CRISPR activation screens: navigating technologies and applications

Teleri Clark; Matthew A Waller; Lipin Loo; Cesar L Moreno; Christopher E Denes; G Gregory Neely

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.02.007

CRISPR activation screens: navigating technologies and applications

Trends Biotechnol. 2024 Mar 15:S0167-7799(24)00036-2. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.02.007. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Teleri Clark¹, Matthew A Waller¹, Lipin Loo¹, Cesar L Moreno¹, Christopher E Denes¹, G Gregory Neely²

Affiliations

¹ Charles Perkins Centre, Dr. John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics, and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
² Charles Perkins Centre, Dr. John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics, and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: greg.neely@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 38493051
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.02.007

Abstract

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) activation (CRISPRa) has become an integral part of the molecular biology toolkit. CRISPRa genetic screens are an exciting high-throughput means of identifying genes the upregulation of which is sufficient to elicit a given phenotype. Activation machinery is continually under development to achieve greater, more robust, and more consistent activation. In this review, we offer a succinct technological overview of available CRISPRa architectures and a comprehensive summary of pooled CRISPRa screens. Furthermore, we discuss contemporary applications of CRISPRa across broad fields of research, with the aim of presenting a view of exciting emerging applications for CRISPRa screening.

Keywords: CRISPR screens; CRISPRa; gene activation; genetic screening.

Publication types

Review