A dual sgRNA library design to probe genetic modifiers using genome-wide CRISPRi screens

Abstract

The ability to map genetic interactions has been essential for determining gene function and defining biological pathways. Therefore, a system to readily perform genome-wide genetic modifier screens in human cells is a powerful platform for dissecting complex processes in mammalian cells, where redundancy and adaptation commonly mask the phenotype of a single genetic perturbation. Here, we report a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) based platform, compatible with Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)-based reporter screens, that can be used to query epistatic relationships at scale. This is enabled by a flexible dual-sgRNA library design that allows for the simultaneous delivery and selection of a fixed sgRNA and a second randomized guide, comprised of a genome-wide library, with a single transduction. As a proof of principle, we apply our approach to study the pathways that mediate tail-anchored (TA) protein insertion at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We show that this dual-guide library approach can be successfully coupled with FACS-based reporter screening, to identify genetic epistasis and thereby place TA biogenesis factors in their respective parallel pathways. We demonstrate that this dual-guide approach is both more sensitive and specific than traditional growth screening approaches, and is ideally suited for dissecting the complex interplay between factors in human cells.

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