transfection, isolation, and screening of the cenp-e knockout hela cells

Centromere-Associated Protein-E Gene Editing Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

Engineered genome editing mediates the targeted modifications of genes in a variety of cells and organisms. In eukaryotes, site-specific mutagenesis can be introduced by the applications of sequence-specific nucleases that stimulate homologous recombination of target DNA1. In recent years, several genome editing technologies, including zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs)2,3, transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs)4,5, and homing meganucleases6,7, have been engineered to cleave genomes at specific sites, but these approaches require complex protein engineering and redundant experimental procedures. Studies have shown that the type II prokaryotic clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas system is an efficient gene editing technology, which specifically mediates RNA-guided, site-specific DNA cleavage in a wide variety of cells and species8,9,10,11. The CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout technology has revolutionized the fields of basic biology, biotechnology, and medicine12.
Bacteria and most archaea have evolved an RNA-based adaptive immune system that uses CRISPR and Cas proteins to identify and destroy viruses and plasmids13. Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) endonuclease contains the RuvC-like Holliday junction resolvase (RuvC) and His-Asn-His (HNH) domain, which can efficiently mediate sequence-specific, double-stranded breaks (DSBs) by providing a synthetic single-guide RNA (sgRNA) containing CRISPR RNAs (crRNA) and trans-activating crRNA (tracrRNA)14,15,16. DSBs can be repaired through the indel-forming non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR) pathway, which introduces multiple mutations, including insertions, deletions, or scar-less single nucleotide substitutions, in mammalian cells1,8. Both the error-prone NHEJ and the high-fidelity HDR pathway can be used to mediate gene knockout through insertions or deletions, which can cause frameshift mutations and premature stop codons10.
Kinesin-7 CENP-E is required for kinetochore-microtubule attachment and chromosome alignment during cell division17,18,19. Antibody microinjection20,21, siRNA depletion22,23, chemical inhibition24,25,26, and genetic deletion27,28,29 of CENP-E leads to chromosome misalignment, the activation of spindle assembly checkpoint and mitotic defects, which results in aneuploidy and chromosomal instability19,30. In mice, CENP-E deletion results in abnormal development and embryonic lethality at the very early stages of development27,29,31. Genetic deletion of CENP-E usually leads to chromosome misalignment and cell death26,27,29, which is an obstacle in studying the functions and mechanisms of the CENP-E proteins.
A recent study has established a conditional CENP-E knockout cell line using an Auxin-inducible CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing method32, which enables rapid degradation of CENP-E proteins in a relatively short time33. However, to date, stable CENP-E knockout cell lines have not been established, which is an unresolved technical challenge in CENP-E biology. Considering genetic robustness34, genetic compensation responses35,36,37, and complex intracellular environments, as the direct consequences of complete deletion of CENP-E may be complex and unpredictable, it is important to establish CENP-E knockout cell lines for the investigation of mechanisms of chromosome alignment, spindle assembly checkpoint, and downstream signaling pathways.
The discovery and applications of CENP-E inhibitors are important for cancer treatment. To date, seven types of CENP-E inhibitors have been found and synthesized, including GSK923295 and its derivatives24,25, PF-277138,39, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine scaffold derivatives40,41, compound-A42,43, syntelin44,45, UA6278446, and benzo[d]pyrrolo[2,1-b]thiazole derivatives47. Among these inhibitors, GSK923295 is an allosteric and efficient CENP-E inhibitor that binds to the motor domain of CENP-E and inhibits CENP-E microtubule-stimulated ATPase activity with a Ki of 3.2 &#177; 0.2 nM24,25. However, compared with the inhibitory effects of GSK923295 on cultured cancer cells, the therapeutic effects of GSK923295 in clinical cancer patients are not ideal48,49, which also raised concerns about the specificity of GSK923295 for CENP-E. Moreover, the specificity and side effects of other CENP-E inhibitors on the CENP-E proteins are key issues in cancer research.
In this study, we have completely knocked out the CENP-E gene in HeLa cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Three optimized phenotype-based screening strategies have been established, including cell colony screening, chromosome alignment phenotypes, and the fluorescent intensities of CENP-E proteins, to improve the screening efficiency and success rate of CENP-E gene editing. Furthermore, CENP-E knockout cell lines can be used to test the specificity of candidate compounds for CENP-E.

Author Spotlight: Establishing &lt;em&gt;CENP-E&lt;/em&gt; Knockout HeLa Cells &amp;#8211; A Novel Approach to Study Kinesin-7 &lt;em&gt;CENP-E&lt;/em&gt; Biology and its Inhibitors

Generation of Centromere-Associated Protein-E CENP-E-/- Knockout Cell Lines using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

Genetic deletion of Kinesin-7 and CENP usually results in cell cycle arrest and cell death. The construction of stable CENP knockout cell lines is an important unresolved issue in CENP biology. In this study, we generated CENP knockout HeLa cells using a CRISPR/Cas9 system, and established three optimized screening strategies.Recently, several genome editing technologies, including zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and how we make our nucleases, has been engineered to cleave genomes at a specific size. The CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout technology has revolutionized basic biology, biotechnology, and medicine. CENP is essential for attaching kinetochores to microtubules and aligning chromosomes.Disrupting CENP, whether through antibody microinjection, sgRNA deletion, chemical inhibition, or genetic deletion, result in chromosome misalignment, mitotic defects, and often cell death, complicating the study of CENP protein mechanisms. In this study, three optimized phenotype-based screening strategies were established, including cell colony screening, chromosome alignment of phenotypes, and the fluorescent intensities of CENP proteins, which improved the screening efficiency and the experimental success rate. Importantly, CENP deletion results in chromosome misalignment, the abnormal location of BubR1 proteins, and mitotic defects.The interaction modes and the molecular mechanisms of CENP and its inhibitors are important research fields in cell biology and cancer research. In this study, the CENP knockout HeLa cell line has been established as a valuable tool for the validation of the specificity and the toxicity of CENP inhibitors.

Transfection, Isolation, and Screening of the CENP-E Knockout HeLa Cells

To begin, add 0.25%Trypsin-EDTA Solution to the HeLa cells and incubate at 37 degrees Celsius for two to three minutes. Gently dissociate the cells by pipetting and seed them in new plates at a ratio of one to four for cell passage. To transfect the plasmid into HeLa cells, mix one microgram of validated PX458 sgRNA plasmid, with 50 microliters of reduced serum medium in tube A.In tube B, gently mix two microliters of the transfection reagent and 50 microliters of reduced serum medium and incubate at room temperature for five minutes.Then, combine the contents from tubes A and B and incubate at room temperature for another five minutes. Add the mixture to the 12-well plate and incubate the cells at 37 degrees Celsius for six hours. At the end of the incubation, replace the medium with fresh DMEM medium.After 24 or 48 hours, assess the transfection efficiency by examining the HeLa cells under a fluorescence microscope. Dissociate the transfected HeLa cells fully using 0.25%trypsin EDTA and incubate at 37 degrees Celsius for three to five minutes. Next, count the cells using a Neubauer chamber or an automated cell counter.Plate the cells into three separate 96-well plates for each transfected population following serial dilution methods. Return the cells to a humidified incubator for one to two weeks. For phenotype-based screening and validation of CENP-E Knockout, dissociate and expand the cells in 24-well or 12-well plates for five to seven days.Screen the mutant cells with smaller colony diameters using an inverted microscope with 10 times and 20 times magnification objective lenses. Next, harvest the cells for DNA extraction by employing the Column Animal Genomic DNA Extraction Kit following the manufacturer's instructions and set up the polymerase chain reactions. Ligate the target DNA into the pMD18-T Vector as directed by the manufacturer's protocols.Transfect the ligated plasmid into competent DH5-Alpha cells, and proceed with the culture for clone selection. To identify the types of CENP-E Knockout, isolate the plasmid DNA with the help of a Plasmid Extraction Kit following the manufacturer's guidelines. Next, carry out Sanger sequencing for the plasmid DNA of each colony using M13 forward and reverse primers.Seed the wild type and CENP-E mutant HeLa cells on 12-millimeter glass cover slips in a 24-well plate. Remove the complete DMEM medium and fix the cells using a 4%paraformaldehyde and PBS solution at room temperature for 10 minutes. Next, stain the nuclei with DAPI at room temperature for five minutes.Observe and validate the CENP-E mutant cells based on chromosome alignment phenotype using a fluorescence microscope. The phenotypic screening of the colonies showed that the CENP-E Knockout cells showed increased chromosome misalignment compared to the control group.

transfection-isolation-and-screening-of-the-cenp-e-knockout-hela-cells

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

55 vistas.  Fujian Medical University. Para empezar, añade una solución de tripsina-EDTA al 0,25% a las células HeLa e incuba a 37 grados centígrados durante dos o tres minutos. Disocie suavemente las células mediante pipeteo y siembre en nuevas placas en una proporción de uno a cuatro para el paso celular. Para transfectar el plásmido en células HeLa, mezcle un microgramo de plásmido de sgRNA PX458 validado, con 50 microlitros de medio sérico reducido en el tubo A.In el tubo B, mezcle suavemente dos microlitros del reac...