Direct Visualization of Single-Nucleotide Variation in mtDNA Using a CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Proximity Ligation Assay

作者：Zhang, Kaixiang; Deng, Ruijie; Teng, Xucong; Li, Yue; Sun, Yupeng; Ren, Xiaojun; Li, Jinghong^*

来源：Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2018, 140(36): 11293-11301.

DOI：10.1021/jacs.8b05309

• MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA MUTATIONS
• GENOMIC LOCI
• AMPLIFICATION
• MOLECULES
• PROTEINS
• MICRORNA
• SEQUENCES
• DYNAMICS
• PROBES
• CELLS

The accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in cells is strongly related to aging associated diseases. Imaging of single-nucleotide variation (SNV) in mtDNA is crucial for understanding the heteroplasmy of mtDNAs that harbor pathogenic changes. Herein, we designed a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated proximity ligation assay (CasPLA) for direct visualization of the ND4 and NDS genes in the mtDNAs of single cells. Taking advantage of the high specificity of CRISPR/Cas9, CasPLA can be used to image SNV in the ND4 gene at single-molecule resolution. Using CasPLA, we observed a mtDNA-transferring process between different cells through a tunneling nanotube, which may account for the spreading of mtDNA heteroplasmy. Moreover, we demonstrated that CasPLA strategy can be applied for imaging of single copy genomic loci (KRAS gene) in the nuclear genome. Our results establish CasPLA as a tool to study SNV in situ in single cells for basic research and genetic diagnosis.

• 出版日期2018-9-12
• 单位清华大学