High-efficiency CRISPR gene editing in C. elegans using Cas9 integrated into the genome.

ABSTRACT: Gene editing in C. elegans using plasmid-based CRISPR reagents requires microinjection of many animals to produce a single edit. Germline silencing of plasmid-borne Cas9 is a major cause of inefficient editing. Here, we present a set of C. elegans strains that constitutively express Cas9 in the germline from an integrated transgene. These strains markedly improve the success rate for plasmid-based CRISPR edits. For simple, short homology arm GFP insertions, 50-100% of injected animals typically produce edited progeny, depending on the target locus. Template-guided editing from an extrachromosomal array is maintained over multiple generations. We have built strains with the Cas9 transgene on multiple chromosomes. Additionally, each Cas9 locus also contains a heatshock-driven Cre recombinase

SUBMITTER: Schwartz ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8601624 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature