Biology subjects

McGee, A. V.

Publications and source records attributed to McGee, A. V..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Accounting for small variations in the tracrRNA sequence improves sgRNA activity predictions for CRISPR screening

CRISPR technology is a powerful tool for studying genome function. To aid in picking sgRNAs that have maximal efficacy against a target of interest from many possible options, several groups have developed models that predict sgRNA on-target activity. Although multiple tracrRNA variants are commonly used for screening, no existing models account for this feature when nominating sgRNAs. Here we develop an on-target model, Rule Set 3, that makes optimal predictions for multiple tracrRNA variants. We validate Rule Set 3 on a new dataset of sgRNAs tiling essential and non-essential genes, demonstrating substantial improvement over prior prediction models. By analyzing the differences in sgRNA activity between tracrRNA variants, we show that Pol III transcription termination is a strong determinant of sgRNA activity. We expect these results to improve the performance of CRISPR screening and inform future research on tracrRNA engineering and sgRNA modeling.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2021

Benchmarking of SpCas9 variants enables deeper base editor screens of BRCA1 and BCL2

Numerous rationally-designed and directed-evolution variants of SpCas9 have been reported to expand the utility of CRISPR technology. Here, we benchmark PAM preferences, on-target activity, and off-target susceptibility of 11 variants of SpCas9 in cell culture assays with thousands of guides targeting endogenous genes. To enhance the coverage and thus utility of base editing screens, we demonstrate that the SpCas9-NG and SpG variants are compatible with both A>G and C>T base editors, more than tripling the number of guides and assayable residues. We demonstrate the performance of these technologies by screening for loss-of-function mutations in BRCA1 and Venetoclax-resistant mutations in BCL2, identifying both known and new insights into these clinically-relevant genes. We anticipate that the tools and methodologies described here will facilitate the investigation of genetic variants at a finer and deeper resolution for any locus of interest.

genomics↗