CRISPR/Cas9的应用及脱靶效应研究进展

CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术在生命科学领域掀起了一场全新的技术革命,该技术可以对基因组特定位点进行靶向编辑,包括缺失、插入、修复等。CRISPR/Cas9比锌指核酸酶 (ZFNs)和转录激活因子样效应物核酸酶(TALENs)技术更易于操作,而且更高效。CRISPR/Cas9系统中的向导RNA(Single guide RNA, sgRNA)是一段与目标DNA片段匹配的RNA序列,指导Cas9蛋白对基因组进行识别。研究发现,设计的sgRNA会与非靶点DNA序列错配,引入非预期的基因突变,即脱靶效应(Off-target effects)。脱靶效应严重制约了CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术的广泛应用。为了避免脱靶效应,研究者对影响脱靶效应的因素进行了系统研究并提出了许多降低脱靶效应的方法。文章总结了CRISPR/Cas9系统的应用及脱靶效应研究进展,以期为相关领域的工作提供参考。     

CRISPR/Cas9系统中sgRNA设计与脱靶效应评估

基于CRISPR/Cas9系统介导的第三代基因组编辑技术,已成功应用于动物、植物和微生物等诸多物种的基因组改造。如何提高CRISPR/Cas9技术的基因组编辑效率和最大限度降低脱靶风险一直是本领域的研究热点,而使用高效且特异的sgRNA(Small guide RNA)是基因组改造成功的关键性因素之一。目前,已有多款针对CRISPR/Cas9技术的sgRNA设计和/或脱靶效应评估软件,但不同的软件各有优缺点。本文重点对16款sgRNA 设计和脱靶效应评估在线和单机版软件的特点进行了阐述,通过制定38项评估指标对不同软件进行了比较分析,最后对11种用于检测基因组编辑效率和脱靶的实验方法,以及如何筛选高效且特异的sgRNA进行了归纳总结。     

Whole genome analysis of CRISPR Cas9 sgRNA off-target homologies via an efficient computational algorithm

Background

The beauty and power of the genome editing mechanism, CRISPR Cas9 endonuclease system, lies in the fact that it is RNA-programmable such that Cas9 can be guided to any genomic loci complementary to a 20-nt RNA, single guide RNA (sgRNA), to cleave double stranded DNA, allowing the introduction of wanted mutations. Unfortunately, it has been reported repeatedly that the sgRNA can also guide Cas9 to off-target sites where the DNA sequence is homologous to sgRNA.

Results

Using human genome and Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) as an example, this article mathematically analyzed the probabilities of off-target homologies of sgRNAs and discovered that for large genome size such as human genome, potential off-target homologies are inevitable for sgRNA selection. A highly efficient computationl algorithm was developed for whole genome sgRNA design and off-target homology searches. By means of a dynamically constructed sequence-indexed database and a simplified sequence alignment method, this algorithm achieves very high efficiency while guaranteeing the identification of all existing potential off-target homologies. Via this algorithm, 1,876,775 sgRNAs were designed for the 19,153 human mRNA genes and only two sgRNAs were found to be free of off-target homology.

Conclusions

By means of the novel and efficient sgRNA homology search algorithm introduced in this article, genome wide sgRNA design and off-target analysis were conducted and the results confirmed the mathematical analysis that for a sgRNA sequence, it is almost impossible to escape potential off-target homologies. Future innovations on the CRISPR Cas9 gene editing technology need to focus on how to eliminate the Cas9 off-target activity.

     

Structural basis for Cas9 off-target activity

1. Download : Download high-res image (362KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Detection of on-target and off-target mutations generated by CRISPR/Cas9 and other sequence-specific nucleases

The development of customizable sequence-specific nucleases such as TALENs, ZFNs and the powerful CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized the field of genome editing. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is particularly versatile and has been applied in numerous species representing all branches of life. Regardless of the target organism, all researchers using sequence-specific nucleases face similar challenges: confirmation of the desired on-target mutation and the detection of off-target events. Here, we evaluate the most widely-used methods for the detection of on-target and off-target mutations in terms of workflow, sensitivity, strengths and weaknesses.     

Conformational control of Cas9 by CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA guides mitigates off-target activity in T cells

1. Download : Download high-res image (172KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Photoactivatable CRISPR/Cas9 System

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - A photoactivatable CRISPR/Cas9 system consisting of the Cas9 protein, synthetic 102-nt sgRNA or a pair of guide crRNA/tracrRNA, and blocking photocleavable...     

CRISPR/Cas9与心血管疾病

CRISPR(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9(CRISPR-associated proteins)作为一种新型基因组编辑技术,为解释疾病的发生机制和治疗疾病提供了新方法。来自Ⅱ型原核CRISPR系统的CRISPR/Cas9能够通过单链向导RNA(single guide RNA, sgRNA)将Cas9核酸酶靶定到特定的基因组序列发挥作用。已经被成功用来进行基因编辑构建疾病模型,以进行相关领域的功能研究和疾病的治疗。CRISPR/Cas9技术正在迅速的应用于生物医学研究的各个领域,包括心血管领域,它促进了人们对电生理、心肌病、心律失常以及其他心血管疾病的更多了解,已经创建了靶向很多基因的细胞和动物模型,为新一类疗法打开了大门。本综述介绍了CRISPR/Cas9的作用原理、优点和局限性,以及在心血管疾病中的应用进展。     

The CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing Revolution

正Genomes encode the genetic information that controls the development and physiological functions of all living organisms on our planet,and are therefore of central interest in all aspects of biomedical research.To understand the blueprint of life,scientists have long aimed to read and manipulate the genome using a rapidly expanding toolbox.To read the genome,novel state-of-the-art sequencing technologies have made it possible to sequence any single genome rapidly and cheaply.However,methods for introducing targeted modifications of the genome have lagged behind,and though     

Recent Progress in CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/Cas9 system, a simple and efficient tool for genome editing, has experienced rapid progress in its technology and applicability in the past two years. Here, we review the recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology and the ways that have been adopted to expand our capacity for precise genome manipulation. First, we introduce the mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9, including its biochemical and structural implications. Second, we highlight the latest improvements in the CRISPR/Cas9 system, especially Cas9 protein modifications for customization. Third, we review its current applications, in which the versatile CRISPR/Cas9 system was employed to edit the genome, epigenome, or RNA of various organisms. Although CRISPR/Cas9 allows convenient genome editing accompanied by many benefits, we should not ignore the significant ethical and biosafety concerns that it raises. Finally, we discuss the prospective applications and challenges of several promising techniques adapted from CRISPR/Cas9.     

基于CRISPR/Cas9的激活系统研究进展

基因编辑技术自问世以来就一直作为生物技术领域的研究热点。基因编辑工具成簇的规律间隔短回文重复序列及其相关系统(CRISPR/Cas系统)具有特异性、简便性和灵活性等优点,为研究人员提供了丰富的遗传操作工具,也让CRISPR/Cas系统的应用在多种生物中得到了飞速发展。特别是将转录激活因子与失活的Cas蛋白结合,可在RNA转录水平实现基因表达特异性调控,为生物技术在医学研究及农业领域的发展做出了重要的贡献。外源基因的过表达是验证基因功能和基因调控的常用方法,然而由于载体容量的限制难以实现多基因过表达。基于CRISPR/Cas9激活系统可在不同向导RNA的引导下对多个基因进行调控,实现调控水平验证基因功能。本文通过对CRISPR/Cas9激活系统组成及不同激活策略进行总结,整理针对过度激活的解决方案,为CRISPR/Cas9激活系统应用于棉花遗传改良及除草剂抗性研究提供更多参考。     

CRISPR/Cas9系统研究进展

CRISPR/Cas9系统的发展彻底改变了人们编辑DNA序列和调控目标基因表达水平的能力,从而为生物体的精确基因组编辑提供了有力的工具。简化后的CRISPR/Cas9系统由两部分组成:Cas9蛋白和sgRNA。其作用原理为sgRNA通过自身的Cas9把手与Cas9蛋白形成Cas9-sgRNA复合体,Cas9-sgRNA复合体中sgRNA的碱基互补配对区序列与目标基因的靶序列通过碱基互补配对原则进行配对结合,Cas9利用自身的核酸内切酶活性对目标DNA序列进行切割。与传统的基因组编辑技术相比,CRISPR/Cas9系统具有几大明显的优势:易用性、简便性、低成本、可编程性以及可同时编辑多个基因。CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑技术以及衍生出来的CRISPRi和CRISPRa基因表达调控技术已经广泛应用于多种真核和原核生物中。综述了CRISPR/Cas9系统的起源、作用机理、在生物体中的应用和其衍生出的技术,并概述了其脱靶效应和未来前景。     

CRISPR/Cas9 screening using unique molecular identifiers

Loss‐of‐function screening by CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout with pooled, lentiviral guide libraries is a widely applicable method for systematic identification of genes contributing to diverse cellular phenotypes. Here, Random Sequence Labels (RSLs) are incorporated into the guide library, which act as unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) to allow massively parallel lineage tracing and lineage dropout screening. RSLs greatly improve the reproducibility of results by increasing both the precision and the accuracy of screens. They reduce the number of cells needed to reach a set statistical power, or allow a more robust screen using the same number of cells.     

CRISPR/Cas9 and Genome Editing in Drosophila

Recent advances in our ability to design DNA binding factors with specificity for desired sequences have resulted in a revolution in genetic engineering, enabling directed changes to the genome to be made relatively easily. Traditional techniques for generating genetic mutations in most organisms have relied on selection from large pools of randomly induced mutations for those of particular interest, or time-consuming gene targeting by homologous recombination. Drosophila melanogaster has always been at the forefront of genetic analysis, and application of these new genome editing techniques to this organism will revolutionise our approach to performing analysis of gene function in the future. We discuss the recent techniques that apply the CRISPR/Cas9 system to Drosophila, highlight potential uses for this technology and speculate upon the future of genome engineering in this model organism.