High-coverage DNA sequence and modification profiling of targeted genomic elements using Nanopore-based Cas12a Targeted Ligation and Enrichment Sequencing (nCasTLES).

Abstract

Third-generation sequencing technologies, such as nanopore sequencing, enable long-read sequencing and direct characterization of nucleic acid modifications at low cost. However, nanopore sequencing is limited by low throughput, necessitating targeted sequencing for interrogation of specific genomic elements. The current standard is nanopore Cas9-targeted sequencing (nCATS), which utilizes blunt-end cleavage of dephosphorylated DNA to render targeted DNA sites as the only ligation-capable ends for sequencing adapter addition. nCATS significantly improves on-target sequencing yield but suffers from lower total sequencing output and faster flow cell degradation, resulting in an increased cost per sequencing due to inert DNA. Here, we present a modified approach, based on creating predictable base overhangs with Cas12a/Cpf1 as ligation substrates for biotinylated oligos followed by bead enrichment, termed nanopore Cas-12a Targeted Ligation-Enrichment Sequencing, or nCasTLES. nCasTLES removes off-target DNA via bead washes rather than rendering it inert. Removal of the inert off-target DNA allows nCasTLES libraries to be pooled with other sequencing libraries in a single sequencing run to achieve equivalent on-target DNA sequencing as nCATs while improving overall yield of useful data and decreasing the speed of flow cell degradation. We demonstrate the power of nCasTLES to characterize methylation dynamics at a frequently-methylated gene promoter. We also directed the Cas12a cleavage to an integrated lentiviral vector, allowing us to assess clonality of a transfected population and interrogate the integration state and transgene effects in selected clones. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of nCasTLES increased flow cell throughput by spike-in of nCasTLES libraries to WGS libraries to also characterize genetic and modified base information, such as clonal copy number variation analysis or BrdU incorporation, alongside the targeted sequencing. This approach will enable highly focused genomic interrogation in combination with full throughput of off-target reads.