浅谈2020年诺贝尔化学奖：通向未来的基因编辑

The 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to two female scientists, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, to recognize their seminal contribution to the invention of CRISPR technology for genome editing. CRISPR system enables new generation of gene editing through RNA-based recognition of double-stranded DNA. Empowered by its high efficiency, accuracy and programmability, CRISPR technology has revolutionized modern biology, and has been widely applied in basic research, gene therapy, animal and plant breeding. Here, we briefly introduce the discovery of CRISPR system and the scientific stories behind, and discuss the on-going development and future directions of many gene-editing related technologies.     

Bioorthogonal Reaction-Mediated Tumor-Selective Delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 System for Dual-Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy

CRISPR system-assisted immunotherapy is an attractive option in cancer therapy. However, its efficacy is still less than expected due to the limitations in delivering the CRISPR system to target cancer cells. Here, we report a new CRISPR/Cas9 tumor-targeting delivery strategy based on bioorthogonal reactions for dual-targeted cancer immunotherapy. First, selective in vivo metabolic labeling of cancer and activation of the cGAS-STING pathway was achieved simultaneously through tumor microenvironment (TME)-biodegradable hollow manganese dioxide (H-MnO₂) nano-platform. Subsequently, CRISPR/Cas9 system-loaded liposome was accumulated within the modified tumor tissue through in vivo click chemistry, resulting in the loss of protein tyrosine phosphatase N2 (PTPN2) and further sensitizing tumors to immunotherapy. Overall, our strategy provides a modular platform for precise gene editing in vivo and exhibits potent antitumor response by boosting innate and adaptive antitumor immunity.     

CRISPR Mediated Biosensing Toward Understanding Cellular Biology and Point-of-Care Diagnosis

Recent advances in CRISPR based biotechnologies have greatly expanded our capabilities to repurpose CRISPR for the development of biomolecular sensors for diagnosing diseases and understanding cellular pathways. The key attribute that allows CRISPR to be widely utilized is the programmable and highly selective mechanism. In this Minireview, we first illustrate the molecular principle of CRISPR functioning process from sensing to actuating. Next, the CRISPR based biosensing strategies for nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules are summarized. We highlight some of recent advances in applications for in vitro detection of biomolecules and in vivo imaging of cellular networks. Finally, the challenges with, and exciting prospects of, CRISPR based biosensing developments are discussed.     

Exploring the Trans‐Cleavage Activity of CRISPR‐Cas12a (cpf1) for the Development of a Universal Electrochemical Biosensor

An accurate, rapid, and cost‐effective biosensor for the quantification of disease biomarkers is vital for the development of early‐diagnostic point‐of‐care systems. The recent discovery of the trans‐cleavage property of CRISPR type V effectors makes CRISPR a potential high‐accuracy bio‐recognition tool. Herein, a CRISPR‐Cas12a (cpf1) based electrochemical biosensor (E‐CRISPR) is reported, which is more cost‐effective and portable than optical‐transduction‐based biosensors. Through optimizing the in vitro trans‐cleavage activity of Cas12a, E‐CRIPSR was used to detect viral nucleic acids, including human papillomavirus 16 (HPV‐16) and parvovirus B19 (PB‐19), with a picomolar sensitivity. An aptamer‐based E‐CRISPR cascade was further designed for the detection of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) protein in clinical samples. As demonstrated, E‐CRISPR could enable the development of portable, accurate, and cost‐effective point‐of‐care diagnostic systems.     

一种快速有效鉴定CRISPR/Cas9诱导水稻突变体的方法

突变体的筛选与鉴定是育种工作中的重要环节。该研究基于高光谱成像技术实现了水稻CRISPR/Cas9突变体种子的可视化鉴别。采集了水稻HD野生型和CRISPR/Cas9突变体种子共1 200粒样本的高光谱图像数据,通过Kennard-Stone算法,按照2∶1的比例构建了建模集(800)和预测集(400)。对水稻种子的原始光谱经过WT预处理后,通过2nd derivative提取了24个特征波长,分别基于全谱和特征波长建立径向基函数神经网络(RBFNN),极限学习机(ELM)和K最邻近法(KNN)模型。试验结果表明,无论是基于全谱还是特征波长神经网络模型都取得了良好的识别能力。通过2nd derivative提取的特征波长结合RBFNN模型也取得了较好的鉴别结果,其建模集和预测集分别达到了92.25%和89.50%。基于2nd derivative-RBFNN结合图像处理技术,可以实现水稻CRISPR/Cas9突变体种子的可视化鉴别,实现种子的定位和识别。结果表明应用高光谱成像技术,结合化学计量学方法和图像处理技术对水稻CRISPR/Cas9突变体的鉴别具有可行性,可为水稻育种中大量突变体的快速、准确地筛选和鉴定提供技术手段。