Gene Targeting Using Modular Zinc Finger Nulceases

描述(申请人提供)：研究生物过程的一个基本方法是功能丧失研究。这些努力的目标是通过破坏基因并监测对生物系统的影响来确定基因的活性。近年来，利用锌指核酸酶(ZFN)作为突变特定基因的方法，发展了基因打靶技术。该方法包括设计锌指DNA结合域来识别特定的靶序列。然后，这些结构域可以与FOK1核酸外切酶结构域连接，产生一种融合蛋白，可以在锌指结合部位附近诱导双链DNA断裂。ZFN已经成功地用于扰乱从植物到哺乳动物的各种系统中的基因。到目前为止，只有数量相对较少的实验室报告了成功使用零增长网络的努力。由于难以产生与特定靶序列结合的锌指结构域，以及商业上可获得的ZFN的高昂成本，ZFN的使用受到了限制。在初步研究中，计算机辅助“模块化”设计已经成为设计功能ZFN的一种有效手段。本应用程序中的实验评估了一种策略的有效性，该策略使用模块化ZFN设计来生成以斑马鱼为模型系统的胚系突变。斑马鱼是一个强大的遗传、细胞和分子研究系统，能够常规地进行基因靶向研究将是一个重大进步。该应用中的方法广泛适用于细胞培养系统和模型生物的生物医学研究。 相关性：人类基因组计划已经确定了数千个新基因，但其中许多基因的活性仍不清楚。干扰特定基因的能力是确定这些基因功能的有力手段。在这项应用中的实验评估了一种使用模式生物和细胞培养系统实现这一目标的方法的有效性。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): One fundamental method to investigate biological processes is by loss-of-function studies. The goal of these efforts is to determine the activity of a gene by disrupting that gene and monitoring the effects on a biological system. Recently, gene targeting technology has been developed using zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) as a method to mutate specific genes. The approach involves engineering zinc finger DNA binding domains to recognize specific target sequences. These domains can then be tethered to the FOK1 exonuclease domains to generate a fusion protein that can induce double stranded DNA breaks near the zinc finger binding sites. ZFNs have been successfully used to disrupted genes in a variety of systems ranging from plants to mammals. Thus far, only a relatively small number of laboratories have reported successful efforts to employ ZFNs. The use of ZFNs has been curtailed by the difficulty in generating zinc finger domains that bind to specific target sequences, and by the high cost of commercially available ZFNs. In preliminary studies, computer aided "modular" design has been an effective means to engineer functional ZFNs. The experiments in this application evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy to use modular ZFN design to generate germ-line mutations using zebrafish as a model system. Zebrafish is a powerful system for genetic, cellular, and molecular studies, and the ability to routinely perform gene targeting studies would be a major advance. The methods in this application are broadly applicable to biomedical research in both cell culture systems and model organisms. RELEVANCE: The human genome project has identified thousands of novel genes, but the activity of many of these genes remains unknown. The ability to disrupt specific genes is a powerful means to determine the function of these genes. The experiments in this application evaluate the effectiveness of one means to accomplish this goal using model organisms and cell culture systems.