Published in

Life Science Alliance, Life Science Alliance, 6(5), p. e202101321, 2022

DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101321

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

DNA methylation–independent long-term epigenetic silencing with dCRISPR/Cas9 fusion proteins

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Postprint: archiving forbidden
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

The programmable CRISPR/Cas9 DNA nuclease is a versatile genome editing tool, but it requires the host cell DNA repair machinery to alter genomic sequences. This fact leads to unpredictable changes of the genome at the cut sites. Genome editing tools that can alter the genome without causing DNA double-strand breaks are therefore in high demand. Here, we show that expression of promoter-associated short guide (sg)RNAs together with dead Cas9 (dCas9) fused to a Krüppel-associated box domains (KRABd) in combination with the transcription repression domain of methyl CpG–binding protein 2 (MeCP2) can lead to persistent gene silencing in mouse embryonic stem cells and in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. Surprisingly, this effect is achievable and even enhanced in DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 3A and 3B (Dnmt3A−/−, Dnmt3b−/−) depleted cells. Our results suggest that dCas9-KRABd-MeCP2 fusions are useful for long-term epigenetic gene silencing with utility in cell biology and potentially in therapeutical settings.