Interstrand crosslinking of homologous repair template DNA enhances gene editing in human cells

Authors: Hannah I. Ghasemi, Julien Bacal, Amanda C. Yoon, Katherine U. Tavasoli, Carmen Cruz, Jonathan T. Vu, Brooke M. Gardner, Chris D. Richardson

Published: 2023-02-27

DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01654-y

Source: Full article


Abstract

AbstractWe describe a strategy to boost the efficiency of gene editing via homology-directed repair (HDR) by covalently modifying the template DNA with interstrand crosslinks. Crosslinked templates (xHDRTs) increase Cas9-mediated editing efficiencies by up to fivefold in K562, HEK293T, U2OS, iPS and primary T cells. Increased editing from xHDRTs is driven by events on the template molecule and requires ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase and components of the Fanconi anemia pathway.