scholarly journals Biasing genome-editing events toward precise length deletions with an RNA-guided TevCas9 dual nuclease

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (52) ◽  
pp. 14988-14993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Wolfs ◽  
Thomas A. Hamilton ◽  
Jeremy T. Lant ◽  
Marcon Laforet ◽  
Jenny Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Homing Endonuclease ◽  
Target Site ◽  
Hek293 Cells ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Minimal Processing ◽  
Gene Knockouts ◽  
Alternative Nhej ◽  
Dna Ends

The CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease is commonly used to make gene knockouts. The blunt DNA ends generated by cleavage can be efficiently ligated by the classical nonhomologous end-joining repair pathway (c-NHEJ), regenerating the target site. This repair creates a cycle of cleavage, ligation, and target site regeneration that persists until sufficient modification of the DNA break by alternative NHEJ prevents further Cas9 cutting, generating a heterogeneous population of insertions and deletions typical of gene knockouts. Here, we develop a strategy to escape this cycle and bias events toward defined length deletions by creating an RNA-guided dual active site nuclease that generates two noncompatible DNA breaks at a target site, effectively deleting the majority of the target site such that it cannot be regenerated. The TevCas9 nuclease, a fusion of the I-TevI nuclease domain to Cas9, functions robustly in HEK293 cells and generates 33- to 36-bp deletions at frequencies up to 40%. Deep sequencing revealed minimal processing of TevCas9 products, consistent with protection of the DNA ends from exonucleolytic degradation and repair by the c-NHEJ pathway. Directed evolution experiments identified I-TevI variants with broadened targeting range, making TevCas9 an easy-to-use reagent. Our results highlight how the sequence-tolerant cleavage properties of the I-TevI homing endonuclease can be harnessed to enhance Cas9 applications, circumventing the cleavage and ligation cycle and biasing genome-editing events toward defined length deletions.

scholarly journals An improved method for precise genome editing in zebrafish using CRISPR-Cas9 technique

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene V. Gasanov ◽  
Justyna Jędrychowska ◽  
Michal Pastor ◽  
Malgorzata Wiweger ◽  
Axel Methner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Target Site ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Intervention Site ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Guide Rna ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Cas9 Nuclease ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining

AbstractCurrent methods of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated site-specific mutagenesis create deletions and small insertions at the target site which are repaired by imprecise non-homologous end-joining. Targeting of the Cas9 nuclease relies on a short guide RNA (gRNA) corresponding to the genome sequence approximately at the intended site of intervention. We here propose an improved version of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing that relies on two complementary guide RNAs instead of one. Two guide RNAs delimit the intervention site and allow the precise deletion of several nucleotides at the target site. As proof of concept, we generated heterozygous deletion mutants of the kcng4b, gdap1, and ghitm genes in the zebrafish Danio rerio using this method. A further analysis by high-resolution DNA melting demonstrated a high efficiency and a low background of unpredicted mutations. The use of two complementary gRNAs improves CRISPR-Cas9 specificity and allows the creation of predictable and precise mutations in the genome of D. rerio.

scholarly journals Parp1 facilitates alternative NHEJ, whereas Parp2 suppresses IgH/c-myc translocations during immunoglobulin class switch recombination

2009 ◽  
Vol 206 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Robert ◽  
Françoise Dantzer ◽  
Bernardo Reina-San-Martin
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Cytidine Deaminase ◽  
Class Switch Recombination ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Immunoglobulin Class ◽  
Class Switch ◽  
Switch Regions ◽  
Alternative Nhej

Immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) is initiated by DNA breaks triggered by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). These breaks activate DNA damage response proteins to promote appropriate repair and long-range recombination. Aberrant processing of these breaks, however, results in decreased CSR and/or increased frequency of illegitimate recombination between the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus and oncogenes like c-myc. Here, we have examined the contribution of the DNA damage sensors Parp1 and Parp2 in the resolution of AID-induced DNA breaks during CSR. We find that although Parp enzymatic activity is induced in an AID-dependent manner during CSR, neither Parp1 nor Parp2 are required for CSR. We find however, that Parp1 favors repair of switch regions through a microhomology-mediated pathway and that Parp2 actively suppresses IgH/c-myc translocations. Thus, we define Parp1 as facilitating alternative end-joining and Parp2 as a novel translocation suppressor during CSR.

scholarly journals SAMHD1 restrains aberrant nucleotide insertions at repair junctions generated by DNA end joining

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Akimova ◽  
Franz Josef Gassner ◽  
Maria Schubert ◽  
Stefan Rebhandl ◽  
Claudia Arzt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Instability ◽  
Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Hek293 Cells ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Intracellular Dntp ◽  
Samhd1 Expression ◽  
Nucleotide Insertions

Abstract Aberrant end joining of DNA double strand breaks leads to chromosomal rearrangements and to insertion of nuclear or mitochondrial DNA into breakpoints, which is commonly observed in cancer cells and constitutes a major threat to genome integrity. However, the mechanisms that are causative for these insertions are largely unknown. By monitoring end joining of different linear DNA substrates introduced into HEK293 cells, as well as by examining end joining of CRISPR/Cas9 induced DNA breaks in HEK293 and HeLa cells, we provide evidence that the dNTPase activity of SAMHD1 impedes aberrant DNA resynthesis at DNA breaks during DNA end joining. Hence, SAMHD1 expression or low intracellular dNTP levels lead to shorter repair joints and impede insertion of distant DNA regions prior end repair. Our results reveal a novel role for SAMHD1 in DNA end joining and provide new insights into how loss of SAMHD1 may contribute to genome instability and cancer development.

scholarly journals Systematic characterization of genome editing in primary T cells reveals proximal genomic insertions and enables machine learning prediction of CRISPR-Cas9 DNA repair outcomes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Leenay ◽  
Amirali Aghazadeh ◽  
Joseph Hiatt ◽  
David Tse ◽  
Judd F. Hultquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Dna Cleavage ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Ribonucleoprotein Complexes ◽  
Break Site ◽  
Nucleotide Insertions

AbstractThe Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) nuclease has become a ubiquitous genome editing tool due to its ability to target almost any location in DNA and create a double-stranded break1,2. After DNA cleavage, the break is fixed with endogenous DNA repair machinery, either by non-templated mechanisms (e.g. non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ)), or homology directed repair (HDR) using a complementary template sequence3,4. Previous work has shown that the distribution of repair outcomes within a cell population is non-random and dependent on the targeted sequence, and only recent efforts have begun to investigate this further5–11. However, no systematic work to date has been validated in primary human cells5,7. Here, we report DNA repair outcomes from 1,521 unique genomic locations edited with SpCas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) in primary human CD4+ T cells isolated from multiple healthy blood donors. We used targeted deep sequencing to measure the frequency distribution of repair outcomes for each guide RNA and discovered distinct features that drive individual repair outcomes after SpCas9 cleavage. Predictive features were combined into a new machine learning model, CRISPR Repair OUTcome (SPROUT), that predicts the length and probability of nucleotide insertions and deletions with R2 greater than 0.5. Surprisingly, we also observed large insertions at more than 90% of targeted loci, albeit at a low frequency. The inserted sequences aligned to diverse regions in the genome, and are enriched for sequences that are physically proximal to the break site due to chromatin interactions. This suggests a new mechanism where sequences from three-dimensionally neighboring regions of the genome can be inserted during DNA repair after Cas9-induced DNA breaks. Together, these findings provide powerful new predictive tools for Cas9-dependent genome editing and reveal new outcomes that can result from genome editing in primary T cells.

scholarly journals Electroporation-Mediated Genome Editing of Livestock Zygotes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C. Lin ◽  
Alison L. Van Eenennaam
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Pronuclear Microinjection ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Gene Knockouts ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining ◽  
High Level ◽  
Scalable Production ◽  
Cytoplasmic Injection

The introduction of genome editing reagents into mammalian zygotes has traditionally been accomplished by cytoplasmic or pronuclear microinjection. This time-consuming procedure requires expensive equipment and a high level of skill. Electroporation of zygotes offers a simplified and more streamlined approach to transfect mammalian zygotes. There are a number of studies examining the parameters used in electroporation of mouse and rat zygotes. Here, we review the electroporation conditions, timing, and success rates that have been reported for mice and rats, in addition to the few reports about livestock zygotes, specifically pigs and cattle. The introduction of editing reagents at, or soon after, fertilization can help reduce the rate of mosaicism, the presence of two of more genotypes in the cells of an individual; as can the introduction of nuclease proteins rather than mRNA encoding nucleases. Mosaicism is particularly problematic in large livestock species with long generation intervals as it can take years to obtain non-mosaic, homozygous offspring through breeding. Gene knockouts accomplished via the non-homologous end joining pathway have been more widely reported and successfully accomplished using electroporation than have gene knock-ins. Delivering large DNA plasmids into the zygote is hindered by the zona pellucida (ZP), and the majority of gene knock-ins accomplished by electroporation have been using short single stranded DNA (ssDNA) repair templates, typically less than 1 kb. The most promising approach to deliver larger donor repair templates of up to 4.9 kb along with genome editing reagents into zygotes, without using cytoplasmic injection, is to use recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) in combination with electroporation. However, similar to other methods used to deliver clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR) genome-editing reagents, this approach is also associated with high levels of mosaicism. Recent developments complementing germline ablated individuals with edited germline-competent cells offer an approach to avoid mosaicism in the germline of genome edited founder lines. Even with electroporation-mediated delivery of genome editing reagents to mammalian zygotes, there remain additional chokepoints in the genome editing pipeline that currently hinder the scalable production of non-mosaic genome edited livestock.

scholarly journals CRISPAltRations: a validated cloud-based approach for interrogation of double-strand break repair mediated by CRISPR genome editing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Kurgan ◽  
Rolf Turk ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
Nathan Roberts ◽  
Garrett R. Rettig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Double Strand Dna Breaks ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining ◽  
Security Standards

AbstractCRISPR systems enable targeted genome editing in a wide variety of organisms by introducing single- or double-strand DNA breaks, which are repaired using endogenous molecular pathways. Characterization of on- and off-target editing events from CRISPR proteins can be evaluated using targeted genome resequencing. We characterized DNA repair footprints that result from non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) after double stranded breaks (DSBs) were introduced by Cas9 or Cas12a for >500 paired treatment/control experiments. We found that building our understanding into a novel analysis tool (CRISPAltRations) improved results’ quality. We validated our software using simulated rhAmpSeq™ amplicon sequencing data (11 gRNAs and 603 on- and off-target locations) and demonstrate that CRISPAltRations outperforms other publicly available software tools in accurately annotating CRISPR-associated indels and homology directed repair (HDR) events. We enable non-bioinformaticians to use CRISPAltRations by developing a web-accessible, cloud-hosted deployment, which allows rapid batch processing of samples in a graphical user-interface (GUI) and complies with HIPAA security standards. By ensuring that our software is thoroughly tested, version controlled, and supported with a UI we enable resequencing analysis of CRISPR genome editing experiments to researchers no matter their skill in bioinformatics.

The repair of topoisomerase 2 cleavage complexes in Arabidopsis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Hacker ◽  
Annika Dorn ◽  
Janina Enderle ◽  
Holger Puchta
Keyword(s):  
Genome Stability ◽  
Nonhomologous End Joining ◽  
Plant Genome ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Induced Mutants ◽  
Topoisomerase 2 ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Alternative Nhej ◽  
Dna Ends

Abstract DNA–protein crosslinks (DPCs) and DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), including those produced by stalled topoisomerase 2 cleavage complexes (TOP2ccs), must be repaired to ensure genome stability. The basic mechanisms of TOP2cc repair have been characterized in other eukaryotes, but we lack information for plants. Using CRISPR/Cas-induced mutants, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana has two main TOP2cc repair pathways: one is defined by TYROSYL-DNA-PHOSPHODIESTERASE 2 (TDP2), which hydrolyzes TOP2–DNA linkages, the other by the DNA-dependent protease WSS1A (a homolog of human SPARTAN/yeast weak suppressor of smt3 [Wss1]), which also functions in DPC repair. TDP1 and TDP2 function nonredundantly in TOP1cc repair, indicating that they act specifically on their respective stalled cleavage complexes. The nuclease METHYL METHANESULFONATE AND UV-SENSITIVE PROTEIN 81 (MUS81) plays a major role in global DPC repair and a minor role in TOP2cc repair. DSBs arise as intermediates of TOP2cc repair and are repaired by classical and alternative nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathways. Double-mutant analysis indicates that “clean” DNA ends caused by TDP2 hydrolysis are mainly religated by classical NHEJ, which helps avoid mutation. In contrast, the mutagenic alternative NHEJ pathway mainly processes nonligateable DNA ends. Thus, TDP2 promotes maintenance of plant genome integrity by error-free repair of TOP2cc.

scholarly journals Regulating the expression of gene drives is key to increasing their invasive potential and the mitigation of resistance

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e1009321
Author(s):  
Andrew Hammond ◽  
Xenia Karlsson ◽  
Ioanna Morianou ◽  
Kyros Kyrou ◽  
Andrea Beaghton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suppressive Effect ◽  
Target Site ◽  
Regulatory Sequences ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Target Site Resistance ◽  
Malaria Mosquitoes ◽  
Gene Drives

Homing-based gene drives use a germline source of nuclease to copy themselves at specific target sites in a genome and bias their inheritance. Such gene drives can be designed to spread and deliberately suppress populations of malaria mosquitoes by impairing female fertility. However, strong unintended fitness costs of the drive and a propensity to generate resistant mutations can limit a gene drive’s potential to spread. Alternative germline regulatory sequences in the drive element confer improved fecundity of carrier individuals and reduced propensity for target site resistance. This is explained by reduced rates of end-joining repair of DNA breaks from parentally deposited nuclease in the embryo, which can produce heritable mutations that reduce gene drive penetrance. We tracked the generation and selection of resistant mutations over the course of a gene drive invasion of a population. Improved gene drives show faster invasion dynamics, increased suppressive effect and later onset of target site resistance. Our results show that regulation of nuclease expression is as important as the choice of target site when developing a robust homing-based gene drive for population suppression.

scholarly journals One-step generation of a targeted knock-in calf using the CRISPR-Cas9 system in bovine zygotes

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Owen ◽  
Sadie L. Hennig ◽  
Bret R. McNabb ◽  
Tamer A. Mansour ◽  
Justin M. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Target Site ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Bull Calf ◽  
Dividing Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Donor Template

Abstract Background The homologous recombination (HR) pathway is largely inactive in early embryos prior to the first cell division, making it difficult to achieve targeted gene knock-ins. The homology-mediated end joining (HMEJ)-based strategy has been shown to increase knock-in efficiency relative to HR, non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), and microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) strategies in non-dividing cells. Results By introducing gRNA/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex and a HMEJ-based donor template with 1 kb homology arms flanked by the H11 safe harbor locus gRNA target site, knock-in rates of 40% of a 5.1 kb bovine sex-determining region Y (SRY)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) template were achieved in Bos taurus zygotes. Embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage were screened for GFP, and nine were transferred to recipient cows resulting in a live phenotypically normal bull calf. Genomic analyses revealed no wildtype sequence at the H11 target site, but rather a 26 bp insertion allele, and a complex 38 kb knock-in allele with seven copies of the SRY-GFP template and a single copy of the donor plasmid backbone. An additional minor 18 kb allele was detected that looks to be a derivative of the 38 kb allele resulting from the deletion of an inverted repeat of four copies of the SRY-GFP template. Conclusion The allelic heterogeneity in this biallelic knock-in calf appears to have resulted from a combination of homology directed repair, homology independent targeted insertion by blunt-end ligation, NHEJ, and rearrangement following editing of the gRNA target site in the donor template. This study illustrates the potential to produce targeted gene knock-in animals by direct cytoplasmic injection of bovine embryos with gRNA/Cas9, although further optimization is required to ensure a precise single-copy gene integration event.

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