In recent years, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has become an efficient and effective tool in genomic editing. In short, the system uses an artificially synthesized complementary RNA to target a gene of interest. The DNA is then... [ view full abstract ]
In recent years, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has become an efficient and effective tool in genomic editing. In short, the system uses an artificially synthesized complementary RNA to target a gene of interest. The DNA is then cleaved by the endonuclease Cas9, which enables cut-and-paste gene editing. In addition to its applications in genetic engineering, mutations in Cas9 disable the enzyme’s cutting activity while retaining its DNA binding ability. Several research groups have developed different chimeric activation systems using Cas9’s ability to upregulate genes of interest, but their relative potency of activation across multiple cell lines and organisms is undetermined. In this study, we compared the potency of multiple activator systems across several human, mouse, and fly cell lines. We conclude that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be widely applied to to induce expression of a gene of interest.
This study was performed at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, where I was employed from June 1st to August 31st. The following authors contributed to the work: Alejandro Chavez, Marcelle Tuttle, Benjamin Pruitt, Ben Ewen-Campen, Raj Chari, Dmitry Ter-Ovanesyan, Sabina Haque, Ryan Cecchi, Emma Kowal, Joanna Buchthal, Benjamin Housden, Norbert Perrimon, James Collins, and George Church.
