Name: caprresi: chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion
Uploaded: 2017-06-25T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about CAPRRESI: Chimera Assembly by Plasmid Recovery and Restriction Enzyme Site Insertion at JoVE.com

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnolog&#237;a, CONACYT, M&#233;xico (grant number 154833) and Universidad Nacional Aut&#243;noma de M&#233;xico. The authors wish to thank V&#237;ctor Gonz&#225;lez, Rosa I. Santamar&#237;a, Patricia Bustos, and Soledad Ju&#225;rez for their administrative and technical advice.

1. CAPRRESI Protocol
NOTE: Figure 1 represents the overall CAPRRESI protocol. This technique is based on an in silico design and the subsequent construction of the desired chimeras.
<ol>
	<li>Selection of the cloning plasmid, pUC18 or pUC19.
	<ol>
		<li>Select the pUC vector that best fits technical demands. 
		NOTE: Both vectors have the same sequence, except for the orientation of the multiple cloning site. This is important for the design of...

<ol>
	<li>Horton, R. M., Hunt, H. D., Ho, S. N., Pullen, J. K., Pease, L. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Engineering+hybrid+genes+without+the+use+of+restriction+enzymes:+gene+splicing+by+overlap+extension.">Engineering hybrid genes without the use of restriction enzymes: gene splicing by overlap extension.</a> Gene. 77 (1), 61-68 (1989).</li><li>Vos, M. J., Kampinga, H. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+PCR+amplification+strategy+for+unrestricted+generation+of+chimeric+genes.">A PCR amplification strategy for unrestricted generation of chimeric genes.</a> Anal. Biochem. 380 (2), 338-340 (2008).</li><li>Hawkins, N. C., Garriga, G., Beh, C. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Creating+Precise+GFP+Fusions+in+Plasmids+Using+Yeast+Homologous+Recombination.">Creating Precise GFP Fusions in Plasmids Using Yeast Homologous Recombination.</a> Biotechniques. 34 (1), 1-5 (2003).</li><li>Sander, J. D., Joung, J. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CRISPR-Cas+systems+for+editing,+regulating+and+targeting+genomes.">CRISPR-Cas systems for editing, regulating and targeting genomes.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 32 (4), 347-355 (2014).</li><li>Nagy, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cre+recombinase:+The+universal+reagent+for+genome+tailoring.">Cre recombinase: The universal reagent for genome tailoring.</a> Genesis. 26 (2), 99-109 (2000).</li><li>Gibson, D. G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Enzymatic+assembly+of+DNA+molecules+up+to+several+hundred+kilobases.">Enzymatic assembly of DNA molecules up to several hundred kilobases.</a> Nature Methods. 6 (5), 343-345 (2009).</li><li>Norrander, J., Kempe, T., Messing, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Construction+of+improved+M13+vectors+using+oligodeoxynucleotide-directed+mutagenesis.">Construction of improved M13 vectors using oligodeoxynucleotide-directed mutagenesis.</a> Gene. 26 (1), 101-106 (1983).</li><li>Gruber, T. M., Gross, C. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multiple+sigma+subunits+and+the+partitioning+of+bacterial+transcription+space.">Multiple sigma subunits and the partitioning of bacterial transcription space.</a> Annu Rev Microbiol. 57, 441-466 (2003).</li><li>Edgar, R. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=MUSCLE:+multiple+sequence+alignment+with+high+accuracy+and+high+throughput.">MUSCLE: multiple sequence alignment with high accuracy and high throughput.</a> Nucleic Acids Res. 32 (5), 1792-1797 (2004).</li><li>Thompson, J. D., Gibson, T. J., Higgins, D. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multiple+sequence+alignment+using+ClustalW+and+ClustalX.">Multiple sequence alignment using ClustalW and ClustalX.</a> Curr Protoc Bioinformatics. , 1-22 (2002).</li><li>Sambrook, J., Russell, D. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecular+Cloning:+A+laboratory+manual.">Molecular Cloning: A laboratory manual.</a> CSHLP. , (2001).</li><li>Rutherford, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Artemis:+sequence+visualization+and+annotation.">Artemis: sequence visualization and annotation.</a> Bioinformatics. 16 (10), 944-945 (2000).</li></ol>

CAPRRESI was designed as an alternative to the PRM2. The original PRM is a powerful technique; it allows for the fusion of DNA sequences along any part of the selected genes. For PRM, wildtype genes should be cloned into the same plasmid. After that, oligonucleotides are designed inside wildtype and antibiotics resistance genes found on the plasmid. Plasmid disruption is achieved by PCR using blunt-ended, high-fidelity DNA polymerases and previously designed oligonucleotides. The ligation of compl...

Chimeric gene assembly has been widely used in molecular biology to elucidate protein function and/or for biotechnological purposes. Different methods exist for fusing genes, such as overlapping PCR product amplification1, plasmid recovery2, homologous recombination3, CRISPR-Cas9 systems4, site-directed recombination5, and Gibson assembly6. Each of these offers different technical advantages; for example, the flexibility of overlapping PCR design, the in vivo selection of constructions during plasmid recovery, or the high efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 and Gibson systems. On the other hand, some difficulties can arise while performing some of these methods; for example, the first two approaches rely on blunt-ended DNA fragments, and ligation of these types of products could be technically challenging compared to sticky-ended ligation. Site-directed recombination can leave traces of extra DNA sequences (scars) on the original, like in the Cre-loxP system5. CRISPR-Cas9 can sometimes modify other genome regions in addition to the target site4.
Here, we introduce chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion (CAPRRESI), a protocol for fusing protein-coding genes that combines the plasmid recovery method (PRM) with the insertion of restriction enzyme sites on synonym DNA sequences, enhancing ligation efficiency. To ensure amino acid sequence integrity, restriction enzyme sites are inserted on synonym DNA sequence stretches. Among the benefits of CAPPRESI are that it can be performed using ordinary laboratory reagents/tools (e.g., enzymes, competent cells, solutions, and thermocycler) and that it can give quick results (when the appropriate enzymes are used). Relying on restriction enzyme sites that emerge from synonym DNA sequences can limit the selection of the exact fusion points inside the proteins of interest. In such cases, target genes should be fused using overlapping oligonucleotides, and restriction enzyme sites should be inserted onto the resistance gene of the vector.
CAPRRESI consists of seven simple steps (Figure 1): 1) selection of the cloning vector, pUC18 or pUC196; 2) in silico analysis of the wildtype sequences to be fused; 3) selection of breaking regions for chimera assembly and plasmid disruption; 4) in silico generation of synonym DNA sequences containing restriction enzyme sites; 5) independent cloning of the wildtype genes into the selected plasmid; 6) plasmid disruption by PCR, followed by restriction enzyme digestion; and 7) plasmid recovery using DNA ligation and bacterial transformation. Chimeric genes produced by this technique should be verified with sequencing.
The pUC18/19 vectors offer technical advantages for cloning and chimera assembly, such as small size (i.e., 2,686 base pairs), high copy number, advantageous sequencing reaction features, and commercial availability7. Here, an Escherichia coli host was used to assemble and handle the chimeras because bacterial cultures are cheap and grow fast. Given this, subsequent cloning of the fusion fragments into the final target plasmids will be needed (e.g., expression vectors as pRK415 in bacteria or pCMV in mammalian cells).
CAPRRESI was tested for fusing two primary sigma factor genes: E. colirpoD and Rhizobium etlisigA. Primary sigma factors are RNA polymerase subunits responsible for transcription initiation, and they consist of four domains (i.e., &#963;1, &#963;2, &#963;3, and &#963;4)8. The amino acid sequence length of proteins encoded by rpoD and sigA are 613 and 685, respectively. RpoD and SigA share 48% identity (98% coverage). These primary sigma factors were split into two complementary fragments between regions &#963;2 and &#963;3. Two chimeric genes were assembled according to this design: chimera 01 (RpoD&#963;1-&#963;2 + SigA&#963;3-&#963;4) and chimera 02 (SigA&#963;1-&#963;2 + RpoD&#963;3-&#963;4). DNA fusion products were verified by sequencing.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="756">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Platinum Taq DNA polymerase High Fidelity</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">11304011</td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Produces a mix of blunt/3&#8217;-A overhang ended PCR products</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">High pure plasmid isolation kit</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Roche</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">11754785001</td>
			<td>Used for all plasmid purification reactions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">High pure PCR product purification kit</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Roche</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">11732676001</td>
			<td>Used for all PCR purification reactions from agarose gels</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">AflII restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">R0520L</td>
			<td>Recognizes sequence 5&#8217;-CTTAAG-3&#8217; and cuts at 37 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">KpnI-HF restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">R3142L</td>
			<td>Recognizes sequence 5&#8217;-GGTACC-3&#8217; and cuts at 37 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">SpeI-HF restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">R3133L</td>
			<td>Recognizes sequence 5&#8217;-ACTAGT-3&#8217; and cuts at 37 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">XbaI restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">R0145L</td>
			<td>Recognizes sequence 5&#8217;-TCTAGA-3&#8217; and cuts at 37 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Ampicillin sodium salt</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">A0166-5G</td>
			<td>Antibiotics</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Nalidixic acid</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">N8878-5G</td>
			<td>Antibiotics</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Yeast Extract</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">Y1625-1KG</td>
			<td>Bacterial cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Casein peptone</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">70171-500G</td>
			<td>Bacterial cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">NaCl</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">S9888-1KG</td>
			<td>Sodium chloride</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Agar</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">05040-1KG</td>
			<td>Bacterial cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">XbaI restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">FD0684</td>
			<td>Fast digest XbaI enzyme</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">KpnI restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">FD0524</td>
			<td>Fast digest KpnI enzyme</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">Quick Ligation Kit</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">M2200S</td>
			<td>Fast DNA ligation kit</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">AflII restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">FD0834</td>
			<td>Fast digest AflII enzyme</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">SpeI restriction enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">FD1253</td>
			<td>Fast digest SpeI enzyme</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

caprresi: chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion

Here, we present chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion (CAPRRESI). CAPRRESI benefits from many strengths of the original plasmid recovery method and introduces restriction enzyme digestion to ease DNA ligation reactions (required for chimera assembly). For this protocol, users clone wildtype genes into the same plasmid (pUC18 or pUC19). After the in silico selection of amino acid sequence regions where chimeras should be assembled, users obtain all the synonym DNA sequences that encode them. Ad hoc Perl scripts enable users to determine all synonym DNA sequences. After this step, another Perl script searches for restriction enzyme sites on all synonym DNA sequences. This in silico analysis is also performed using the ampicillin resistance gene (ampR) found on pUC18/19 plasmids. Users design oligonucleotides inside synonym regions to disrupt wildtype and ampR genes by PCR. After obtaining and purifying complementary DNA fragments, restriction enzyme digestion is accomplished. Chimera assembly is achieved by ligating appropriate complementary DNA fragments. pUC18/19 vectors are selected for CAPRRESI because they offer technical advantages, such as small size (2,686 base pairs), high copy number, advantageous sequencing reaction features, and commercial availability. The usage of restriction enzymes for chimera assembly eliminates the need for DNA polymerases yielding blunt-ended products. CAPRRESI is a fast and low-cost method for fusing protein-coding genes.

Figure 1 depicts CAPRRESI. Using this method, two chimeric genes were assembled by exchanging the domains of two bacterial primary sigma factors (i.e., E. coli RpoD and R. etli SigA). The DNA sequences of the rpoD and sigA genes were obtained using the Artemis Genome Browser14 from GenBank genome files NC_000913 and NC_007761, respectively. The DNA sequence of the pUC18 vector was obtained from the nucleotide dat...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about CAPRRESI: Chimera Assembly by Plasmid Recovery and Restriction Enzyme Site Insertion at JoVE.com

CAPRRESI: Chimera Assembly by Plasmid Recovery and Restriction Enzyme Site Insertion

Here, we present chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion (CAPRRESI), a protocol based on the insertion of restriction enzyme sites into synonym DNA sequences and functional plasmid recovery. This protocol is a fast and low-cost method for fusing protein-coding genes.

Here, we present chimera assembly by plasmid recovery and restriction enzyme site insertion (CAPRRESI). CAPRRESI benefits from many strengths of the ...

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