Dodd, D. O. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2022

Centriolar satellites expedite mother centriole remodeling to promote ciliogenesis.

Centrosomes are orbited by centriolar satellites, dynamic multiprotein assemblies nucleated by PCM1. To study the requirement for centriolar satellites, we generated mice lacking PCM1. Pcm1-/- mice display partially penetrant perinatal lethality with survivors exhibiting hydrocephalus, oligospermia and cerebellar hypoplasia, as well as variable expressivity of other ciliopathy features including cystic kidneys. Pcm1-/- multiciliated ependymal cells and PCM1-/- retinal pigmented epithelial 1 (RPE1) cells showed reduced ciliogenesis. PCM1-/- RPE1 cells displayed reduced docking of the mother centriole to the ciliary vesicle and removal of CP110 and CEP97 from the distal mother centriole, indicating compromized early ciliogenesis. We show these molecular cascades are maintained in vivo, and we suggest that the cellular threshold to trigger ciliogenesis varies between cell types. We propose that PCM1 and centriolar satellites facilitate efficient trafficking of proteins to and from centrioles, inducing the departure of CP110 and CEP97 to initiate ciliogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Fluorescent in vivo editing reporter (FIVER): A novel multispectral reporter of in vivo genome editing

Advances in genome editing technologies have created opportunities to treat rare genetic diseases, which are often overlooked in terms of therapeutic development. Nonetheless, substantial challenges remain: namely, achieving therapeutically beneficial levels and kinds of editing in the right cell type(s). Here we describe the development of FIVER (fluorescent in vivo editing reporter) -- a modular toolkit for in vivo detection of genome editing with distinct fluorescent read-outs for non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), homology-directed repair (HDR) and homology-independent targeted integration (HITI). We demonstrate that fluorescent outcomes reliably report genetic changes following editing with diverse genome editors in primary cells, organoids and in vivo. We show the potential of FIVER for high-throughput unbiased screens, from small molecule modulators of genome editing outcomes in primary cells through to genome-wide in vivo CRISPR cancer screens. Importantly, we demonstrate its in vivo application in postnatal organ systems of interest for genetic therapies -- retina and liver. FIVER will broadly help expedite the development of therapeutic genome surgery for many genetic disorders.

genetics↗