Titrating gene expression with allelic series of CRISPR guide RNAs

ABSTRACT: Cellular phenotypes arise from the degrees to which different genes are expressed, yet the ability to monitor these phenotypes is limited by a lack of tools to precisely control gene expression. We describe the development of allelic series of systematically compromised sgRNAs to titrate expression of human genes with CRISPR interference. Using large-scale measurements of compromised sgRNA activities, we both identify empirically validated intermediate-activity sgRNAs and derive the factors governing sgRNA activity using deep learning, enabling construction of a compact sgRNA library to titrate expression of ~2,400 essential genes and a genome-wide in silico library. Staging cells along a continuum of essential gene expression levels using sgRNA series combined with rich single-cell RNA-seq readout reveals expression threshold-specific responses and gene-specific expression-to-phenotype relationships. Our work provides a general tool to control gene expression with applications ranging from tuning of biochemical pathways to identification of suppressors for diseases of dysregulated gene expression.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE132080 | GEO | 2019/11/18

REPOSITORIES: GEO