High-throughput targeting of large DNA payloads in human pluripotent stem cells
2022
Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
Inserting large DNA payloads (>10 kb) into specific genomic sites of mammalian cells remains challenging. Applications ranging from synthetic biology to evaluating the pathogenicity of disease-associated variants for precision medicine initiatives would greatly benefit from tools that facilitate this process. Here, the strengths of different classes of site-specific recombinases were merged and combined with CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homologous recombination to develop a strategy for stringent site-specific replacement of genomic fragments at least 50 kb in size in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The authors demonstrated the versatility of STRAIGHT-IN (serine and tyrosine recombinase-assisted integration of genes for high-throughput investigation) by (1) inserting various combinations of fluorescent reporters into hiPSCs to assess the excitation-contraction coupling cascade in derivative cardiomyocytes and (2) simultaneously targeting multiple variants associated with inherited cardiac arrhythmic disorders into a pool of hiPSCs. STRAIGHT-IN offers a precise approach to generate genetically matched panels of hiPSC lines efficiently and cost effectively.
STRAIGHT-IN enables high-throughput targeting of large DNA payloads in human pluripotent stem cells
Richard P. Davis
Added on: 05-02-2023
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667237522001825?via%3Dihub