Transposase-assisted target-site integration for efficient plant genome engineering

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Liu, Peng; Panda, Kaushik; Edwards, Seth A.; Swanson, Ryan; Yi, Hochul; Pandesha, Pratheek; Hung, Yu-Hung; Klaas, Gerald; Ye, Xudong; Collins, Megan V.; Renken, Kaili N.; Gilbertson, Larry A.; Veena, Veena; Hancock, C. Nathan; Slotkin, R. Keith
• 署名单位: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; University of Missouri System; University of Missouri Columbia; Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; Washington University (WUSTL); Bayer AG; Bayer CropScience
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-3696
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07613-8
• 发表日期: 2024-07-18
• 关键词: p-element transposase; gene; endonuclease; expression; repair

摘要

The current technologies to place new DNA into specific locations in plant genomes are low frequency and error-prone, and this inefficiency hampers genome-editing approaches to develop improved crops1,2. Often considered to be genome 'parasites', transposable elements (TEs) evolved to insert their DNA seamlessly into genomes3-5. Eukaryotic TEs select their site of insertion based on preferences for chromatin contexts, which differ for each TE type6-9. Here we developed a genome engineering tool that controls the TE insertion site and cargo delivered, taking advantage of the natural ability of the TE to precisely excise and insert into the genome. Inspired by CRISPR-associated transposases that target transposition in a programmable manner in bacteria10-12, we fused the rice Pong transposase protein to the Cas9 or Cas12a programmable nucleases. We demonstrated sequence-specific targeted insertion (guided by the CRISPR gRNA) of enhancer elements, an open reading frame and a gene expression cassette into the genome of the model plant Arabidopsis. We then translated this system into soybean-a major global crop in need of targeted insertion technology. We have engineered a TE 'parasite' into a usable and accessible toolkit that enables the sequence-specific targeting of custom DNA into plant genomes. Fusion of rice Pong transposase to the Cas9 or Cas12a programmable nucleases provides sequence-specific targeted insertion of enhancer elements, an open reading frame and gene expression cassette into the genome of the model plant Arabidopsis and crop soybean.