Modulation of DNA repair pathway after CRISPR/Cas9 mediated Double Stranded Break

• Main Author: Seo, Jooheon
• Other Authors: Animal and Poultry Sciences
• Format: Others
• Published: Virginia Tech 2017
• Subjects: CRISPR-Cas9 system; genetic engineering; modified cell line; gene targeting; repair system; cell cycle
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74884

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has become the predominant tool for genome editing. Targeted modifications can be introduced while repairing double strand breaks (DSBs), induced by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The DSB is repaired by either non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR), and the repair is commonly processed through NHEJ because it is the dominant repair pathway in most cell types. The goal of this study is to modulate DNA repair system of somatic cells to increase the frequency of homology-directed repair (HDR) through HR by chemical treatment and the frequency of NHEJ by serum starvation. CRISPR/Cas9 systems targeting RAG2 gene and donor DNA to replace endogenous RAG2 were transfected into porcine fetal fibroblast (PFF) cells and the cells were treated with various chemicals that were known to inhibit NHEJ or stimulate HR. Among the chemical treated groups, cells treated with thymidine showed an average of 5.85-fold increase in HDR compared to the control group; the difference ranged from 1.37 to 9.59. There was no positive effect on the frequency of HDR after treating transfected cells with other chemicals. Placing PFFs under low amount of serum (serum deprivation) could enrich the cells in G0/G1 phase, but there was little difference in the frequency of NHEJ. Our results indicate that modulating DNA repair pathways during CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene targeting could change the outcome of the targeted events. === Master of Science