A light-inducible CRISPR-Cas9 system for control of endogenous gene activation

• Published in: Nature chemical biology Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 198 - 200
• Main Authors: Polstein, Lauren R, Gersbach, Charles A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.03.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/106; 13/109; 13/31; 13/44; 14/35; 38/109; 38/44; 38/77; 38/90; 631/337/572; 631/92/500; 631/92/552; 631/92/96; Biochemical Engineering; Biochemistry; Biology; Bioorganic Chemistry; brief-communication; Cell Biology; Chemistry; Chemistry/Food Science; CRISPR; CRISPR-Cas Systems - drug effects; CRISPR-Cas Systems - radiation effects; Cryptochromes - genetics; DNA - genetics; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation - radiation effects; Genomes; Humans; Light; Optogenetics; Plasmids - genetics; Protein Engineering; Proteins; RNA - biosynthesis; RNA - genetics; Streptococcus pyogenes - enzymology; Streptococcus pyogenes - genetics; Transcription, Genetic - drug effects; Transcriptional Activation - drug effects; Transcriptional Activation - radiation effects; North Carolina; United States > US
• ISSN: 1552-4450; 1552-4469
• DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1753

Modification of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system by the addition of the light inducible proteins CRY2 and CIBI1 enables blue light–mediated transcription of endogenous genes in mammalian cells. Optogenetic systems enable precise spatial and temporal control of cell behavior. We engineered a light-activated CRISPR-Cas9 effector (LACE) system that induces transcription of endogenous genes in the presence of blue light. This was accomplished by fusing the light-inducible heterodimerizing proteins CRY2 and CIB1 to a transactivation domain and the catalytically inactive dCas9, respectively. The versatile LACE system can be easily directed to new DNA sequences for the dynamic regulation of endogenous genes.