CRISPR-based shuttle cloning of 1,397 human genes into UAS vectors

Abstract

The construction of genome-wide DNA libraries from publicly available resources is essential for leveraging functional genomics to investigate complex biological systems. However, all existing high-throughput cloning methods for transferring DNA fragments between vectors require PCR amplification of the DNA fragments, rendering the construction of genome-wide DNA libraries labor-intensive and time-consuming. By introducing a concept of CRISPRshuttle cassette, we herein present a method named CRISPR-based shuttle cloning (CRISPRshuttle cloning). This method enables the high-throughput transfer of numerous DNA fragments from original plasmids with identical backbones to a different vector background without the need for PCR amplification of the DNA fragments. The procedure comprises two-step test tube reactions followed by bacterial transformation. Using CRISPRshuttle we successfully generated a library of GAL4/UAS-based UAS-ORF plasmids covering 1,397 human genes conserved in Drosophila. This library may serve as a valuable resource for gain-of-function screening in cultured cells and for the creation of a transgenic UAS-ORF library in Drosophila.