Analysis of Microsatellite Instability in CRISPR/Cas9 Editing Mice

Publication date: Available online 28 February 2017 Source:Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis Author(s): Xueyun Huo, Yating Du, Jing Lu, Meng Guo, Zhenkun Li, Shuangyue Zhang, Xiaohong Li, Zhenwen Chen, Xiaoyan Du Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR- associated (Cas) protein 9 system is a novel and powerful tool which is widely used for genome editing. CRISPR/Cas9 is RNA-guided and can lead to desired genomic modifications. However, whether the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing causes genomic alterations and genomic instability, such as microsatellite instability (MSI), is still unknown. Here we detected MSI in 21 CRISPR/Cas9 mouse strains using a panel of 42 microsatellite loci which were selected from our previous studies. Surprisingly, MSI occurrence was common in CRISPR/Cas9 modified genome, and most of the strains (19/21, 90.5%) examined showed MSI. Of 42 loci examined, 8 loci (8/42, 19.05%) exhibited MSI in the Cas9 editing mice. The Ttll9 (4/42, 9.5%) were the most unstable strains, and D10Mit3 and D10Mit198 (9/21, 42.9%) was considered to be the most “hot” locus in the Cas9 strains we tested. Through analyzing the mutation of microsatellite loci, we provide new insights into the genomic alterations of CRISPR/Cas9 models and it will help us for a better understanding of this powerful technology.

Source: Mutation Research Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis - February 28, 2017 Category: Cytology Source Type: research