Enhanced RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas technology in zebrafish

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas13 systems are widely used in basic and applied sciences. However, its application has recently generated controversy due to collateral activity in mammalian cells and mouse models. Moreover, its efficiency could be improved in vivo. Here, we optimized transient formulations as ribonucleoprotein complexes or mRNA-gRNA combinations to enhance the CRISPR-RfxCas13d system in zebrafish. We i) used chemically modified gRNAs to allow more penetrant loss-of-function phenotypes, ii) improved nuclear RNA-targeting, and iii) compared different computational models and determined the most accurate to predict gRNA activity in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that transient CRISPR-RfxCas13d can effectively deplete endogenous mRNAs in zebrafish embryos without inducing collateral effects, except when targeting extremely abundant and ectopic RNAs. Finally, we implemented alternative RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems with reduced or absent collateral activity. Altogether, these findings contribute to CRISPR-Cas technology optimization for RNA targeting in zebrafish through transient approaches and assist in the progression of in vivo applications.