Towards targeted Cas9 (CRISPR-Cas) delivery: Preparation of IgG antibody-Cas9 conjugates using a split intein

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tim Pasch - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Nicole Bäumer - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Sebastian Bäumer - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Frank Buchholz - , Chair of Medical Systems Biology, University Cancer Centre, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Henning D. Mootz - , University of Münster (Author)

Abstract

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionized the field of genetic engineering, but targeted cellular delivery remains a central problem. The delivery of the preformed ribonuclease-protein (RNP) complex has the advantages of fewer side effects and avoidance of potential permanent effects. We reasoned that an internalizing IgG antibody as a targeting device could address the delivery of Cas9-RNP. We opted for protein trans-splicing mediated by a split intein to facilitate posttranslational conjugation of the two large protein entities. We recently described the cysteine-less CL split intein that efficiently performs under oxidizing conditions and does not interfere with disulfide bonds or thiol bioconjugation chemistries. Using the CL split intein, we report for the first time the ligation of monoclonal IgG antibody precursors, expressed in mammalian cells, and a Cas9 precursor, obtained from bacterial expression. A purified IgG-Cas9 conjugate was loaded with sgRNA to form the active RNP complex and introduced a double-strand break in its target DNA in vitro. Furthermore, a synthetic peptide variant of the short N-terminal split intein precursor proved useful for chemical modification of Cas9. The split intein ligation procedure reported here for IgG-Cas9 provides the first step towards a novel CRISPR-Cas9 targeting approach involving the preformed RNP complex.

Details

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of peptide science
Early online date6 Mar 2024
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 6 Mar 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 38447547

Keywords

Keywords

  • antibody, cell targeting, gene editing, protein conjugate, protein splicing