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Multiplexed Cas9 targeting reveals genomic location effects and gRNA-based staggered breaks influencing mutation efficiency and patterns

ABSTRACT: Understanding the impact of guide RNA (gRNA) and genomic locus on CRISPR/Cas9 activity is crucial to design effective gene editing assays. However, it is challenging to profile Cas9 activity in the endogenous cellular environment. We leverage our TRIP technology to integrate ~1k barcoded reporter genes in the genomes of mouse embryonic stem cells. We target the integrated reporters (IRs) using RNA-guided Cas9 and characterize induced mutations by sequencing. We report that gRNA-sequence and IR locus explain most variation in mutation efficiency. Predominant insertions of a gRNA-specific nucleotide are consistent with template-dependent repair of staggered DNA ends with 1-bp 5′ overhangs. We confirm that such staggered ends are induced by Cas9 in mouse pre-B cells. To explain observed insertions, we propose a model generating primarily blunt and occasionally staggered DNA ends. Mutation patterns indicate that gRNA-sequence controls the fraction of staggered ends, which could be used to optimize Cas9-based insertion efficiency.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE127752 | GEO | 2019/03/08

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) RNA-guided nucleases have gathered considerable excitement as a tool for genome engineering. However, questions remain about the specificity of their target site recognition. Most previous studies have examined predicted off-target binding sites that differ from the perfect target site by one to four mismatches, which represent only a subset of genomic regions. Here, we used ChIP-seq to examine genome-wide CRISPR binding specificity at gRNA-specific and gRNA-independent sites. For two guide RNAs targeting the murine Snurf gene promoter, we observed very high binding specificity at the intended target site while off-target binding was observed at 2- to 6-fold lower intensities. We also identified significant gRNA-independent off-target binding. Interestingly, we found that these regions are highly enriched in the PAM site, a sequence required for target site recognition by CRISPR. To determine the relationship between Cas9 binding and endonuclease activity, we used targeted sequence capture as a high-throughput approach to survey a large number of the potential off-target sites identified by ChIP-seq or computational prediction. A high frequency of indels was observed at both target sites and one off-target site, while no cleavage activity could be detected at other ChIP-bound regions. Our results demonstrate that even a simple configuration of a Cas9:gRNA nuclease can support very specific DNA cleavage activity and that most interactions between the CRISPR nuclease complex and genomic PAM sites do not lead to DNA cleavage. ChIP-seq using dCas9 to determine genome-wide binding of CRISPR/Cas9 noED: Cas9 doublemutant protein without an effector domain KRAB: Cas9 doublemutant protein fused to the KRAB repressor domain S1 gRNA: guide RNA targeting GCTCCCTACGCATGCGTCCC(AGG) in the mouse genome S2 gRNA: guide RNA targeting AATGGCTCAGGTTTGTCGCG(CGG) in the mouse genome VEGFA TS3 gRNA: guide RNA targeting GGTGAGTGAGTGTGTGCGTG(TGG) in the human genome

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Multiplexed Cas9 targeting reveals genomic location effects and gRNA-based staggered breaks influencing mutation efficiency and patterns

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