scholarly journals Splice donor site sgRNAs enhance CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout efficiency

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio García-Tuñón ◽  
Verónica Alonso-Pérez ◽  
Elena Vuelta ◽  
Sandra Pérez-Ramos ◽  
María Herrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Donor Site ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Null Result ◽  
Nucleotide Insertions ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining ◽  
Therapy Strategies

ABSTRACTCRISPR/Cas9 enables the generation of knockout cell lines and null zygotes by inducing site-specific double-stranded breaks. In most cases the DSB is repaired by non-homologous end joining, resulting in small nucleotide insertions or deletions that can be used to construct knockout alleles. However, these mutations do not produce the desired null result in all cases, but instead generate a similar, functionally active protein. This effect could limit the therapeutic efficiency of gene therapy strategies based on abrogating oncogene expression, and therefore needs to be considered carefully. If there is an acceptable degree of efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 delivery to cells, the key step for success lies in the effectiveness of a specific sgRNA at knocking out the oncogene, when only one sgRNA can be used. This study shows that the null effect could be increased with an sgRNA targeting the splice donor site (SDS) of the chosen exon. Following this strategy, the generation of null alleles would be facilitated in two independent ways: the probability of producing a frameshift mutation and the probability of interrupting the canonical mechanism of pre-mRNA splicing. In these contexts, we propose to improve the loss-of-function yield driving the CRISPR system at the SDS of critical exons.

scholarly journals Biallelic variants in COPB1 cause a novel, severe intellectual disability syndrome with cataracts and variable microcephaly

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Macken ◽  
Annie Godwin ◽  
Gabrielle Wheway ◽  
Karen Stals ◽  
Liliya Nazlamova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Xenopus Tropicalis ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Homologous Region ◽  
Disease Genes ◽  
Coat Proteins ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Severe Intellectual Disability

Abstract Background Coat protein complex 1 (COPI) is integral in the sorting and retrograde trafficking of proteins and lipids from the Golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In recent years, coat proteins have been implicated in human diseases known collectively as “coatopathies”. Methods Whole exome or genome sequencing of two families with a neuro-developmental syndrome, variable microcephaly and cataracts revealed biallelic variants in COPB1, which encodes the beta-subunit of COPI (β-COP). To investigate Family 1’s splice donor site variant, we undertook patient blood RNA studies and CRISPR/Cas9 modelling of this variant in a homologous region of the Xenopus tropicalis genome. To investigate Family 2’s missense variant, we studied cellular phenotypes of human retinal epithelium and embryonic kidney cell lines transfected with a COPB1 expression vector into which we had introduced Family 2’s mutation. Results We present a new recessive coatopathy typified by severe developmental delay and cataracts and variable microcephaly. A homozygous splice donor site variant in Family 1 results in two aberrant transcripts, one of which causes skipping of exon 8 in COPB1 pre-mRNA, and a 36 amino acid in-frame deletion, resulting in the loss of a motif at a small interaction interface between β-COP and β’-COP. Xenopus tropicalis animals with a homologous mutation, introduced by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, recapitulate features of the human syndrome including microcephaly and cataracts. In vitro modelling of the COPB1 c.1651T>G p.Phe551Val variant in Family 2 identifies defective Golgi to ER recycling of this mutant β-COP, with the mutant protein being retarded in the Golgi. Conclusions This adds to the growing body of evidence that COPI subunits are essential in brain development and human health and underlines the utility of exome and genome sequencing coupled with Xenopus tropicalis CRISPR/Cas modelling for the identification and characterisation of novel rare disease genes.

scholarly journals A 5′ splice site mutation affecting the pre-mRNA splicing of two upstream exons in the collagen COL1A1 gene. Exon 8 skipping and altered definition of exon 7 generates truncated proα1(I) chains with a non-collagenous insertion destabilizing the triple helix

1994 ◽  
Vol 302 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Bateman ◽  
D Chan ◽  
I Moeller ◽  
M Hannagan ◽  
W G Cole
Keyword(s):  
Splice Site ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Mrna Splicing ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Sequence Motif ◽  
Type I ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Site Mutation ◽  
Definition Of

A heterozygous de novo G to A point mutation in intron 8 at the +5 position of the splice donor site of the gene for the pro alpha 1(I) chain of type I procollagen, COL1A1, was defined in a patient with type IV osteogenesis imperfecta. The splice donor site mutation resulted not only in the skipping of the upstream exon 8 but also unexpectedly had the secondary effect of activating a cryptic splice site in the next upstream intron, intron 7, leading to re-definition of the 3′ limit of exon 7. These pre-mRNA splicing aberrations cause the deletion of exon 8 sequences from the mature mRNA and the inclusion of 96 bp of intron 7 sequence. Since the mis-splicing of the mutant allele product resulted in the maintenance of the correct codon reading frame, the resultant pro alpha 1(I) chain contained a short non-collagenous 32-amino-acid sequence insertion within the repetitive Gly-Xaa-Yaa collagen sequence motif. At the protein level, the mutant alpha 1(I) chain was revealed by digestion with pepsin, which cleaved the mutant procollagen within the protease-sensitive non-collagenous insertion, producing a truncated alpha 1(I). This protease sensitivity demonstrated the structural distortion to the helical structure caused by the insertion. In long-term culture with ascorbic acid, which stimulates the formation of a mature crosslinked collagen matrix, and in tissues, there was no evidence of the mutant chain, suggesting that during matrix formation the mutant chain was unable to stably incorporated into the matrix and was degraded proteolytically.

scholarly journals A Novel Splice Donor Site in thegag-polGene Is Required for HIV-1 RNA Stability

2006 ◽  
Vol 281 (27) ◽  
pp. 18644-18651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lützelberger ◽  
Line S. Reinert ◽  
Atze T. Das ◽  
Ben Berkhout ◽  
Jørgen Kjems
Keyword(s):  
Donor Site ◽  
Rna Stability ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Hiv 1

Haploinsufficiency in non-homologous end joining factor 1 induces ovarian dysfunction in humans and mice

2021 ◽  
pp. jmedgenet-2020-107398
Author(s):  
Guoqing Li ◽  
Xi Yang ◽  
Lingbo Wang ◽  
Yuncheng Pan ◽  
Siyuan Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Function ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Chinese Family ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Dsb Repair ◽  
Repair Capacity ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining

BackgroundPremature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a common disease in women that leads to a reduced reproductive lifespan. The aetiology of POI is genetically heterogeneous, with certain double-strand break (DSB) repair genes being implicated in POI. Although non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is an efficient DSB repair pathway, the functional relationship between this pathway and POI remains unknown.Methods and resultsWe conducted whole-exome sequencing in a Chinese family and identified a rare heterozygous loss-of-function variant in non-homologous end joining factor 1 (NHEJ1): c.532C>T (p.R178*), which co-segregated with POI and irregular menstruation. The amount of NHEJ1 protein in the proband was half of the normal level, indicating a link between NHEJ1 haploinsufficiency and POI. Furthermore, another rare heterozygous NHEJ1 variant c.500A>G (p.Y167C) was identified in one of 100 sporadic POI cases. Both variants were predicted to be deleterious by multiple in silico tools. In vitro assays showed that knock-down of NHEJ1 in human KGN ovarian cells impaired DNA repair capacity. We also generated a knock-in mouse model with a heterozygous Nhej1 variant equivalent to NHEJ1 p.R178* in familial patients. Compared with wild-type mice, heterozygous Nhej1-mutated female mice required a longer time to first birth, and displayed reduced numbers of primordial and growing follicles. Moreover, these mice exhibited higher sensitivity to DSB-inducing drugs. All these phenotypes are analogous to the progressive loss of ovarian function observed in POI.ConclusionsOur observations in both humans and mice suggest that NHEJ1 haploinsufficiency is associated with non-syndromic POI, providing novel insights into genetic counselling and clinical prevention of POI.

A splice donor site mutation in HOXD13 underlies synpolydactyly with cortical bone thinning

Gene ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 532 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuyan Shi ◽  
Chunyan Ji ◽  
Lihua Cao ◽  
Yuhong Wu ◽  
Yuyang Shang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Bone ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Site Mutation ◽  
Splice Donor Site Mutation

scholarly journals A Deep Exon Cryptic Splice Site Promotes Aberrant Intron Retention in a Von Willebrand Disease Patient

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13248
Author(s):  
John G. Conboy
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Structure ◽  
Splice Site ◽  
Intron Retention ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Von Willebrand Disease ◽  
Splice Donor Site ◽  
Cryptic Splice Site ◽  
Splice Donor ◽  
Nucleotide Mutation ◽  
Von Willebrand

A translationally silent single nucleotide mutation in exon 44 (E44) of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene is associated with inefficient removal of intron 44 in a von Willebrand disease (VWD) patient. This intron retention (IR) event was previously attributed to reordered E44 secondary structure that sequesters the normal splice donor site. We propose an alternative mechanism: the mutation introduces a cryptic splice donor site that interferes with the function of the annotated site to favor IR. We evaluated both models using minigene splicing reporters engineered to vary in secondary structure and/or cryptic splice site content. Analysis of splicing efficiency in transfected K562 cells suggested that the mutation-generated cryptic splice site in E44 was sufficient to induce substantial IR. Mutations predicted to vary secondary structure at the annotated site also had modest effects on IR and shifted the balance of residual splicing between the cryptic site and annotated site, supporting competition among the sites. Further studies demonstrated that introduction of cryptic splice donor motifs at other positions in E44 did not promote IR, indicating that interference with the annotated site is context dependent. We conclude that mutant deep exon splice sites can interfere with proper splicing by inducing IR.

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