CAREER: Versatile transcription activator-like effector libraries for genome-wide screens

University Of Texas At Dallas, Richardson TX

Investigators

Abstract

1351354 Bleris, Leonidas The ability to perturb individual genes in genome-wide screening experiments has been instrumental in unraveling cellular and disease properties. The PI proposes to develop, optimize, and implement novel transcription-activator like effector (TALE) libraries and associated technologies. TALEs are proteins that can be engineered to target specific nucleotide sequences in mammalian cells and can act as activators or repressors of gene expression at the transcriptional level. While the TALE library technology holds promise for a wide range of applications, the emphasis of this proposal lies in the development and customization of TALE libraries for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell reprogramming. From disease modeling to curing genetic diseases, the prospective iPS applications are endless. Considering the highly modular nature of TALEs and the versatility and ease of constructing these libraries, the technology is transformative and will spark a large number of novel biotechnology and medical applications. The results will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and presentations at national and international conferences. The PI will develop a customized special topics class on systems biology and the role and properties of student networks and collaborative learning in education will be explored. In addition, the educational plan consists of several action items tightly integrated with research, including (a) support for the UT Dallas International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) undergraduate synthetic biology team, (b) interfacing via internship opportunities with leading US research and science policy institutions, (c) annual seminar day at Collin Community College and a summer internship hosted in our lab, and (d) lab community service. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, this CAREER award by the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering Program of the CBET Division is co-funded by the Systems and Synthetic Biology Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology.