Unexpected extra exon skipping in the DYSF gene during restoring the reading frame by CRISPR/Cas9

Abstract

The DYSF gene encoding dysferlin protein is one of the largest and has many transcripts. Pathogenic variants in the gene can lead to various types of myopathies, which makes it a good object for studying the events occurring in it during genome editing by the CRISPR/Cas method. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of permanent skipping of exons 3-4, and 26-27 which deletion does not violate the reading frame and allows to eliminate truncated variants within exons. Editing was performed with simultaneous transfection of two sgRNA- and sa/spCas9-containing plasmids on HEK293T cell cultures and healthy donor myoblasts. Skipping of exons 3-4 was performed by destroying the splicing acceptor sites, and exons 26-27 by cuts in the flanking exons with the corresponding deletion in the DNA. Some unexpected results were obtained, when exons 26-27 were skipped, exon 30 was also absent in the transcript, although it is not alternatively spliced and is normally present in all transcripts. This event indicates that DNA changes near splicing sites can affect adjacent exons and the whole gene. However, this fact requires further study.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; DYSF; Dysferlin; Exon skipping; Genome editing.