Project description:A key limitation of the commonly-used CRISPR enzyme S. pyogenes Cas9 is the strict requirement of an NGG protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) at the target site, which reduces the number of accessible genomic loci. This constraint can be limiting for genome editing applications that require precise Cas9 positioning. Recently, two Cas9 variants with a relaxed PAM requirement (NG) have been developed (xCas9 and Cas9-NG) but their activity has been measured at only a small number of endogenous sites. Here we devised a high-throughput Cas9 pooled competition screen to compare the performance of both PAM-flexible Cas9 variants and wild-type Cas9 at thousands of genomic loci and across 3 modalities (gene knock-out, transcriptional activation and suppression). We show that PAM flexibility comes at a substantial cost of decreased DNA targeting and cutting. Of the PAM-flexible variants, we found that Cas9-NG outperforms xCas9 regardless of genome engineering modality or PAM. Finally, we combined xCas9 mutations with those of Cas9-NG, creating a stronger transcriptional modulator than existing PAM-flexible Cas9 variants.
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
Project description:It is known that current the-art-of-the-state TadA8 and TadA8e which evolved from E. coli TadA. They inherited the 'YA' context from tRNA deaminase. We started with wildtype E. coli TadA and designed an evolution campaign to force TadA variants to deaminate “GA” with fast kinetics. Three rounds of de novo directed evolution followed by DNA shuffling led to TadA8r, a TadA variant of superior “RA” deamination activity. TadA8r acts on a broadened editing window when fused to Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) and delivers robust editing at PAM distal positions. While highly active at on-target sites, ABE8r shows off-target DNA and RNA editing much lower than ABE8e. The off-target effects of ABE8r can be further mitigated by introducing a V106W substitution23, a R153 deletion22, or by mRNA delivery. Lastly, we demonstrate ABE8r-mediated correction of G1961E in ABCA4, the most prevalent mutation driving Stargardt disease (STGD1), in a “GA” context. ABE8r, with its superior activity and broadened context compatibility, complements and expands the current ABE family.
Project description:To study target sequence specificity, selectivity, and reaction kinetics of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 activity, we challenged libraries of random variant targets with purified Cas9::guide RNA complexes in vitro. Cleavage kinetics were nonlinear, with a burst of initial activity followed by slower sustained cleavage. Consistent with other recent analyses of Cas9 sequence specificity, we observe considerable (albeit incomplete) impairment of cleavage for targets mutated in the PAM sequence or in "seed" sequences matching the proximal 8 bp of the guide. A second target region requiring close homology was located at the other end of the guide::target duplex (positions 13-18 relative to the PAM). Strikingly, a subset of variants which broke homology in the intervening region consistently increased the capacity of Cas9 to cleave in extended reactions. Sequences flanking the guide+PAM region had measurable (albeit modest) effects on cleavage. Taken together, these studies provide both a basis for predicting effective cleavage targets and a basis for potential optimization of guide RNAs to yield efficiency beyond that of the simple perfect-match guides.
2014-11-14 | GSE58426 | GEO
Project description:An engineered ScCas9 with broad PAM range and high specificity and activity
| PRJNA623032 | ENA
Project description:An engineered ScCas9 with broad PAM range and high specificity and activity
Project description:The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated enzyme Cas9 is an RNA-guided nuclease that has been widely adapted for genome editing in eukaryotic cells. However, the in vivo target specificity of Cas9 is poorly understood and most studies rely on in silico predictions to define the potential off-target editing spectrum. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), we delineate the genome-wide binding panorama of catalytically inactive Cas9 directed by two different single guide (sg) RNAs targeting the Trp53 locus. Cas9:sgRNA complexes are able to load onto multiple sites with short seed regions adjacent to 5’NGG3’ protospacer adjacent motifs (PAM). Examination of dmCas9 binding sites using two Trp53 targeting sgRNAs in Arf -/- MEF cell line (mouse).
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.
Project description:RNA-guided genome editing with the CRISPR-Cas9 system has great potential for basic and clinical research, but the determinants of targeting specificity and the extent of off-target cleavage remain insufficiently understood. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq), we mapped genome-wide binding sites of catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) in HEK293T cells, in combination with 12 different single guide RNAs (sgRNAs). The number of off-target sites bound by dCas9 varied from ~10 to >1,000 depending on the sgRNA. Analysis of off-target binding sites showed the importance of the PAM-proximal region of the sgRNA guiding sequence and that dCas9 binding sites are enriched in open chromatin regions. When targeted with catalytically active Cas9, some off-target binding sites had indels above background levels in a region around the ChIP-seq peak, but generally at lower rates than the on-target sites. Our results elucidate major determinants of Cas9 targeting, and we show that ChIP-seq allows unbiased detection of Cas9 binding sites genome-wide 1.sgRNA1-6 binding sites were identified with ChipSeq by using HA antibody (there are 2 replicates for sgRNA1-3, one sample for sgRNA4-6,one control without sgRNA) 2.PCR products which amplifies " off-target genomic sites" were deep sequenced in the presence of WT Cas9+sgRNA or WT Cas9 alone( unique adaptor was used for each sgRNA and mixed for multiplex run)