CRISPR-Mediated Integration of Large Gene Cassettes Using AAV Donor Vectors

Abstract

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has recently been shown to facilitate high levels of precise genome editing using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors to serve as donor template DNA during homologous recombination (HR). However, the maximum AAV packaging capacity of ∼4.5 kb limits the donor size. Here, we overcome this constraint by showing that two co-transduced AAV vectors can serve as donors during consecutive HR events for the integration of large transgenes. Importantly, the method involves a single-step procedure applicable to primary cells with relevance to therapeutic genome editing. We use the methodology in primary human T cells and CD34⁺ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to site-specifically integrate an expression cassette that, as a single donor vector, would otherwise amount to a total of 6.5 kb. This approach now provides an efficient way to integrate large transgene cassettes into the genomes of primary human cells using HR-mediated genome editing with AAV vectors.

Keywords: AAV; CRISPR/Cas9; gene editing; genome; integration; large; long; sequential.