry.

The adaptive immune system of bacteria and archaea against viral DNA is based on clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) which are encoded in the host genome and translated into CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) containing single spacer sequences complementary to foreign DNA. crRNAs assemble with CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins forming surveillance complexes that base-pair with viral DNA and mediate its degradation. As specificity of degradation is provided by the crRNA spacer sequence, genetic engineering of the CRISPR system has emerged as a popular molecular tool, for instance, in gene silencing and programmed DNA degradation. Elongating or shortening the crRNA spacer sequence are therefore promising ventures to modify specificity toward the target DNA. However, even though the stoichiometry of wild-type complexes is well established, it is unknown how variations in crRNA spacer length affect their stoichiometry. The CRISPR-associated antiviral defense surveillance complexes of Streptococcus thermophilus (StCascade complexes) contain crRNA and five protein subunits. Using native mass spectrometry, we studied the formation and stoichiometry of StCascade complexes assembled on a set of crRNAs with different spacer lengths. We assigned all relevant complexes and gained insights into the stoichiometry of the complexes as well as their preferred assembly. We found that stable complexes, which incorporate or lose a (Cas7)2(Cse2)1-module, assemble on crRNA varied in length by 12-nucleotide units, while varying crRNA length in six-nucleotide units results in heterogeneous mixtures of complexes. Combining our results from the various variants, we generated an assembly pathway revealing general features of I-E type Cascade complex formation.