Keywords
orthogonal phage serine integrase , genome editing , nanopore sequencing, 44
plant biotechnology, synthetic biology. 45
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1. INTRODUCTION 46
47
Over the last several decades, major advances in plant synthetic biology have emerged 48
from significant discoveries based on the understanding of the co -evolutionary arms 49
race between viruses and their hosts. These ongoing battles have led to the evolution of 50
intricate and complex molecular interactions that were exploited to create novel 51
biotechnological tools based on the bottom -up approach for plant genome modulation. 52
Examples include (I) bacteria restriction endonucleases and phage DNA ligases, which 53
allowed the revolution of recombinant DNA technology and are used in 54
BioBrickTM assembly and modern one -step DNA assembly techniques 1-7; (II) viral 55
vectors for gene delivery 8,9; (III) virus -induced gene silencing (VIGS) 10,11; (IV) the 56
RNA interference (RNAi) technology, which is widely used in gene down -regulation 57
studies12-14; and (V) CRISPR -Cas systems, which has recently been widely applied in 58
crop genome editing technology 12,15-18. However, these last two technologies are 59
irreversible and permanent; once the plant gene is silenced or edited, it cannot return to 60
its original state. Therefore, to overcome these limitations, a promising approach, 61
originating from bacteriophage -prokaryotic interactions, is the application of 62
filamentous phage -encoded large serine integrases (Ints), which are multifunctional 63
recombinases with the potential to edit DNA sequences and also serve as efficient in 64
vitro DNA assemblers 19-22. Therefore, considering the development of a dynamic and 65
reversible genome modulation system in plant cells, it is possible to include the 66
orthogonal Ints in modular synthetic genetic devices based on Boolean logic gates 23-29. 67
Ints catalyze directly and unidirectionally a site -specific insertion, deletion or 180° 68
inversion of DNA sequence flanked by the two attachment sites ( att), attB (bacteria) 69
and attP (phage) depending on the design of their orientation relative to each 70
other, which results in the formation of two new post -recombination attachment 71
sites, attL (left) and attR (right)19,20,25-28,30. Bx B1 and phiC31 Ints have been 72
successfully used in plant engineering and gene stacking29,31-34. 73
Furthermore, using a bioinformatics approach, Yang et al. prospected 11 new Ints with 74
their respective functional att sites20. Subsequently, Gomide et al . showed that those 75
Ints function in eukaryotic cells and ranked Int9 and Int13 among the m as the most 76
effective Ints for plasmid flipping in the plant cell context 25. Thus, the IntPlex@ binary 77
memory switch takes Bx B1, phiC31, Int9, and Int13 as input signals to control an 78
output (genome edition) in a user -defined manner (site -specific excision or inversion). 79
Lastly, the possibility of using distinct plasmid delivery as a general method for 80
integrase expression was examined. 81
82
2. RESULTS 83
84
2.1 Int-Plex@ binary memory switch system design 85
We have assembled a multifunctional genetic switch system based on att site pairs from 86
4 Ints, namely BxB1, phiC31, Int9, and Int13. The cassette constructs consist of the 87
reverse complement sequence of green fluorescent protein reporter gene gfp (mgfp or 88
degfp) flanked by in tandem attB or attP sites from the Ints selected (Figure 1A) . 89
Promoter and terminator sequences to complete the transcription unit varied according 90
to the in vitro or in vivo experimental model. Effector Ints were delivered individually 91
in a separate plasmid under transcriptional control of a constitutive promoter 25,35. This 92
configuration allows the formation of a binary system with an Excision Module 93
controlled by BxB1 or phiC31 recombinases designed as a NOR logic gate, in which the 94
presence of either Int (input) prevents reporter expression due to its deletion (output) 95
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and an Inversion Module controlled by Int9 or Int13 with the structure of an XOR gate 96
(Figure 1B). To achieve varying outcomes in DNA rearrangement depending on the Int 97
acting on the system, we inserted the att sites in the construction either in the same or 98
opposing orientation relative to their respective site counterpart. While for BxB1 and 99
phiC31, attB and attP sites are in sense orientation, with their recombination resulting in 100
excision of the DNA sequence flanked by them from the construction (Figure 1, C and 101
D), Int9 and Int13 att sites are in reverse complement orientation, which means that 102
upon recombination, the target DNA sequence will be 180° flipped (output), modulating 103
the gfp expression (Figure 1 , E and F). Although both Int9 or Int13 are capable of 104
unidirectionally flipping the reporter gene coding sequence and activating its 105
transcription, an essential feature of this type of logic gate is the gene set/reset, that 106
upon concurrent or sequential introduction of both enzymes, a second inversion event 107
will result in the return of the target DNA orientation to the original OFF state, silencing 108
reporter expression (Figure 1, G and H) . In this double -editing event, one Int will 109
recognize its attB/P sites and catalyze the inversion of the reporter from its OFF state to 110
ON state, forming the intermediate plasmid with attL/R sites which results in the GFP 111
production. Instantaneously, this intermediate plasmid is the substrate for the action of 112
the second Int, which, upon recombination of its attB/P sites, will result in the formation 113
of the final plasmid with both attL/R sites for Int9 and Int13 with consequent recovery 114
from the ON state to initial OFF state, silencing gfp expression (Figure 1, G and H). 115
116
2.2 In vitro function of Int-Plex@ binary memory switch system 117
Our first goal was to understand the behavior of this new binary memory system and 118
ensure that the presence of att sites in tandem would not interfere with expected Int 119
activity. For the functional evaluation, we chose cell -free in vitro transcription-120
translation reactions (TxTl), given its valuable application as a fast platform for testing 121
Int activity, DNA editing tools and genetic circuits35,36. The switch was assembled using 122
TxTl optimized parts, including the degfp gene as a reporter , Ribosome Binding Site 123
(RBS) and the T7Max transcription system 35 (Figure 2A) . Reactions containing the 124
reporter construction alone or with plasmids for Int expression were incubated overnight 125
and analyzed for DNA rearrangement and deGFP fluorescence emission. This enabled 126
us to test the efficacy of each reaction independently and transiently in vitro for the first 127
time before integrating the memory switch into the plant genome . Besides deGFP 128
expression, DNA excisions by BxB1 or phiC31 were detected, as predicted, by the PCR 129
amplifications (Figure 2, B and C ). The excised circular DNA molecule was confirmed 130
by Sanger sequencing, where post -recombination attR site for BxB1 is present (Figure 131
3, D and E). Sanger sequencing of phiC31 treatments is in progress. All sequences are 132
available for consultation at the link provided in the Data availability section . In 133
addition, the introduction of Int9 or Int13 could invert the DNA and allowed deGFP 134
production in vitro (Figure 3, A and B). Although the presence of both Int9 and Int13 in 135
the same reaction must result in the re -establishment of the initial OFF state with degfp 136
silencing, the closed nature of the reaction environment and relatively short incubation 137
time preserved the protein produced while the single -edited intermediate was present, 138
maintaining a high level of fluorescence. The double -editing event was confirmed by 139
Sanger sequencing of the reporter construct, where both post -140
recombination attL/attR site pairs for Int9 and Int13 are present in the same molecule 141
(Figure 3, C-E). 142
143
2.3 Int-Plex@ binary memory switch system design for plant genome modulation 144
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To demonstrate the applicability of this tool in DNA modulation, we also verified the 145
functionality of the switch stably integrated into the plant genome. Here, we assembled 146
the reverse complement sequence of mgfp flanked by four in tandem Bx B1, phiC31, 147
Int9, and Int13 attB and attP sites in a synthetic genetic switch, denoted IntPlex@ 148
binary memory switch and inserted into the Nicotiana benthamiana genome. Each 149
serine integrase was plant codon optimized and inserted in a different set of plasmids 150
for two systems of gene delivery: agroinfiltration by Agrobacterium tumefaciens and 151
biolistic. The IntPlex@ binary memory switch takes these four serine integrase input 152
signals to control an output (genome edition) in a user -defined manner (excision or 153
inversion). 154
155
2.3.1 Plant genome excision triggered by phiC31 or BxB1 156
BxB1 or phiC31 catalyzed the excision of mgfp from the genome. Upon delivery of the 157
effector plasmids containing the integrases by agroinfiltration, molecular analyses of 158
plant DNA within five d.p.i (days post infiltration) showed successful deletion, with 159
genome sequencing confirmation of proper formation of respective attL sites for each 160
Int (Figure 4A and Figure 5) and loss of DNA sequence flanked by its attachment sites 161
(output) (Figure 4, B and C) . Sanger sequencing of phiC31 treatments is in progress. 162
Moreover, Nanopore sequencing was utilized to identify the excised circular DNA 163
molecule containing mgfp, BxB1 attR site and remaining attB/P sites from the other 164
integrases (Figure 6). The sequencing run lasted four hours, yielding roughly 800,000 165
reads. As depicted in Figure 7, the basecalled read lengths exhibited a bimodal 166
distribution, with the median read length positioned within the distribution's upper 167
mode. Quality scores ranged along the x -axis, predominantly showing mid to high 168
values indicative of reliable base calling accuracy. This pattern reflects a diverse set of 169
read lengths, with shorter reads tending to have higher quality scores. For subsequent 170
analysis, only reads with quality scores of 10 or above were maintained (383,245 reads). 171
However, the detection of phiC31 output and stability and processing time for the 172
circular DNA excised degradation remains to be evaluated. Regarding the delivery of 173
the Int effector by biolistic, neither genome editing, nor the output molecule were 174
detected (data not shown) . Nanopore sequencing will be applied to detect the output 175
molecules and analyze the low detection rate. All sequences are available for 176
consultation at the link provided in the Data availability section. 177
178
2.3.2 Plant genome inversion triggered by Int 9 or Int 13 179
This switch operates as an ON switch, where MGFP is expressed in the ON state and 180
not in the OFF state. Upon delivery of the effector plasmids containing the integrases by 181
agroinfiltration, molecular analyses of plant DNA within five d.p.i showed successful 182
DNA inversion. Int9 recognized its attB/P sites and catalyzed the inversion 183
of mgfp from its OFF state to ON state, resulting in the formation of the intermediate 184
genome with attL/Int9 and attR/Int9 sites and the output MGFP after int delivery via 185
agroinfiltration (Figure 8A). Likewise, Int13 recognized its attB/P sites and catalyzed 186
the inversion of mgfp from its OFF state to ON state, resulting in the formation of the 187
intermediate genome with attL/Int13 and attR/Int13 sites and the output MGFP (Figure 188
8B). As for effector Int delivery by biolistic, phenotypical analysis showed no increase 189
in mGFP fluorescence (data not shown). However, fluorescence could be detected in the 190
positive control of plants bombarded with microparticles coated with a plasmid 191
constitutively expressing eGFP 37. Despite the lack of signal, DNA inversion could be 192
detected for both Ints by PCR amplification, with confirmation of inversion and 193
recombined attL/R sites by DNA sequencing. 194
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2.3.3 Plant genome modulation: Turning DNA ON and OFF 195
While a one -way memory switch is functional, reversibly turning a gene on and off 196
would allow interesting bidirectional regulation. Thus, Int9 and Int13 were 197
agroinfiltrated into the plant five days apart to turn mgfp on and off in the same cell. 198
Initially, Int 9 recognized its attB/P sites and catalyzed the inversion of mgfp from its 199
OFF state to ON state, resulting in the formation of the intermediate genome with 200
attL/Int9 and attR/Int9 sites and the output MGFP. Five days after, this intermediate 201
genome was the substrate for the action of In t13 that recognized its attB/P sites and 202
catalyzed the inversion of mgfp from its ON state to OFF state, resulting in the 203
formation of the final genome with both attL/Int9 and attR/Int9 and attL/Int13 and 204
attR/Int13 sites. Thus, the system presents the MGFP until the ON state mRNA 205
molecule can no longer be translated according to the MGFP half-life time. The Sanger 206
sequencing of Int9 and Int13 treatments are in progress. All sequences are available for 207
consultation at the link provided in the Data availability section. 208
209
210
3. DISCUSSION 211
212
In this study, our primary goal was to broaden the plant genome modulation toolbox by 213
creating a binary memory switch controlled by serine integrases. Currently, the 214
available array of tools for constructing synthetic memory systems in plants is quite 215
limited, mainly relying on phiC31 and BxB129,31,32,38,39. Efforts for the systematic 216
identification of new Ints and their att sites, including metagenomic studies, 217
development of new bioinformatic approaches, and functional characterization, 218
contribute to expanding the availability of such tools and enhance the possibilities for 219
assembly of more complex multicomponent genetic circuits 40. In that context, we 220
applied phiC31, BxB1, and two more recent Ints (Int9 and Int13) previously 221
characterized in a plant model to create a bimodular switch for DNA excision and 222
bidirectional inversion 25. All four Int successfully rearranged the target DNA inserted 223
into the genome of N. benthamiana as programmed, confirming the functionality of 224
both modules in our system. 225
More than assembling a new switch system for gene expression regulation, this proof -226
of-concept demonstration paves the way for applying new Int candidates other than 227
phiC31 and BxB1 in plants. Beyond orthogonality, which allows for various effectors in 228
the same circuit, different integrases can show a range of efficiency degrees beneficial 229
for implementing flow control nodes in a synthetic regulatory pathway. As 230
demonstrated by Gomide et al. (2020), for instance, Int13 and Int5 both could invert a 231
target DNA sequence in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts, although resulting in different 232
levels of reporter expression25. 233
Another essential advantage point of IntPlex@ is the use of independent Ints to control 234
inversion directionality. After the first inversion event by Int9 or Int13, restoration to 235
the initial OFF state depends exclusively on introducing the second enzyme, with no 236
chance of interference. In contrast, the RESET system published by Bernabé -Orts et al. 237
(2020) applies phiC31 with its correspondent RDF protein to revert unidirectionality 29. 238
Although aiming at somewhat different outcomes, it is noteworthy that with RDF, they 239
observed an increase in system instability. Recombination of attL/R sites requires direct 240
interaction of Int-RDF, but the presence of free phiC31 led to new recombination of the 241
attB/P sites just restored, resulting in mixed states of the switch at the same time29. 242
The Sanger Sequencing method is widely used for identifying plant genome editions. 243
Nevertheless, it comes with some limitations, including the prerequisite for pre -existing 244
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knowledge of the DNA sequence and a constrained ability to simultaneously detect 245
various DNA fragments. On the other hand, t he utilization of Nanopore DNA 246
sequencing has enabled determination of total DNA products of the plant cells genome 247
edition reactions in a short time and with high -throughput data analysis in real time. 248
Nanopore sequencing holds great promise for detecting edited DNA and when 249
combined with stoichiometry analysis, this technology provides a powerful toolset to 250
access genomic diversity for studying edited DNA at a quantitative level. The 251
integration of nanopore sequencing and stoichiometry analysis not only enhances the 252
ability to detect edits accurately but also facilitates a deeper understanding of the 253
dynamics and efficiency of serine integrase editing reactions. 254
It is worth mentioning that when a system is imported from the prokaryotic to the 255
eukaryotic cell, as is the case for bacteriophage -derived recombinases, it is necessary to 256
consider the presence of the nucleus as a physical barrier to the performance of enzymes 257
that act on DNA. Nevertheless, all four integrases tested in this work were able to 258
overcome the nuclear barrier and interact with chromatin without the need to add NLS 259
or other protein engineering. It is possible that the passage through the nuclear pore 260
occurred due to the presence of intrinsic NLS in its native structure after exposure of 261
positively charged amino acids during protein folding 25. Notably, the system functioned 262
consistently over two plant generations. Employing large serine -integrases in modular 263
switch devices exemplifies a sophisticated and controlled approach, affording precision 264
in genetic alterations with the potential for intricate modulation of plant physiological 265
processes. Consequently, the integration of large serine -integrases into the 266
biotechnological toolkit heralds a promising trajectory for refining and expanding 267
strategies in plant genetic engineering. However, further research is needed to fully 268
understand the potential of this system in plant biotechnology, the potential for 269
unintended off-target effects, and to optimize its use. 270
271
4. CONCLUSIONS 272
273
PhiC31, BxB1, Int9, and Int13 promoted efficient directional DNA site -specific 274
recombination of complex chromatin of the plant cell, and thus have major potential 275
applications in genome engineering and metabolic pathway engineering. This memory 276
genetic switch system is dynamic and may be combined with other technologies like 277
inducible promoters and advanced sequencing tools. For example, implementing the 278
sequence barcoding with Nanopore sequencing amplifies the capabilities of genomic 279
analysis and allows for comprehensive profiling of the entire edited genome, capturing 280
structural variations or ensuring the fidelity of the editing process. Together, this 281
combined approach not only validates the accuracy of serine integrase -mediated edits at 282
a detailed level but also offers a holistic view of the entire genome modulation, 283
fostering a deeper understanding of the genomic landscape post -editing. Lastly, it is 284
more than evident that we are living in an era marked by the development of tools that 285
allow crop genomes to be edited to provide resistance to environmental challenges, 286
improve nutritional content and optimize defenses against pathogens. However, the lack 287
of efficacy of plasmid delivery systems has hampered advancements in the precision of 288
gene editing. This is a crucial moment that requires the convergence of efforts to 289
develop studies that aim to refine plasmid or gene delivery systems, ensuring that 290
genetic modifications reach the maximum number of cells efficiently. 291
292
5. MATERIAL AND METHODS 293
294
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5.1 mGFP genetic switch plasmid design 295
In pLSB_pCAMBIA2300_IntX or pUC_IntX plasmids, both actin2 gene promoter and 296
NOS terminator drive (a) plant codon -optimized serine integrases transcription for 297
heterologous expression or (b) serine integrases fused with NLS signal. In 298
pLSB_PVX_GW_IntX plasmids, both subgenomic CP promoter and NOS terminator 299
drive serine integrase transcription for heterologous expression with or without the NLS 300
signal. 301
302
5.2 Serine-Integrase Plasmid Design 303
The Int9, Int13, phiC31, and BxB1 genes were retrieved from pUC57 25 and cloned into 304
PVX-GW binary plasmid37 by Epoch Life Science Inc. These plasmids resulted in a set 305
of serine integrase expression plasmids, individually called pLSB_PVX_GW_X (X = 306
Int9, Int13, phiC31, or BxB1). The Int9, Int13, phiC31, and BxB1 genes controlled by 307
the actin2 gene promoter and NOS terminator were retrieved from pUC57 and cloned in 308
pCAMBIA2300 plasmid by Epoch Life Science Inc 25. These plasmids resulted in a set 309
of serine integrase expression plasmids, individually called pLSB_pCAMBIA2300_X 310
(X = Int9, Int13, phiC31, or BxB1). 311
312
5.3 Plant transformation 313
Transgenic plants of Nicotiana benthamiana were produced at University of California 314
Riverside´s Department of Botany and Plant Science performed the plant 315
transformation. pART27 plasmid containing the genes BXB1_PHIC31_9_13_mGFP(rc) 316
and nptII were delivered into GV3101 Agrobacterium tumefaciens via electroporation. 317
Antibiotic-resistant colonies were selected and confirmed by colony PCR for glycerol 318
stocks. The transformed A. tumefaciens strain was used to inoculate the leaf tissue of 319
six-week-old plants. Callus induction and shoot induction media containing MS salts, 320
MS vitamins, 0.56 0.56mM Myo, 8.84 8.84 μM BAP, 0.54 0.54 μM NAA, 3% sucrose, 321
0.21 0.21 mM kanamycin, 0.55 0.55 mM Cefatoxime and 1.321.32 mM Carbenecillin 322
were used to induce calli and shoots. Thirty and ten shoots transformed with 323
BXB1_PHIC31_9_13_mGFP(rc) and pART27-nptII (empty plasmid) respectively were 324
transferred to rooting media containing ½ MS salts, MS vitamins, 0.56 0.56 mM Myo- 325
inositol, 0.98 0.98 μM IBA, 1.5% sucrose, 0.34 0.34 mM vancomycin, 0.55 0.55 mM 326
cefotaxime, and 1.32 mM Carbenicillin. A total of 40 N. benthamiana plants were 327
analyzed by end-PCR using specific primers for each construct. Twenty-one plants 328
amplified an expected band of 717 bp with the specific primers FwmGFP/RvmGFP, and 329
nine plants transformed with pART27 (empty plasmid) amplified a band of 699 bp for 330
the nptII gene. Nicotiana benthamiana transgenic seeds germinated in vermiculite, and 331
plantlets were grown in a greenhouse. Eight-week-old plants were used for the 332
Agrobacterium infiltration or biolistic procedure. 333
334
5.4 In vitro Transcription/Translation Reactions 335
In vitro , Transcription/Translation Reactions, or TxTl reactions, were performed with 336
myTxTl T7 Expression Kit (Daicel Arbor Biosciences) following manufacturer 337
instructions. Briefly, 24 μL reactions were assembled in 1.5 mL centrifugation tubes 338
with 18 μL Sigma 70 Master Mix, 0.1 nM P70a-T7rnap HP, and 10 nM of each plasmid 339
(reporter + effector Int). Reactions were incubated at 29°C for 16 h. After incubation, 340
GFP production was visually assessed with an LED blue light Transilluminator 341
(KASVI), and 2 μL were used as a template for PCR amplification. 342
343
5.5 Delivery Systems 344
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5.5.1 Agroinfiltration 345
The binary plasmids were electroporated into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain 346
GV3101 and selected on LB agar supplemented supplemented with 0.1 mM kanamycin 347
and 0.1 mM gentamicin. . After two days of growth, several colonies were carefully 348
harvested from the plate and suspended in LB medium (2 mL). The bacteria were grown 349
overnight on an orbital shaker at 28 °C at 200 rpm. The cells were collected by 350
centrifugation for 15 min at 4000 g, and the precipitate was resuspended in the 1x 351
MMA infiltration buffer (10 mM MES, pH = 5.6, 10 mM MgCl 2, 180 µM 352
acetosyringone) to OD600 = 0.3. Agrobacteria harboring plasmids with each integrase 353
and 35S: p19 gene were mixed in equal volumes. Leaves of 8 -week-old N. benthamiana 354
plants were injected with agrobacteria suspension using a syringe without a needle. 355
Agroinfiltration assays were assessed with and without co -infiltration with 35S: p19 356
with no changes in results. The infiltrations were performed on the same plant, and 357
duplicate infiltrations were performed on at least three plants within a single 358
experimental assay. 359
360
5.5.2 Biolistic 361
Genetic modified N. benthamiana plant leaves carrying inverted mgfp gene flanked by 362
integrases attachment sites were directly shot with gold (1.5 -3.0 µm) and tungsten 363
(approx. 1µm) microparticles as previously described 41. The microparticles were coated 364
with pUC27 plasmids carrying Int9, Int13, phiC31, and BxB1 integrase genes 365
individually25. As a positive control of gene delivery, a plasmid carrying a constitutive 366
promoter controlling GFP gene was shot under the same conditions at wild -type N. 367
benthamiana leaves. Microparticles mixed with 8 μL DNA (1μg.μL-1) were accelerated 368
at 650 psi into plant leaves (2,5 -3,5 cm length) at a 2 cm distance. Eight shots of each 369
DNA construction were bombarded in 8 -week-old plants. 72h after foreign DNA was 370
delivered, shooted leaves were analyzed on Confocal laser scanning microscope (Leica 371
TCS SP8, GER) to visualize mgfp expression. PCR screening has been performed to 372
detect mgfp and the attL and attR post-recombination sites. 373
374
5.6 Plant total DNA extraction and PCR 375
Total plant DNA isolation was based on the modified CTAB Method Protocol described 376
by Lacorte et al. (2010) with adaptations 39. Firstly, plants were screened by PCR using 377
primer pairs DEP_mGFP_FW and DEP_mGFP_RV - designed to detect mgfp – and 378
nptII_Fw and npt_II_Rv - for the amplification of nptII, a kanamycin resistance marker 379
– to identify positive transformants. Following the integrase delivery method and 380
incubation period, we collected slices of approximately 20mg from leaves of treated and 381
control plants and proceeded with DNA extraction, as mentioned above. DNA samples 382
were then used as templates in PCR reactions for detection of either attL and attR sites 383
resulting from Int9 or Int13 recombination or the deletion of mgfp gene flanked by 384
phiC31 and BxB1 att sites upon introduction of these integrases in the system. For attL 385
and attR sites amplification, we have used the primer combinations 35S_282F + 386
attR_IntX_R and attL_IntX_F + IDP_OCSt_349_Rv, respectively, with “IntX” on the 387
primer name denoting the use of specific primers for each Int. As for deletion 388
confirmation, primer pair 35S_282F + IDP_OCSt_349_Rv was used to amplify the 389
whole cassette between the 35S promoter and OCS terminator, with a band shift of 390
about 1kb indicating mgfp excision. The circular molecule containing the mgfp gene 391
excised from the system by phiC31 or BxB1 was amplified using the primer pair 392
NbDel_mGFP_493_Fw + NbDel_mGFP_300_Rv. Two PCR reactions were necessary 393
for the biolistic method to amplify attL and attR sites. The primer pair 35S_282F + 394
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IDP_OCST_349_RV performed the first round, which amplified the cassette. The first 395
reaction was then used as a template for the specific reaction with primers attached on 396
the attL and attR sites, paired with terminator and promoter primers, respectively. That 397
way, the second round of amplification for detection of the Int9 attL site used primers 398
35S_282F + OnOff_attR9_core_Rv, for Int9 attR site primers OnOff_attL9_core_Fw + 399
IDP_OCST_349_RV, for Int13 attL site primers 35S_282F + OnOff_attR13_core_Rv 400
and to amplify Int13 attR site primers OnOff_attL13_core_Fw + IDP_OCST_349_RV. 401
As for the primers used for molecular detection in TxTl reactions, inversion of the 402
reporter was amplified with primer pair 2041GbA_ck_5p_FW + deGFP_Hd_Fw while 403
excision was detected with primers 2041GbA_ck_5p_FW and 2041_ck_3p_RV1. 404
Primers used in this study are listed in Table 1. 405
406
Table 1. 407
PRIMER NAME PRIMER SEQUENCE
DEP_MGFP_FW atgagtaaaggagaagaact
DEP_MGFP_RV ttatttgtatagttcatccatg
NPT_II_FW atggcaattaccttatccgcaacttc
NPT_II_RV cagaagaactcgtcaagaaggcg
35S_282F attgatgtgatatctccactgacgtaagggatgacgcac
ATTR_INT9_R tggaagtgtgtatcaggtaactggatacctcatc
ATTR_INT13_R gtagaacttgaccagttggtcctgtaaatataagcaatcc
ATTL_INT9_F ataattggcgaacgaggtatctgcatagttattccgaac
ATTL_INT13_F tccagatccagttgttttagtaacataaataca
IDP_OCST_349_RV taggtttgaccggttctgcc
ONOFF_ATTL9_CORE_FW ttggcgaacgaggtatctgc
ONOFF_ATTR9_CORE_RV gaagtgtgtatcaggtaactgg
ONOFF_ATTL13_CORE_FW tgtagaacttgaccagttggt
ONOFF_ATTR13_CORE_RV gtttttccagatccagttgtt
NBDEL_MGFP_493_FW tcaagacccgccacaacatcg
NBDEL_MGFP_300_RV gaagaagatggtcctctcctgc
2041GBA_CK_5P_FW atgaccaaaatcccttaacgtgag
DEGFP HD FW cccgggaagcttatggagcttttcactggcgttg
2041_CK_3P_RV1 tggcttaactatgcggcatcag
408
Amplification reactions were performed in a Veriti ™ 96-Well Fast Thermal 409
Cycler (Applied Biosystems, USA). Reaction set -up included 2.5ul of 10X PCR Buffer 410
(Thermo Scientific, USA) , 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.4 mM dNTP mix, 1 U Platinum ™ Taq 411
DNA Polymerase (5 U/ μL) (Thermo Scientific, USA), 0.2 μM each primer and 1 μL of 412
purified DNA in a 25 μL final volume. PCR cycling consisted of one initial incubation 413
at 94°C for 2 minutes, followed by 40 cycles of denaturation at 94°C, 30s; Annealing 414
TEMP for 30s; Extension at 72°C for 1 min/kb, with final incubation at 4°C. Given that 415
primer pair 35S_282F + IDP_OCSt_349_Rv will amplify both intact and disrupted 416
cassette resulting from mgfp gene deletion by phiC31 or BxB1, an extension time of just 417
30 seconds were used in this case to favor amplification of the 1kb smaller amplicon. 418
All PCR products were detected in 1% agarose gel electrophoresis stained with 419
SYBR™ Safe DNA Gel Stain (Invitrogen, USA). Gel slices containing the specific 420
bands were excised under LED Blue Light transluminator (KASVI, Taiwan) to prevent 421
nicking of the DNA and its purification was carried out using the ReliaPrep ™ DNA 422
Clean-Up and Concentration System (Promega, USA) according to manufacturer 423
.CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licenseperpetuity. It is made available under a
preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in
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specifications. Isolated amplicons were cloned in pGEM -T-Easy (Promega, USA) and 424
sequenced (Macrogen, USA) after DNA propagation in Escherichia coli DH10β strain. 425
426
5.7 Confocal laser scanning Microscopy 427
Leaf samples were analyzed using the Confocal laser scanning microscope (Leica TCS 428
SP8, GER) after 5 d.p.i . Argon laser line excitation wavelength and emission bandpass 429
filter wave lengths for MGFP were 48 4 nm and 500 -550 nm. Chlorophyll 430
autofluorescence was detected, in parallel with MGFP acquisition, using a 650 –710 nm 431
bandpass filter. Image acquisition parameters (e.g. laser power, pinhole, detector gain, 432
etc.) and sampling time post -infiltration were held constant within an experiment (i.e. 433
within each figure). Raw data were processed in the LAS X (Leica Application Suite , 434
GER) software (www.leica-microsystems.com, GER). 435
436
5.8 Nanopore sequencing and Data analysis 437
Library preparation was carried out using the ligation sequencing kit (Oxford Nanopore 438
Technologies, UK) SQK -NBD112-24, according to the manufacturer's instructions. 439
Briefly, all amplicons were purified, and approximately 200 fmol per sample were 440
submitted to end -prep and native barcode ligation, using NEBNext Ultra II End 441
repair/dA-tailing Module (New England Biolabs, USA) and NEB Blunt/TA Ligase 442
Master Mix (New England Biolabs, USA) respectively. Next, native adapter ligation 443
and cleaning steps were performed using NEBNext Quick Ligation Module (New 444
England Biolabs, USA) kit and Agencourt AMPure XP beads (Beckman Coulter, USA), 445
respectively. The library was sequenced on a R10.4 flow cell (FLO -MIN112) (Oxford 446
Nanopore Technologies, UK) on a MinION Mk1b sequencer with MinKNOW 447
(23.04.6). Basecalling, demultiplexing and adapter/barcode tr imming were performed 448
using Guppy [v6.5.7]42, with a Super accurate (SUP) basecalling model. The reads with 449
barcodes on both ends and quality scores ≥ 10 were mapped against all the in silico 450
predicted genome -edited sequences, including the predicted circular molecules 451
containing the excised mgfp gene, using minimap243. 452
453
Competing interests 454
The authors declare no conflict of interest. 455
456
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604
Legend of Figures 605
606
Figure 1. Schematic overview of the IntPlex@ memory genetic switch architecture and 607
Boolean-based logic gates. (A) The diagram describes the architecture of the bimodular 608
genetic switch, which consists of a gfp sequence in reverse orientation (gray) 609
surrounded by four attB and attP sites (triangles) of four serine integrases: BxB1 610
(yellow), phiC31 (lilac), Int9 (blue) and Int13 (red). For in vitro assays, the switch 611
contains the degfp gene and the switch integrated into the plant genome contains the 612
mgfp gene. (B) Int9/Int13 -based XOR logic gate for gfp orientation flipping (turn gfp 613
on). Int9/Int 13 based OR logic gate for turning gfp on and off. BxB1/phiC31 -based 614
NOR logic gate for gfp excision. In the presence of Int9 or Int13, the gfp is inverted to 615
its coding sequence ( ON state). Moreover, in the presence of Int9 and Int 13, the gfp is 616
modulated and oscillates between the on and off states. In the presence of BxB1 or 617
phiC31 input, the gfp is excised. The system output is edited DNA: plasmid or plant 618
genome. (C) The diagram shows IntPlex@ memory genetic switch operation driven by 619
BxB1. The resulting edited DNA with the BxB1 attL scar (left) and the excised circular 620
DNA molecule with BxB1 attR (right). (D) The diagram shows IntPlex@ memory 621
genetic switch operation driven by phiC31. The resulting edited DNA with the phiC31 622
attL scar (left) and the excised circular DNA molecule with phiC31 attR (right). (E) The 623
.CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licenseperpetuity. It is made available under a
preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in
The copyright holder for thisthis version posted January 11, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.11.575089doi: bioRxiv preprint
diagram shows IntPlex@ memory genetic switch operation driven by Int9. The 624
sequence flanked by the Int9 attB and attP sites and, consequently, the inversion of the 625
gfp to its coding sequence (GFP output). The Int13 att sites are also inverted and 626
oriented towards their reverse complement. (F) The diagram shows IntPlex@ memory 627
genetic switch operation driven by Int13. The gfp flanked by the Int13 attB and attP 628
sites is flipped to its coding sequence (GFP output). (G and H) The diagram shows 629
IntPlex@ memory genetic switch operation driven by Int9 and Int13. The gfp is flipped 630
in two steps according to which integrase is added first. (G) In the first step, Int9 631
recognizes its attB/P sites and catalyzes the inversion of gfp from its OFF state to ON 632
state, resulting in the formation of the intermediate sequence with attL/Int9 and 633
attR/Int9 sites and the output GFP. Instantaneously, this intermediate sequence is the 634
substrate for the action of Int13 that recognizes its attB/P sites and catalyzes the 635
inversion of gfp from its ON state to OFF state, resulting in the formation of the final 636
plasmid with both attL/R Int9 and attL/R Int13 sites. (H) In the first step, Int 13 637
recognizes its attB/P sites and catalyzes the inversion of gfp from its OFF state to ON 638
state, resulting in the formation of the intermediate sequence with attL/Int13 and 639
attR/Int13 sites and the output GFP. Instantaneously, this intermediate sequence is the 640
substrate for the action of Int 9 that recognizes its attB/P sites and catalyzes the 641
inversion of gfp from its ON state to OFF state, resulting in the formation of the final 642
plasmid with both attL/R Int9 and attL/R Int13 sites. The corresponding colors and 643
shapes indicate the genetic components of the switch. 644
645
Figure 2. In vitro function of Int -Plex@ memory switch driven by serine integrases in 646
cell-free TX-TL system. (A) Schematic overview of the IntPlex @ memory bimodular 647
genetic switch architect ure, which consists of a RBS sequence in reverse orientation 648
(black) and a degfp sequence in reverse orientation (gray) surrounded by four attB and 649
attP sites (triangles) of four serine integrases: BxB1 (yellow), phiC31 (lilac), Int9 (blue) 650
and Int13 (red). (B) Agarose 1% gel of PCR reaction for each primer combination used 651
to confirm the presence of edited DNA. (C) Agarose 1% gel of PCR reaction for each 652
primer combination used to confirm the presence of the excised DNA with attR scar. (D 653
and E) Sanger sequencing chromatograms of excised circular DNA with attR scar. The 654
DNA fragments were obtained through PCR using pairs of primers indicated in Table 1. 655
The position of the primers is indicated by black arrows. All sequences corresponded to 656
the in silico predicted genome -edited sequences. The corresponding colors and shapes 657
indicate the genetic components of the switch. First lane is 1 kb plus ladder (Life 658
Technologies, USA). Reverse complementary sequences are indicated by a black 659
asterisk. No off-target effects were detected in the analyzed sequences. 660
661
Figure 3. In vitro function of Int -Plex@ memory switch driven by serine integrases in 662
cell-free TX-TL system. (A) The diagram shows the flipping of the degfp in two steps. 663
In the first step, Int 9 recognizes its attB/P sites and catalyzes the inversion of degfp 664
from its OFF state to ON state , resulting in the formation of the intermediate plasmid 665
with attL/Int9 and attR/Int9 sites and the output deGFP. Instantaneously, this 666
intermediate plasmid is the substrate for the action of In t13 that recognizes its attB/P 667
sites and catalyzes the inversion of degfp from its ON state to OFF state, resulting in the 668
formation of the final plasmid with both attL/R Int9 and sites attL/R Int13. (B) In vitro 669
reactions after 24h post incubation of Int -Plex@ cassette plasmid with Int 9 and Int 13 670
plasmids in Arbor Biosciences ™ myTXTL system. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that 671
since both enzymes were added simultaneously (pART27+ Int9+Int13), the ON state 672
varies according to the first integrase to catalyze the plasmid inversion. Thus, the 673
.CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licenseperpetuity. It is made available under a
preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in
The copyright holder for thisthis version posted January 11, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.11.575089doi: bioRxiv preprint
system presents the deGFP for several days according to the ON state mRNA molecules 674
and protein half-lives. (C) Agarose 1% gel of PCR reaction for each primer combination 675
used to confirm the presence of the inverted DNA with attL/R sites. (D and E) Sanger 676
sequencing chromatograms of regions flanking the degfp obtained after simultaneous 677
treatment with Integrases 9 and 13. The DNA fragments were obtained through PCR 678
using pairs of primers indicated in Table 1. The position of the primers is indicated by 679
black arrows. All sequences corresponded to the in silico predicted genome -edited 680
sequences. The corresponding colors and shapes indicate the genetic components of the 681
switch. First lane is 1 kb plus ladder (Life Technologies, USA). Reverse complementary 682
sequences are indicated by a black asterisk. No off-target effects were detected in the 683
analyzed sequences. 684
685
Figure 4. IntPlex@ memory genetic switch for DNA excision driven by Bx B1. (A) 686
Sanger sequencing chromatogram of edited plant genome with attL/BxB1 scar. (B and 687
C) Sanger sequencing chromatogram s of excised circular DNA with attR scar. The 688
DNA fragments were obtained through PCR using pairs of primers indicated in Table 1. 689
The position of the primers is indicated by black arrows. All sequences corresponded to 690
the in silico predicted genome -edited sequences. The corresponding colors and shapes 691
indicate the genetic components of the switch. 692
693
Figure 5. IntPlex@ memory genetic switch for DNA excision driven by phiC31. Sanger 694
sequencing chromatogram of edited plant genome with phiC31 attL. The DNA 695
fragments were obtained through PCR using pairs of primers indicated in Table 1. The 696
position of the primers is indicated by black arrows. The sequence corresponded to the 697
in silico predicted genome -edited sequence. The corresponding colors and shapes 698
indicate the genetic components of the switch. 699
700
Figure 6. Nanopore sequencing evidence of genetic switch operation driven by Bx B1. 701
(A) The diagram illustrates the nanopore raw reads mapped to the predicted excised 702
circular DNA molecule with Bx B1 attR. The corresponding colors and shapes indicate 703
the genetic components of the switch. (B) A detailed view of the excision region, 704
showing the resulting BxB1 attR and the flanking phiC31 attP/attB sites. 705
706
Figure 7. Basecalled reads length vs reads quality score. The color gradient indicates 707
the density of reads, with warmer colors representing higher densities. 708
709
Figure 8. IntPlex@ memory genetic switch for gene modulation (turn gene on ) driven 710
by Int9 or Int13 . (A) Sanger sequencing chromatogram of edited plant genome with 711
Int9 attL and attR post recombination sites. The sequence shows the flipping of the 712
DNA flanked by the Int9 attB and attP sites and, consequently, the inversion of the mgfp 713
to its coding sequence (MGFP output). The Int13 att sites are also inverted and oriented 714
towards their reverse complement. (B) Sanger sequencing chromatogram of edited plant 715
genome with Int13 attL and attR post recombination sites and the inversion of the mgfp 716
to its coding sequence (MGFP output). The fragments were obtained through PCR using 717
pairs of primers indicated in table 1. The position of the primers is indicated by black 718
arrows. A pair of primers was used to amplify the complete attL site (black upper 719
arrow) and a second pair of primers to amplify the attR site (black lower arrow). The 720
sequences corresponded to the in silico predicted genome -edited sequence s. The 721
corresponding colors and shapes indicate the genetic components of the switch. 722
723
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