This application discloses a nuclear localization
signal AoNLS and its application in enhancing
CRISPR / Cas9 editing in
zebrafish. The nuclear localization
signal AoNLS is derived from the
zebrafish proteome. Through
bioinformatics mining and functional screening, a structurally unique
amino acid, KRKREAE, was identified, with its
amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1. This sequence is composed of both basic and
acidic amino acids, and its
mode of action differs from the single charge-driven mechanism of traditional NLS, achieving a breakthrough improvement in nuclear input efficiency. The Pcs2-AoNLS-GFP
system, constructed by fusing AoNLS with GFP
protein, showed a 1.56-fold increase in nuclear input efficiency in
zebrafish embryos compared to the traditional SV40 NLS. Simultaneously, the Pcs2-AoNLS-Cas9
system, constructed by fusing AoNLS with Cas9
protein, significantly enhanced the editing efficiency of the Stat3 and Amh target genes by 1.72 times and 1.82 times, respectively, compared to the Pcs2-SV40 NLS-Cas9
gene editing
system. The AoNLS sequence provided in this application is short and highly efficient, and can be used as a
core component of the next-generation
gene editing tool nuclear
delivery system, with good application prospects in the fields of
aquaculture breeding and
developmental biology research.